Nearly two-thirds of Medicaid beneficiaries already work: KFF

Most adults on Medicaid are employed, suggesting few beneficiaries wouldn’t meet a work requirement policy being considered by Republicans in Congress.

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 7, 2025

Providers sue Trump over gender-affirming care policies, purge of health information

Doctors groups signed on to lawsuits seeking to overturn policies that limit gender-affirming care for minors and remove some public-facing health information.

By Susanna Vogel • Feb. 6, 2025

Elon Musk’s DOGE gains access to CMS

The CMS said it’s working to find “opportunities for more effective and efficient use of resources in line with meeting the goals of President Trump.” The agency could be a big — and politically delicate — target for DOGE.

By Emily Olsen • Feb. 6, 2025

Preserving access, affordability are Americans’ top healthcare priorities: Gallup

Democrats and Republicans both want to see federal lawmakers address critical public health concerns. However, they were split on which concerns were most important.

By Susanna Vogel • Feb. 5, 2025

RFK Jr. secured support of key Republican with vaccine pledges

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., whose “yes” vote advanced Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as health secretary, said Kennedy promised to maintain a key CDC vaccine panel without change. 

By Delilah Alvarado • Feb. 4, 2025

RFK Jr. clears key hurdle on path to HHS secretary

A key Senate committee voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination even after some legislators raised concerns about his previous vaccine stances and confusion surrounding programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

By Sydney Halleman , Delilah Alvarado , Jonathan Gardner • Feb. 4, 2025

Hospitals seek to intervene in J&J lawsuit against HHS to protect valuable drug discounts

340B Health and two safety-net hospitals want to help the government prove that drugmakers are required to give upfront discounts on 340B drugs.

By Rebecca Pifer • Feb. 3, 2025

RFK Jr. fumbles Medicare basics during second confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for HHS secretary, seemed unfamiliar with the massive insurance program during last week’s hearing, mistakenly saying Medicare Part A mainly paid for primary care or physicians.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 30, 2025

Trump seeks to ban federal funding for youth gender-affirming care

Over half of U.S. states currently have laws banning or reducing access to gender-affirming care like puberty blockers for minors. Under the new directive, even more providers could stop offering treatments.

By Susanna Vogel • Jan. 30, 2025

RFK Jr. signals willingness to restrict abortion, despite prior stance

At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Democratic and Republican senators sought to tie Kennedy down on how he’d approach the issue as health secretary, if confirmed.

By Emily Olsen , Sydney Halleman , Delilah Alvarado • Updated Jan. 30, 2025

RFK Jr. appears confused about Medicaid, Medicare during confirmation hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly said that Medicaid was fully funded by the federal government and that Medicare is a fee-for-service program during a hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee last week.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 29, 2025

White House rescinds memo pausing federal funding following pushback

The Office of Management and Budget rolled back a memo halting federal funding that caused widespread confusion and alarm. But “this is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze,” Trump’s top press secretary said.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2025

Healthcare’s outlook in 2025: New administration spells uncertainty, but hope remains

Although experts predict payers, providers and health technology companies will grapple with uncertainty in a second Trump administration, some hope that yearslong headwinds could begin reversing course in 2025.

By Sydney Halleman • Jan. 29, 2025

Site-neutrality: A solution in search of a problem

Site-neutral payment policy is a distraction from the underlying causes of high healthcare costs and places providers at risk, argues Ascension’s chief health outcomes officer.

By Richard Fogel • Jan. 29, 2025

Judge halts Trump freeze on grants as states report healthcare payment portals back online

States and providers regained access to a key healthcare payments portal amid widespread backlash over the Trump administration’s decision to halt federal aid.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2025

Lawmakers report states shut out of Medicaid payment portals following Trump funding freeze

Other payment systems also appear to be offline, suggesting a broader shutdown of federal portals related to grants and funding.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Jan. 28, 2025

Trump freezes federal grants with big potential impact on providers, Medicaid

Federal agencies must stop disbursing financial assistance starting at 5 p.m. today under a new budget directive, threatening funding for providers and creating significant uncertainty for Medicaid payments to states.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 28, 2025

Sara Brenner named acting FDA commissioner

Brenner, who worked in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, will take the helm of the agency until a new leader is confirmed.

By Elise Reuter • Jan. 24, 2025

Trump pick for VA secretary promises to prioritize Oracle EHR deployment

Doug Collins, a former Republican congressman from Georgia, told lawmakers he would look at the embattled rollout with fresh eyes and could restart deployments sooner than planned.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 24, 2025

Senate sets date to vet RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead HHS

The Senate Finance Committee will meet on Jan. 29 to discuss the confirmation of RFK Jr., whose stances on vaccines and abortion have raised questions from Democrats and Republicans alike.  

By Kristin Jensen • Jan. 23, 2025

Americans mixed on potential Trump healthcare priorities: KFF poll

About half of respondents said the nation should spend more on Medicaid and Medicare — a potential challenge for the Trump administration looking to cut costs.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 22, 2025

Hospitals no longer protected from immigration raids

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security lifted the practice of avoiding immigration enforcement at hospitals. Some advocates say the new policy could deter immigrants from seeking medical care.

By Kara Arundel , Sydney Halleman • Jan. 21, 2025

Trump reverses Biden healthcare directives, withdraws from WHO in first executive orders

The rescinded orders include directives boosting the Affordable Care Act exchanges, coordinating the government’s COVID-19 response and overseeing artificial intelligence tools.

By Emily Olsen • Jan. 21, 2025

ACA enrollment breaks records again in 2025

About 24.2 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act plans during the open enrollment period for 2025, with huge increases in major Republican-led states.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 21, 2025

DOJ sues Walgreens for allegedly filling millions of illegal prescriptions, including opioids

Walgreens countersued the government the same day. Analysts said a settlement is likely.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 21, 2025