When you lose your health insurance, you may also lose your primary doctor – and that hurts your health

When you lose your health insurance or switch to a plan that skimps on preventive care, something critical breaks. The connection to your primary care provider, usually a doctor, gets…

Why do cuts to Medicaid matter for Americans over 65? 2 experts on aging explain why lives are at stake

Republicans in Congress intend to cut about US$880 billion in federal health care spending. One of their primary targets is Medicaid. That government program covers 82 million Americans with health…

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…

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…

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…

Taxpayers spend 22% more per patient to support Medicare Advantage – the private alternative to Medicare that promised to cost less

Medicare Advantage – the commercial alternative to traditional Medicare – is drawing down federal health care funds, costing taxpayers an extra 22% per enrollee to the tune of US$83 billion…