Medicare Advantage is covering more and more Americans − some because they don’t get to choose

Since the mid-2000s, the Medicare system has dramatically transformed. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage – the private alternative to the traditional Medicare program administered by the government – has more than…

Supreme Court considers whether states may prevent people covered by Medicaid from choosing Planned Parenthood as their health care provider

Having the freedom to choose your own health care provider is something many Americans take for granted. But the Supreme Court is weighing whether people who rely on Medicaid for…

Massive cuts to Health and Human Services’ workforce signal a dramatic shift in US health policy

On March 27, 2025, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced plans to dramatically transform the department. HHS is the umbrella agency responsible for pandemic…

A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

The Medicaid system has emerged as an early target of the Trump administration’s campaign to slash federal spending. A joint federal and state program, Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for…

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even though President Donald Trump has previously…

3 ways the Trump administration could reinvest in rural America’s future, starting with health care

Rural America faces many challenges that Congress and the federal government could help alleviate under the new Trump administration. Rural hospitals and their obstetrics wards have been closing at a…

3 ways the Trump administration could reinvest in rural America’s future

Rural America faces many challenges that Congress and the federal government could help alleviate under the new Trump administration. Rural hospitals and their obstetrics wards have been closing at a…

A federal policy expert weighs in on Trump’s efforts to stifle gender-affirming care for Americans under 19

Amid a flurry of executive orders affecting transgender Americans, the Trump administration ordered restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Calling it “a stain on our Nation’s history,” the Jan. 28,…

Health and Human Services secretary influences every aspect of America’s health

The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, plays a significant role in every American’s access to health care and in the nation’s overall well-being. Under…

sales pitches are often from biased sources, the choices can be overwhelming and impartial help is not equally available to all

The 67 million Americans eligible for Medicare make an important decision every October: Should they make changes in their Medicare health insurance plans for the next calendar year? The decision…