Larry Levitt
@larrylevitt.bsky.social
Executive Vice President for Health Policy, KFF. Cal Bear. https://www.kff.org/person/larry-levitt/
Medicare for All advocates talk about universal coverage, no premiums and out-of-pocket costs, administrative savings, and eliminating insurance profits. Opponents talk about higher taxes, more government control, and giving up your current insurance plan. All of that is true.
If Abdul El-Sayed wins the Michigan senate primary next week, I suspect we're going to be talking a lot more about Medicare for All.
We don't have real-time data showing the number of people uninsured with enhanced ACA premium subsidies expiring, but these reports from hospitals of more patients unable to pay their bills is a pretty good indication of what's happening. @reedabelson.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/b...
After Obamacare Cuts, Hospitals Are Treating More Uninsured Patients
More people who lost coverage after congressional Republicans ended enhanced federal subsidies are now seeking care in emergency rooms and unable to pay bills.
nytimes.com
The Trump admin is in court *today* defending its new rule requiring Medicaid patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses to prove they're too sick to work to maintain their insurance. 25 states and DC are asking a judge to block the rule. www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
Trump and Democratic states clash in court over who’s too sick to work
Medicaid eligibility will soon hinge on how the government defines “medical frailty.”
politico.com
ACA enrollment has dropped in every state, except New Mexico. What's special about New Mexico? They are the only state to fully replace the extra federal premium subsidies that ended this year. www.kff.org/affordable-c...
New: With enhanced ACA premium subsidies expired and Medicaid cuts phasing in, the Congressional Budget Office expects the share of the population uninsured to rise above 10% for the first time since the ACA was implemented. www.cbo.gov/publication/...
A story from our news operation about patients getting caught up in errors in Medicaid computer systems, operated by a private contractor. This is a symptom of a health insurance system that has become mind-numbingly complex.
KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org · 2w agoComputer system problems foreshadow trouble as states prepare to roll out the most significant and complicated changes to their Medicaid programs in years. https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/deloitte-medicaid-eligibility-system-denials-michigan-trump-policy-piles-on/
"but taxes would go up!" ok but premiums would go down even more
Larry Levitt@larrylevitt.bsky.social · 2w agoI see lots of mentions of the cost of Medicare for All. But, it actually wouldn't necessarily increase health spending, and could actually decrease it. What it would do -- which would be controversial -- is redistribute health care spending from premiums and out-of-pocket costs to taxes.
I see lots of mentions of the cost of Medicare for All. But, it actually wouldn't necessarily increase health spending, and could actually decrease it. What it would do -- which would be controversial -- is redistribute health care spending from premiums and out-of-pocket costs to taxes.
New white paper from myself + colleagues: Implementation of Medicaid Work Requirements: Key Design Considerations and Strategies to Minimize Avoidable Coverage Loss hsph.me/Medicaid-Wor... We synthesize evidence in the peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify key lessons + recommendations
The public outcry over high drug prices overshadows what’s happening in hospitals, which account for 40% of of the growth in national health spending from 2022 to 2024. @larrylevitt.bsky.social explores the reasons and implication in @jamahealthforum.com: https://on.kff.org/3T945pQ
High drug prices are in the public spotlight more than hospital prices, even though hospitals account for a much larger share of national health spending. @larrylevitt.bsky.social examines 4 reasons why in his latest @jamahealthforum.com column: https://on.kff.org/3T945pQ
Even though the US spends more per person on health care relative to other high-income countries, it is not because individuals in the US use more health care…Higher health care spending in the US compared with other countries is due to higher prices
Larry Levitt@larrylevitt.bsky.social · 3w agoWhy is there a whole lot more talk about drug prices than hospital prices? Paraphrasing bank robber Willie Sutton: If we want to restrain health spending, we have to go where the money is -- hospitals. @jama.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Why is there a whole lot more talk about drug prices than hospital prices? Paraphrasing bank robber Willie Sutton: If we want to restrain health spending, we have to go where the money is -- hospitals. @jama.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Why Do We Hear More About High Drug Prices Than About Hospital Prices?
This JAMA Forum discusses the potential reasons why high drug prices get more attention in US society than high hospital prices.
jamanetwork.com
New: Voters are more likely to think there's a lot of fraud in the tax system, defense contracts, and foreign aid than in health programs. They perceive the least fraud in the ACA Marketplaces. www.kff.org/public-opini...
There is fraud in private insurance and government health programs, including the ACA. That doesn't negate the fact that many people have lost insurance this year after the expiration of enhanced premium subsidies. These are real people showing up in news reports and our surveys.
The ACA is not in a death spiral. Enrollment is down by 3 million after Congress did not extend enhanced premium subsidies. And, insurers are raising premiums as healthier people drop coverage. But, the original ACA premium subsidies remain, cushioning against these changes.
The U.S. spends more on health care than other large wealthy nations — and costs keep climbing. KFF’s @larrylevitt.bsky.social explains how we got here, who bears the consequences, and why reining in spending systematically may be central to the next big health care debate 🎥
Heading into the 2026 midterms, KFF polls show health care affordability is a top issue for voters. Why & how did care get so expensive? KFF’s new three-part video series looks at rising U.S. health spending from macro drivers to the pressures on everyday Americans. 🎥 https://on.kff.org/healthcosts
This year middle-income ACA enrollees lost eligibility for subsidies when Congress didn't extend them, seeing their out-of-pocket premiums jump. Next year most will be facing additional double digit premium increases based on preliminary insurer filings. www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-mu...
How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027 - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
For 2027, across 77 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from the 16 states and DC, the median proposed premium increase is 14%.
healthsystemtracker.org
There's a resurgence in enthusiasm for Medicare for All as progressive candidates succeed in Democratic primaries. It's the rare health care policy that fits on a bumper sticker, though there's not yet a clear path to passage. @axios.com @maya-goldman.bsky.social www.axios.com/2026/07/06/d...
CMS is proposing to lower Medicare reimbursement for 340B drugs by almost $5 billion in CY2027. Because the proposal is budget neutral, those $5 billion will be redistributed to all hospitals through higher payments for non-drug outpatient services.
public-inspection.federalregister.gov
If you need help navigating the new Medicaid work requirement in Nebraska -- the first state to implement it -- you can call the helpline between 8 am and 5 pm. Hopefully, you have a job that gives you the flexibility to call during the workday.
At the bicentennial in 1976, the U.S. spent 7.6% of GDP on health care compared to 6.2% in other high-income countries. Now, we spend 17.2% of GDP on health care vs. 11.2% in comparable countries. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...
Reading this story from our news program, @kffhealthnews.org, it's no wonder that @kff.org polling shows prior authorization as the public's number one burden in getting health care beyond affordability. kffhealthnews.org/health-care-...
She Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help - KFF Health News
Margaret Hvatum ended up in the hospital after her insurer denied coverage of a medicine she relies on to boost her immune system. Hvatum got entangled in the preapproval process, which the insurance ...
kffhealthnews.org
New federal data shows that as of February, 19.2 million people were signed up for ACA plans, down about 3 million as enhanced premium subsidies were allowed to expire. That number will surely grow as more people find they can't pay much higher out-of-pocket premiums. aspe.hhs.gov/reports/aca-...
ACA Exchange Enrollment in 2026
Key Points
aspe.hhs.gov
One of my favorite bits of health policy apocrypha is why we call it CMS instead of CMMS theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/wh...
Larry Levitt@larrylevitt.bsky.social · 2mo agoHealth policy trivia: 25 years ago this month, the Health Care Financing Administration was renamed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, just one "M"). CMS also now oversees major elements of the Affordable Care Act.
Health policy trivia: 25 years ago this month, the Health Care Financing Administration was renamed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, just one "M"). CMS also now oversees major elements of the Affordable Care Act.
