Swapping vaccine rhetoric for story time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. crisscrossed Ohio to woo midterm voters. But he couldn’t quite change the subject.

"Addressing poverty allows us to reconcile and solve for these conditions that put people in places of despair," said Benjamin Miller, a professor at Stanford and national expert in mental health policy. "I don’t know what stronger intervention one could possibly have.”

Health insurance in the U.S. is notoriously confusing. We’re covering the basics to make navigating your plan a little easier ⤵️

Nonprofit hospitals are supposed to be charities. That doesn’t always mean they offer much help to low-income people with big medical bills, a Minnesota Star Tribune-KFF Health News investigation finds.

Ten years ago, the Office of Personnel Management suffered one of the biggest government data breaches in history. Now, the agency wants millions of federal workers' medical records. Listen to why health policy experts aren't sure OPM can safeguard the data on @wamu.org 🎧 ⤵️

When @gavinnewsom.bsky.social embraced single-payer, it was considered politically risky. Now, @katieporterca.bsky.social, @tomsteyerhq.bsky.social, and others in the wide-open race to succeed Newsom have embraced single-payer as a political necessity.

It's unclear whether the abortion pill mifepristone will continue to be available through telehealth prescribing. The Supreme Court this week temporarily restored access after a lower court blocked it, but it remains to be seen what the high court will do next. Listen for more 🎧 ⤵️

Next time you visit the pharmacy, you might be offered a coupon on your prescription drugs. It may sound like a great deal, with the prospect of saving hundreds of dollars. But the decision to accept is complicated, especially for people with insurance.

Trump's deals with pharmaceutical companies are “one-off agreements made for publicity purposes,” said a Harvard professor who studies drug prices. "They don’t change anything about the way drugs are priced."

Starting in July, people on Medicare might be able to get weight loss drugs, such as Wegovy and Zepbound, for $50 a month. It’s a notable shift for Medicare, which has long been barred from covering weight loss treatments. @jackie-fortier.bsky.social reports ⤵️

The Trump administration wants to make access to treatment easier than getting drugs and increase support for people in recovery. The administration's funding cuts and policies affecting insurance will make those goals difficult to achieve.

This week, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Hikma v. Amarin, a case you’ve probably never heard of. The legal battle could impact how much you ultimately pay for prescription drugs. An Arm and a Leg’s @emilypisacreta.bsky.social reports ⤵️

Across the U.S., hospitals and patient advocates are looking to state lawmakers and local officials to help shore up shaky finances. California lawmakers are mulling another $300 million in interest-free loans for troubled hospitals. Pennsylvania and Illinois are weighing similar programs.

“I have dealt with chronic pain ... ever since the shooting happened,” said a survivor of two school shootings. She's not alone. A new study finds exposure to gun violence is linked to higher rates of chronic pain. @almabeauvais.bsky.social with @thetrace.org reports ⤵️

A recent Rutgers University study is one of the first to focus specifically on the link between exposure to gun violence and chronic pain. It’s part of an emerging body of work on the physical health toll of gun violence.

The Trump administration is urging the public to report hospitals and nursing homes that serve sugary drinks or meals that it says don’t meet dietary guidelines. Officials are vowing to withhold millions in federal funding if violations occur. @stephaniearmour.bsky.social reports ⤵️

Lawmakers had strong words for hospital CEOs about their prices at a House hearing this week. But it remains unclear whether they will follow up their words with actions to force prices down. Listen for more on the latest health care news 🎧 ⤵️

“Single-payer is a perfect example of Gavin Newsom — that when things get tough, he cuts and runs,” says Lanhee Chen of the Hoover Institution.

Hundreds of foreign doctors about to complete training in the U.S. will have to depart the country and abandon their plans to treat underserved patients if the federal government doesn’t rapidly process their visa waiver applications, immigration attorneys told me. kffhealthnews.org/health-indus...

Hundreds of foreign doctors planning to treat underserved patients in the U.S. are in limbo. If the government doesn't expedite their visa waiver applications, most will have to leave by the end of July. @ajzionts.bsky.social reports ⤵️

As a Jan. 1 deadline nears, state officials are still shaping their new Medicaid work requirement implementation plans, according to a survey released this week. Lingering questions include which diseases and illnesses will qualify for exemptions.

Regulations already make it challenging for people recovering from drug addiction to get medications, one doctor says. But when they’re displaced, “those challenges just become insurmountable.” @arjonesreports.bsky.social ⤵️

On May 1, Nebraska will become the first state to cut off health coverage for Medicaid enrollees who don’t meet the new national work requirement — or fail to correctly submit paperwork in time.

A farmer was drowning in debt and despair. His lifeline wasn’t just a therapist — it was also a financial plan. Why experts say “upstream” policies are the next critical step for suicide prevention.

Every state won awards from a $50 billion rural transformation fund. But the money can’t replace Medicaid dollars. It must build durable systems: electronic health records, broadband, telehealth. That means community health care providers may end up sharing the billions with corporate giants.

A North Carolina woman had a bad reaction to a bug bite. But it was the $6,700 bill from the emergency room that really stung.

“It’s like being the eyes and ears for the doctors, to see what’s happening outside the 20 minutes they get to spend with patients,” said one community health worker in rural Oregon. Her work ranges from ordering bath mats to reporting suspected financial abuse.

Florida has not expanded federally subsidized health care for children despite passing legislation to do so more than two years ago. That's shut out thousands of children from coverage. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for,” one parent said.

Patients are getting stuck in hospital emergency departments for days while waiting for a spot in an inpatient ward. “It’s barbaric,” one ED doctor says. The practice is in many ways a result of today’s business models and pressures.

President Trump signed an executive order this week to facilitate the use of hallucinogens to treat mental health conditions. That came days after he got a text from the podcaster Joe Rogan suggesting the move. Hear more on the latest health news with @julierovner.bsky.social🎧 ⤵️

Nationwide, patients are shouldering more health care costs. High-deductible plans are a big reason why. @jackie-fortier.bsky.social explains how this shift could affect your finances:

“These are unbelievable increases,” an insurance broker said of rising premium costs for Medigap plans, which cover some Medicare payments for consumers.

States will have to bear more of the SNAP program’s costs under the new budget law. They could respond by making it harder for people to qualify. “My fear is that some states will choose not to operate SNAP at all,” one researcher said.

Some cancer survivors face nonstop medical bills even years after treatment. They’re unlikely to see any change under the GOP’s health care proposals, which center on increasing the availability of high-deductible health plans.

People on Medicaid in Montana might gain access to doula support in pregnancy after all. Katheryn Houghton follows up on reporting that a state budget deficit had stalled those plans.

UPDATE: People relying on Medicaid in Montana might gain access to doula support in pregnancy after all. The state is once again working to add doula services to its Medicaid coverage. That comes after recent reporting that a budget deficit had stalled those plans.

Two bills moving through the California Senate would ensure patients in immigration custody retain the right to have their families notified of their location and condition. @carolinemenjivar.bsky.social #CALeg

The Trump administration is seeking medical records for millions of federal workers. After KFF Health News reported on the plan, some Democratic lawmakers are now questioning the legality of the request. The agency has not publicly addressed concerns about its proposal.

“I live in a world — a pharma world — where half the people think I’m dead, and the other half wish I was.” Hear the story of a patent lawyer who had a hand in giving pharmaceutical companies monopolies on their most lucrative drugs and his fixes to get more generics on the market 🎧 ⤵️

President Donald Trump nominated a former deputy surgeon general who has expressed support for vaccines to lead the CDC last week. Also, Health secretary RFK Jr. made the rounds on Capitol Hill to testify about the president’s budget request. Catch up on the latest health care news 🎧⤵️

Lawsuits by doctors and other nonhospital providers now dominate health care collections in Connecticut, accounting for more than 80% of cases filed against patients and their families in recent years. The lawsuits are typically over bills of less than $3,000, but the impact can be devastating.

Few states regulate the use of AI in making health insurance determinations. Some physicians and patient advocates worry it could be used by insurance companies to refuse payment for care.

Last fall, I was told about a burgeoning world of apps offering AI therapy. I took a look: all over the app store, there are products for kids as young as 4. Many seem to use your data for advertising. What's it mean to have AI therapy? For @kffhealthnews.org: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Many people, especially young adults, are turning to AI-powered chatbots for mental health support. The chatbots are “someone that I could share more secrets with than my therapist,” one user says. @dariustahir.bsky.social reports ⤵️

Many Medicaid applicants will soon have to show they’ve been working for at least a month before receiving benefits. Some Republican-controlled states want to require three months of work.

Experts say declining birth rates reflect delayed childbearing, not less desire for kids. Changes to Title X could reduce access to contraception, a key tool for planning pregnancies and improving maternal health.

Raids, data sharing with ICE, and eligibility changes are making immigrants nervous about enrolling in Medicaid. Furthering those fears is a new proposal that could block immigrants from obtaining permanent legal residency if they use public benefits.

Meet some of the people whose lives were upended after their rural dialysis center closed. Some moved to be closer to care. One is living in a rental in another city on weekdays. Another drives 4+ hours roundtrip for care, three times a week. Read and listen: www.npr.org/2026/04/15/n...

Patients’ lives were upended after a rural Nebraska hospital shuttered its dialysis unit. Some moved to be closer to care. One is living in a rental in another city on weekdays. Another drives more than four hours round-trip for care three times a week. @ajzionts.bsky.social reports ⤵️

New Orleans is seeking $5 million in federal aid to assess and remediate lead in soil at city playgrounds. That's after an investigation from @veritenews.org and KFF Health News found high levels of lead contamination at playgrounds throughout the city.