The conventional wisdom in Washington is that by pushing off big changes to Medicaid until after the 2026 midterms, Republicans shielded themselves from voter backlash. Don't be so sure. A full year before anyone casts their vote in November 2026 — meaning now, in the fall of 2025 — the American health care system will begin transitioning from an era of unprecedented expansion of coverage to an era of unprecedented cutbacks. And President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress will be easy to blame.
In a major development, AHIP, the insurance company trade group, announced that it will continue to cover updated COVID vaccines and flu vaccines through the end of 2026. The announcement comes just before the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet beginning today to discuss the use of and recommendations for those vaccines.
North Carolina's state treasurer is wading into a contract battle between Duke Health and Aetna, worried that the outcome could increase costs for state employees and retirees.
Johns Hopkins Medicine and UnitedHealthcare have ended contract negotiations without reaching an agreement, leaving around 60,000 patients in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., to navigate potential changes in their health care coverage. Johns Hopkins Medicine advised patients to contact UnitedHealthcare directly, request continuity of care coverage or consider different insurance during open enrollment.
For the first time, federal health officials are taking aim at telehealth companies promoting unofficial versions of prescription drugs — including popular weight loss medications — as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising. The FDA on Tuesday posted more than 100 letters to various drugmakers and online prescribing companies, including Hims & Hers, which has built a multibillion-dollar business centered around lower-cost versions of blockbuster obesity injections.
Recent estimates have found that the fund likely won't be enough, as the money to be spent over five years is less than the estimated $137 billion in cuts to rural health systems over 10 years. The delays, coupled with the lack of clear guidance and red tape surrounding the fund, have left some analysts doubtful that it will actually make a lasting difference.