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One year after the Trump administration announced that dozens of health insurers had signed a six-part pledge promising to reduce barriers to doctor-recommended care, some insurers now say they won’t implement all the promised initiatives. Meanwhile, patients, their advocates, and clinicians say little has improved. “It has never been this bad for patients,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), a physician who co-chairs the GOP Doctors Caucus. The overarching intent of the June 2025 pledge was to improve a controversial process called prior authorization, which regularly requires patients or someone on their medical team to seek approval from insurers before…
The U.S. supports global health programs in over 80 countries, with additional countries reached through its regional efforts and contributions to multilateral organizations.1 In each partner country, U.S. programs often operate in multiple program or health areas, which may include: the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Tuberculosis (TB), the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Family Planning and Reproductive Health (FP/RH), Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Nutrition, and Global Health Security.2 This tracker provides an overview of U.S. bilateral global health programs by country and region through: a map of U.S. bilateral global health programs by country (Figure 1); a…
Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed support for vaccines — including mRNA-based covid shots — in a Senate hearing on Wednesday, though she didn’t dispel concerns the agency has lost any independence from the White House. “I have been vaccinating people throughout my entire career in uniformed services. I believe in vaccines,” Schwartz said at the hearing. “I do believe that mRNA technology is safe and effective.” Her position contrasts with that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ousted Trump’s previous CDC director, Susan Monarez,…
Global health and the fight against malaria require more leadership from Germany, reflecting the countries’ growing responsibilities, according to Sascha van Beek. Editor’s note: As the Global Fund Executive Director nomination process progresses behind closed, reports by Health Policy Watch and The Lancet have revealed a few of the names said to be shortlisted, including high-profile candidates from the United States and Botswana. Meanwhile a German contender was reportedly sidelined. In this article, Sascha van Beek, a leading global health actor in Germany’s Bundestag (Parliament) and a nurse by training, explains why Germany, a major global health donor and host…
DRC Health Minister Dr Samuel Roger Kamba (right) meets health workers at Bunia General Reference Hospital after inaugurating a new Ebola treatment facilities over the weekend. Two months after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared an outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo, the outbreak is “continuing to outpace the response” – and with 2,073 people infected and 796 dead, this is the fastest outbreak ever, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Thursday. “Intense transmission in the province of Ituri remains our biggest concern,” added Tedros. “More than 80% of new cases are…
About 1.2 million older adults and younger people with disabilities live in 14,700 nursing homes in the U.S., and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that after age 65, over one-third of adults use some nursing home care, which may include long-term care in a nursing facility or post-acute care provided in a skilled nursing facility. Nursing home quality of care has been a longstanding issue, and the high mortality rate in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and intensified the consequences of poor quality of care. Amid changes to federal oversight of nursing homes during…
Ordinary Venezuelans took the lead in the aftermath of the earthquakes. In the days that followed the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, La Guaira, the worst-hit city, went silent. Any noise could be a sign of life, so people remained alert, listening carefully, even as entire communities took to the streets. “People took matters into their own hands and started looking for their friends and families,” a La Guaira sociologist who asked not to be identified told Health Policy Watch. That moment, she said, sparked “an incredible wave of solidarity.” But solidarity wasn’t the sole catalyst. “There was…
Tens of thousands of cancer patients have rated the care they received from the NHS as nearly 9 out of 10, as NHS teams see and treat record numbers of people for the disease. The latest patient experience figures come as NHS cancer checks have reached nearly 3.4 million in a year – more than doubling in the last decade. The number of patients receiving cancer treatment has also reached a record high, with the NHS starting 700,000 treatments in the year to May – almost 2,000 every day on average. More than 64,000 people responded to the 2025 National cancer patient experience survey, giving their overall care an average score of 8.92 out of 10 – maintaining the high standards of care seen last…
The risk of dementia can be reduced by addressing tobacco and alcohol consumption , lack of physical exercise and social isolation. Up to 45% of the risk of dementia can be prevented or delayed by addressing tobacco and alcohol use, social isolation, physical inactivity, air pollution and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including high blood pressure and diabetes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The global health body released updated guidelines on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia this week, providing countries with evidence-based recommendations to help prevent or delay the onset of dementia across the life course. Brain…
ST. LOUIS — Missouri healthcare advocate Leslie Ortbals and her husband want to start a family, but she worries they can’t afford it. The 27-year-old said she takes 10 medications daily to manage multiple chronic illnesses. Now she worries the cost of those drugs could rise — not because of price increases, but because of a tax system revamp put on the ballot by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature and backed by the Republican governor. Prescription drugs and doctor visits are currently exempt from taxes in the state. But in August, Missouri voters will weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment…
Health care costs top the list of voters’ health care priorities for the midterm elections, with half (51%) of all voters and more than half of Democratic (60%) and independent (55%) voters saying the issue is extremely important for candidates to talk about, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. At the same time, Trump administration statements about and actions targeting suspected health care fraud appear to be registering with Republican voters—more than half (55%) of whom say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss the issue of fraud in government health programs. Voter Perceptions of Fraud in…
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. A Tragic, Deadly Denial I read your article in The Washington Post about the woman whose Humana policy required prior authorization for a drug she’d been taking (Bill of the Month: “She Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help,” June 29). My husband, Kenney, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On June 7, he fatally shot himself after a COPD exacerbation event. His pulmonologist had prescribed two new nebulizer prescriptions on June…
Key Takeaways As the 2026 midterm elections approach, health care costs remain the public’s top economic worry, and rank among the top health issues voters most want to hear candidates discuss this election cycle. Majorities of Democratic and independent voters say it is extremely important that candidates talk about health costs (60% and 55%). However, recent Trump administration actions on fraud may be registering with Republicans, as the largest share of Republican voters (55%) say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss fraud in government health programs. A majority of voters believe there is at least some fraud in…
The Medicaid program finances about 4 in 10 births in the U.S. Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days postpartum. After that period, some postpartum individuals may qualify for Medicaid through another pathway, but others may lose coverage, particularly in non-expansion states. To help improve maternal health and coverage stability and to help address racial disparities in maternal health, a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 gave states a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months via a state plan amendment (SPA). This new option took effect on April 1,…
1. Dual-eligible individuals represent 21% of Medicare beneficiaries and 13% of Medicaid enrollees nationally, although state shares vary. Dual-eligible individuals comprise 21% of the total Medicare population (including beneficiaries in both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage) and 13% of the total Medicaid population, but the shares vary widely across states. Dual-eligible individuals comprise 30% or more of all Medicare beneficiaries in the District of Columbia, New York, Connecticut, and Louisiana, but only 11% in Utah. Dual-eligible individuals comprise 20% or more of all Medicaid enrollees in Maine and Mississippi, but less than 10% in Utah, Colorado, and Alaska. Variation across…
Medicare and Medicaid provide health insurance coverage to tens of millions of people in the U.S. Medicaid is the nation’s largest public health insurance program for low-income Americans and the primary payer for long-term care. Approximately 12 million people are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, referred to as dual-eligible individuals, receiving their primary health insurance coverage through Medicare and additional assistance from their state Medicaid program. Within this group, nearly 9 million people are “full-benefit” dual-eligible individuals, meaning they are eligible for Medicaid benefits that are not otherwise covered by Medicare, including long-term care, vision, and dental services. The…