Health Care

The Healthiest — and Unhealthiest — US States

By Yuval Rosenberg

Vermont is the healthiest state in the U.S., according to the latest annual ranking by the United Health Foundation. Vermont climbed three spots, thanks in part to “a low incidence of chlamydia, a...
Health Spending Hits Record High, Even With 1 Million Fewer Insured

By Yuval Rosenberg

U.S. spending on health care grew to $3.65 trillion last year, climbing above $11,000 per person for the first time, according to a new report from Medicare actuaries. Spending rose 4.6% in 2018,...
A White House Report Slams Pelosi’s Drug Plan. Experts Call Its Claims ‘Nonsense’

By Yuval Rosenberg

The White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a report Tuesday warning that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill to lower prescription drug prices would have devastating health and economic costs...
How a Public Option Would Affect the Insurance Market

By Michael Rainey

Several Democratic presidential candidates say a public option for health insurance would provide a more moderate, less disruptive alternative to the Medicare for All plan backed by Senators Bernie...
Joe Biden Says Pete Buttigieg ‘Stole’ His Health Care Plan

By Yuval Rosenberg

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that Pete Buttigieg, a surging rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, “stole” his health care proposal to expand the Affordable Care Act...

63% Say U.S. Health Care Has Huge Problems — and That’s an Improvement

By Yuval Rosenberg

Here’s a nugget of good news: Nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed by Gallup say that the U.S. health care system is in a state of crisis or has major problems. Yes, that’s good news because...
Chart of the Day: Record Low Poverty Rate

By Michael Rainey

The extensive array of government assistance programs — including Social Security, unemployment insurance, veterans’ benefits, nutritional aid, rental assistance and the Earned Income Tax Credit —...
Feud Between Top Officials Hinders Trump Health Care Agenda: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

A deep, personal feud between President Trump’s health secretary and his Medicare administrator has undermined the administration’s health care agenda and disrupted the development of an Obamacare...
Fact Check: Do 160 Million Americans Really Like Their Health Plans?

By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News

Articulating his proposal for health care reform, former Vice President Joe Biden emphasized the number of Americans who, he said, were more than perfectly satisfied with the coverage they have. “One...
How Hospital Price Transparency Can Lead to Lower Costs

By Neeraj Sood, The Conversation

New federal regulations finalized Nov. 15 require hospitals to make public all the prices they negotiate with insurers and health plans, starting in 2021. The aim is to untangle the hospital...

A Big Potential Problem for Medicare for All: Jobs

By Michael Rainey

Massive cost reduction is a crucial feature of the Medicare-for-All proposals from Democratic candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, with a big chunk of the trillions in savings coming from...
Would Medicare for All Save the U.S. Money?

By Yuval Rosenberg

Politico’s policy magazine, The Agenda, on Monday rolled out a special issue focused on Medicare for All, with much of the package centered on a key question: Would switching to a single-payer system...
1 in 8 U.S. Heart Patients Cuts Back on Medicine to Save Money: Study

By Yuval Rosenberg

More than one in eight American adults with heart disease delays filling prescriptions, takes lower doses than prescribed or skips doses because of the high out-of-pocket costs, according to a new...
Behind the Health-Care Industry’s War Against Medicare for All

By Yuval Rosenberg

Politico’s Adam Cancryn offers a deep, detailed and fascinating dive into how health industry lobbies have joined together to fight Medicare for All — and any other Democratic proposal calling for...
Trump Says Drug Importation Plan Coming 'Soon'

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump tweeted Friday that he “will soon release a plan to let Florida and other States import prescription drugs that are MUCH CHEAPER than what we have now!” The Trump administration in...