Latest Morning Briefing Stories
As Insurers Struggle With GLP-1 Drug Costs, Some Seek To Wean Patients Off
Conventional wisdom says GLP-1 drugs must be taken indefinitely to maintain weight loss. But a growing number of researchers, payers, and providers are challenging that consensus and exploring whether — and how — to taper patients off expensive GLP-1 drugs.
Cuando los pacientes quedan atrapados en medio de las peleas entre aseguradoras y hospitales
El 18% de los hospitales no federales experimentaron al menos un caso documentado de enfrentamiento público con una aseguradora entre junio de 2021 y mayo de 2025. Lo sufren los pacientes.
When Hospitals and Insurers Fight, Patients Get Caught in the Middle
About 90,000 people spent months in limbo as central Missouri’s major, and often only, provider fought over insurance contracts. Patients getting caught in the crossfire of disputes has become a familiar complication, as about 8% of hospitals have left an insurer network since 2021. Trump administration policies could accelerate the trend.
The Price Increases That Should Cause Americans More Alarm
The cost of health insurance is rising faster than the price of eggs or gasoline.
Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom
As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!
This summer marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the twin government programs that have shaped the health care system into what it is today. In this special episode, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, significance, and future of these programs: Medicare historian and University of North Carolina professor Jonathan Oberlander and George Washington University professor emerita Sara Rosenbaum, who has studied Medicaid since nearly its beginning and has helped shape Medicaid policy over the past four decades.
Try This When Your Doctor Says ‘Yes’ to a Preventive Test but Insurance Says ‘No’
A joint project of NPR and KFF Health News, Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky questions, and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle them out. Here is what to do if your preventive care gets denied.
Breaking Down Why Medicare Part D Premiums Are Likely To Go Up
Insurers will take drug costs, frequency of use, and other factors into account as they set premium amounts for the 2026 plan year.
An Arm and a Leg: A Wild Health Insurance Hustle
A couple in New York thought they bought insurance. Instead, they got fake “jobs.”
Considering a Life Change? Brace for Higher ACA Costs
Consumers contemplating an early retirement or starting a business should calculate how Trump administration and congressional policy changes could increase their health insurance costs — and plan accordingly.