Delivering a baby + postpartum care costs an average of $20,000, with $2,700 paid out of pocket. C-sections are more expensive as well, plus there are additional costs for infant healthcare. #pregnancy #birth #healthcare #healthcarecosts www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/health...

Q: The US spends almost 2x on healthcare - why? Is it the 💰prices, or ⬆️use? A: It's (still) the prices. We pay 2x prices (and often use less: fewer in-person physician visits, shorter hospital stays) www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec... #Quality #Affordability #Healthcare

Rates of 🚬cigarette use and 🍺🍷 binge drinking have gone down: 🚬 16% in 2021 to 13.1% in 2024 ⬇️ 🍺🍷 21.7% in 2021 to 20.1% in 2024⬇️ Teens are also using alcohol less: Use in past month: 15.6% in 2021 to 13.3% in 2024 Marijuana use in adults over 26 is increasing: 🍃17.3% in 2021 to 21.7% in 2024

“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me this year that I’m on COBRA,” said Venus Williams in a post-match interview at the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open. Williams, 45, became the oldest woman to win on the Women’s Tennis Association tour since 2004. Learn more about COBRA.⤵️

I do love the math.

In Georgia, families used pandemic-boosted SNAP benefits to buy grapes, strawberries, eggs and fresh vegetables from local grocers. They worry about what the budget bill will do to their ability to eat healthy foods. 🤷🏾 "I'd buy hotdogs." kffhealthnews.org/news/article... #MAHA #foodsystems

Across 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and D.C. that have submitted rate filings so far, most are requesting increases of 10% to 20% for 2026. More than a quarter are proposing premium increases of 20% or more: on.kff.org/3TIMVwq

New: The Congressional Budget Office's official estimate of the Republican tax and spending bill finds it would increase the number of people uninsured by 10 million by 2034.

A new analysis of early rate filings shows ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15% for 2026. This would be the largest hike in premiums since 2018 — the last time policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium growth. on.kff.org/3TIMVwq

New: Early reports from ACA insurers show the biggest premium increases in years, driven by: *An expected sicker pool of enrollees if enhanced premium tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of this year * Tariffs * Higher health care costs www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/indivi...

Exclusive: Insurers are seeking hefty 2026 rate increases for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, the coverage known as Obamacare.

New evidence finds no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

The mechanisms by which ultra-processed foods (UPF) drive obesity, an outstanding review article "the evidence is sufficiently strong to justify immediate public health efforts to reduce UPF consumption." www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Did you know a law from 1974 still impacts your health benefits today? ERISA — the Employee Retirement Income Security Act set the rules for how many employers offer health coverage. It affects everything from what services are covered to how you can appeal a denial.

"I was doing my own research, by which I mean I was taking in data from disparate sources with differing degrees of credibility on a bewilderingly complicated issue and analyzing it with sophomore-year scientific literacy before making consumer decisions..."

Losses in service jobs sparked the first negative job growth in two years.

5: Happy birthday, America! Also 5: So where is the birthday cake?

Could pay a bunch of teachers for a lot of years with the money Republicans are about to spend to move a museum artifact to Texas. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p... Smithsonian would lose shuttle to Texas in GOP spending and tax bill

The Senate bill would cut federal #Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over 10 years, per CBO. Provisions that only apply to ACA expansion states account for $526 billion of the federal spending reductions. Our analysis estimates the effects on states: on.kff.org/3ZWnUBp

Nineteen states poised to sustain major Medicaid reductions are led by Republican governors. Their silence on the bill’s biggest cuts is giving cover to GOP lawmakers as they seek to slash Medicaid coverage. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social speaks about the reconciliation bill on C-SPAN: www.c-span.org/event/us-hou... The process started around 3 am this morning.

"It is rare to see public benefits taken away from people once they’re in place, and this level of cuts to health insurance would be extraordinary." @kff.org @larrylevitt.bsky.social provides a heartfelt explanation of the budget reconciliation bill #healthcare www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/o...

The ACA gives DHHS Secretary and CMS authority to combat fraud. CMS has used that authority to suspend ACA Marketplace *brokers,* not patients, who engage in fraudulent or abusive behaviors, enrolling patients without their knowledge.

17 million people estimated to be without health insurance if the current version of the OBBBA under consideration by Senate passes, according to most recent CBO estimates. www.kff.org/quick-take/a... #healthinsurance #access #affordability @cynthiaccox.bsky.social @kff.org

Employer-based insurance is a great option for those who have access. BUT people with lower incomes spend a larger % of their income on health premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. New analysis published about #Healthcare #Access :

We break down key health provisions in the House-passed reconciliation bill, the Senate draft, and how they compare to current law. Explore the changes to Medicaid, the ACA, Medicare, Health Savings Accounts, and more.

#SCOTUS ruled states can block Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs. Some health provisions in Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” violate U.S. Senate rules. And the country’s largest health insurers pledge to improve prior auth. Here's @samuelwhitehead.bsky.social with the weekly recap ⤵️

Health expenditures accounted for 17.6% of US GDP in 2023. CMS predicts that health expenditures will account for 20.3% of GDP by 2033. It’s still the prices, stupid! buff.ly/gbYKOyw via @healthaffairs.bsky.social #healthcare #healthpolicy #healtheconomics #medsky

BREAKING:   WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court preserves key part of Affordable Care Act's free preventive health care coverage requirements.

Approximately 100 million people in the US access $0 cost sharing preventive services every year. www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/preven... #Braidwood #Healthcare #Preventive

Happy weekend!! Wear sunscreen + a hat! Also, there are rumors that sunscreen is more likely to give you skin cancer; this is not true.

Sure, 💲tariffs impact the cost of children's books, A/C parts, and clothing. But KFF also finds that they will impact the cost of your 🏥 health insurance. Health insurers list *tariffs* as a reason they are increasing the cost of premiums for 2026.

5: Mom, can you please open the door for me? Me, with mom sense: you're not bringing that toad into our house, right? 5: Aw man.

CDC team working on childhood lead poisoning is being reinstated. www.statnews.com/2025/06/11/h... @baldwin.senate.gov

What passes for good news these days: CDC reinstates 450 employees www.statnews.com/2025/06/11/h... #publichealth

Conducting research on #pandemicflu? Check out this latest call for papers in Vaccines with @who.int pandemic flu experts Drs Shoshana Goldin & Francisco Nogareda as guest editors. #pandemic #influenza #globalhealth www.mdpi.com/journal/vacc...

Kennedy's decision to "retire" the previous 17-member panel was widely decried by doctors' groups and public health organizations.

If the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passes the Senate, how many more people will be uninsured in your state? Nationwide, 10.9 million people would be uninsured with the bill’s changes to Medicaid and the ACA Marketplaces. Our analysis based on new CBO numbers: on.kff.org/4jIcF6E

Families relying on SNAP benefits may need to adjust their shopping habits as new changes aim to improve public health and nutrition among low-income households.

Our team is looking for a visual journalist to report, design and code stories with us. You'll be able to learn from our skilled colleagues. I joined this team in 2021 and have continued to learn ever since. It's definitely a great work environment. Learn more about it or apply here: bit.ly/4kG33L6

RFK Jr. removed all current appointees from the vaccine policy committee that makes recommendations for safe and effective vaccines. All respected doctors without financial ties or conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry. yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/rfk-jr-gut...

The CBO reported today that the Big Beautiful Bill, alongside expiring tax credits, is estimated to increase the number of insured Americans by 16 million people through changes to the ACA + cuts to Medicaid. This is on par with 2017 ACA repeal efforts. www.brookings.edu/articles/new...

The Trump Administration’s cuts at Health and Human Services hit every part of the scientific establishment: not only the federal government and universities but also states, counties, cities, and the private sector.

More US adults willing to receive #mpox vaccine now than in 2022 Healthcare workers remain the most trusted sources of information (73%), while trust in the federal government to provide factual information rose to 58%. www.cidrap.umn.edu/m...

Our new explainer on Medicaid expansion describes enrollment and spending in expansion and non-expansion states, including who is covered by Medicaid expansion:

Here's a troubling thought: The Trump administration's budget cuts could unplug -80 freezers. "Nothing has been shut down correctly," said a CDC employee. www.npr.org/2025/04/16/n...

Most families vaccinate their kids. If they are slightly hesitant, they might opt out of the flu or COVID-19 vaccines for their kids. But when they start opting out of the regular schedule, it's not just measles, also whooping cough, mumps, rubella, varicella. www.propublica.org/article/whoo...

This is another big loss at NIH. He explains why in the thread below. Our recent conversation about what we should eat erictopol.substack.com/p/kevin-hall...

Former HHS Inspector General Christi Grimm will be a guest on our next KFF Health Wonk Shop, which I moderate. We'll address fraud and abuse in Medicaid. RSVP here: www.kff.org/medicaid/eve...

Tariffs may be driving the country into a recession. Typically in a downturn, the federal government hikes spending on Medicaid as state revenues decline and people lose job-based insurance. This week, Congress may start the process to do just the opposite to Medicaid.