Health Care Reform
News coverage, opinion and information on health care reform and health care policy including the Affordable Care Act.
Research panel contends that teens and kids should have no caffeinated or sweetened drinks
A panel of experts convened by the Healthy Eating Research program have released new beverage guidelines for kids and teens recommending they avoid caffeinated and sweetened drinks altogether.
Racial gap widened in deaths among U.S. moms around the time of childbirth
Black women in the U.S. died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, as maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels overall but racial gaps widened, according to federal health data released Wednesday.
RFK says he is not ‘anti-vaccine,’ warns America faces debt and ruin if health worsens
President Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Wednesday said vaccines are a critical component of health care, hoping to push back on the main objection to his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
RFK Jr. and ‘MAHA’ movement face crunchtime in Senate
President Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health. Mr. Kennedy is outlining what that means at a high-stakes hearing Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee.
State bills to expand vaccine exemptions gain traction under Trump
Bills to limit mandatory vaccines for childhood illnesses such as measles and polio have surfaced in more than 15 states, buoyed by President Trump’s health secretary nominee.
Senate Finance Committee schedules Kennedy’s confirmation hearing for health secretary
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a confirmation hearing next Wednesday on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to serve as Health and Human Services secretary.
World Health Organization ‘regrets’ loss of U.S. support under Trump
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it hopes President Trump will reconsider the U.S. pullout from the organization.
Study links Obamacare to improved health, reduced costs
Low-income seniors who aged into Medicare after the Affordable Care Act’s start saw modest evidence of reduced out-of-pocket costs and health improvements, a federally funded study shows.
Obamacare enrollment hits another record in 2025 as Biden finishes term
The Biden administration says nearly 24 million Americans selected a health plan for 2025 through Obamacare, marking another banner year for the program before President-elect Donald Trump and GOP majorities decide whether to weaken the Democrats’ prized law.
Most Americans blame insurance profits and denials alongside the killer in UHC CEO death, poll finds
Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll.
Lawmakers sneak a pay raise and an exit from Obamacare into year-end spending bill
Members of Congress, who haven’t received a pay raise in 15 years, plan to boost their salaries by 6% and exempt themselves from Obamacare.
Man charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO fights extradition to N.Y.; manifesto posted online
Luigi Mangione lashed out while being led inside a Pennsylvania courthouse for his extradition hearing Tuesday, serving as the latest flashpoint for the Ivy League graduate charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on the streets of Manhattan.
Judge rules against Biden’s plan to expand Obamacare to Dreamers
A federal judge issued an injunction partially halting President Biden’s attempt to expand Obamacare to include illegal immigrant Dreamers under the DACA program, saying the administration was trying to rewrite immigration law.
Shocking response to health care CEO’s killing highlights Americans’ outrage at insurance system
The killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare sparked a shocking backlash against insurers and their practices, raising questions about propriety while increasing pressure on the incoming Trump administration and Congress to overhaul the industry.
Americans give failing grade to healthcare quality, poll reveals deep doubts medical system
Opinions about the quality of the U.S. health care system have fallen to their lowest level in 24 years, according to the latest Gallup polling.
Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans
Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.
Trump fills out health care, national security and economic teams with flurry of moves
President-elect Donald Trump has filled out his economic, health care and national security teams with a flurry of appointments and pending nominations, including hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary and former White House budget director Russell Vought to serve in the same role.
Medicare Part B premiums to rise 6% in 2025, agency says
Seniors enrolled in Medicare will pay more in 2025, as premiums in Part B climb by 6% because of upticks in underlying prices and the use of health services.
Harris proposing new Medicare benefit to cover senior home care costs
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday outlined a new Medicare benefit proposal that she said would help families afford the cost of caring for seniors at home. She announced the proposal, which would be the first-ever expansion of Medicare to include at-home care, during an appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
Harris leans into Obamacare wars in new ads
Vice President Kamala Harris is running ads targeting former President Donald Trump’s threat to replace Obamacare while having only “concepts” of a plan.
Heres some tips for shopping for Medicare Advantage plans
Shopping season for Medicare coverage is about to begin. With it comes the annual onslaught of TV ads and choices to consider.
Florida sued for using taxpayer money on website promoting GOP spin on abortion initiative
A political committee behind the campaign to pass a constitutional right to abortion in Florida has filed a lawsuit against a state health care agency that it alleges is carrying out a taxpayer-funded “misinformation” campaign against the November ballot measure.
How a traveling ‘health train’ has become an essential source of free care in South Africa
Thethiwe Mahlangu woke early on a chilly morning and walked through her busy South African township, where minibuses hooted to pick up commuters and smoke from sidewalk breakfast stalls hung in the air.
Police are questioning Florida voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition
State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language.
15 states sue to block Biden’s effort to help migrants in U.S. illegally get health coverage
Fifteen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration over a rule that is expected to allow 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Act’s health insurance.
Texas Supreme Court upholds state’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths
The Texas Supreme Court upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths Friday, rejecting pleas from parents that it violates their right to seek medical care for their children.
Supreme Court likely to allow emergency abortions in state where procedure is banned: Report
The Supreme Court is poised to side with the federal government in a challenge against Idaho’s strict abortion ban, according to Bloomberg Law.
Rural pharmacies fill a health care gap in the U.S. Owners say it’s getting harder to stay open
Basin Pharmacy fills more than prescriptions in rural northern Wyoming. It’s also the key health care access point for the town of about 1,300 people and the surrounding area.
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Supreme Court upholds Obama health care law
Gallery: 40 Photos
The Supreme Court upheld the individual insurance requirement at the heart of President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul.
Obama chats up health care
Gallery: 6 Photos
President Obama speaks about the Patient's Bill of Rights and health care reform in the backyard of a private residence in Falls Church, Va.
