“Fraud” has become a blanket excuse to chop any program or benefit the administration dislikes. Accusations of widespread fraud are a repeated, unsubstantiated lie used to steal life-saving programs from people.
thehill.com/opinion/fina...
What Joan said.
That quote from Adriana Smith’s mother that Jessica shares is haunting and heartbreaking. We should all sit with her mother’s words. I’m thinking about Adriana Smith today and always.
THIS is the kind of thing we need our government to fix when it comes to our health care system - rather than slapping deep Medicaid cuts on exaggerated, made up problems.
Medicaid cuts are at the core of rising health insurance costs for EVERYONE. Here’s how:
In honor of National Maternal Health Day I’d like to lift up the Maternal Near Miss Study by Morehouse School of Medicine’s Center for Maternal Health Equity. The study uplifts Black women’s “near miss” stories to identify preventable failures and guide policy to save lives.
So deeply frustrating. Last year we saw this same tactic used to make major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. It’s completely disingenuous.
This is fascinating for the wrong reasons. Rarely have I seen California and Texas light up the same color on a data map, and in this case it’s because their rural residents are both getting the short end of the stick when it comes to federal funding …
States are in such a tough position right now. To all the state government workers trying to prevent as many people as possible from losing their health insurance: Thank you.
Now that we’re in 2026, I want to resurface this calendar of incoming cuts.
One of the most unfair, unwise recent changes is the failure of Congress to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, which will make healthcare unaffordable for so many.
I know it’s possible to create a country that looks more like that. I know it’s possible because there are researchers and policy experts who understand how to allocate resources in a way that makes this a reality. We just need the political will.
Imagine an America where going to the doctor, affording medicine, or going to the emergency room was not an “if” but a given. It wouldn’t depend on IF you have good insurance or IF you live close enough to a specialist. You would just go to the doctor when you’re sick.
It does not have to be this way. People made the decisions to cut programs like Medicaid and not renew these credits, which so many rely on. It’s devastating, but it also means people can choose to invest in our country’s health instead of defunding it.
Healthcare is already expensive. It’s a need, not a luxury, but our current system treats it otherwise. Because Congress is failing to extend the tax credits that lowered uninsurance rates and helped people see their doctors more often, many folks will see costs higher than they are used to.
A lot of people are making healthcare decisions around this time of year. We need to name why the process is extra stressful this year: Cuts to Medicaid and the failure to renew the ACA premium tax credits.
One of the challenges in explaining the impact of enhanced ACA tax credits expiring on premium payments is that it varies so much, depending on income, age, family size, and geography. The average increase would be 114%, or $1,016, but there is a wide range.
Work reporting requirements are making it even harder for Missouri to properly get food assistance to people who need it. Since when has adding more red tape ever fixed a problem?
Join me, Kristine Andrews from Ideas to Impact, and my colleague @david-adler.bsky.social from @rwjf.org on Dec 11 at noon ET to talk about inclusive research methods that lead to stronger, more equitable policies and why they matter right now. Register on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/events/pathw...
Across the country, health equity researchers are facing new limits on and threats to their work. At the same time, policymakers still need clear, accurate information about what communities really need. How do we navigate this moment and ensure research remains grounded in lived experience?
I spoke with the @washingtonpost.com about why people - especially Black people - are dying prematurely at increasing rates. COVID factors into rising numbers, but this article points out that policy has a larger impact on our lifespans than you might think.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
So great see tangible efforts to help lower infant mortality rates, especially in parts of the country where they are the highest.
Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
Thank you for clarifying this, Larry - 30% versus 114% increase is a huge difference that people need to know about.
You shouldn’t be punished by our healthcare system for doing everything right. But that is what could happen with Medicaid cuts and the potential loss of the enhanced ACA tax credits.
I had a great conversation with Jen Rubin of @contrariannews.org about it:
contrarian.substack.com/p/avenel-jos...
@kffhealthnews.org created a calculator to help people understand how much their healthcare costs will go up if ACA premium tax credits expire.
This is a great tool to use to spread the word about the importance of the ACA tax credits!
www.kff.org/interactive/...
Higher healthcare premiums. Cuts to Medicaid. What could possibly go wrong?
According to experts: everything.
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
It’s not just medical bills: Women are also more worried than men about paying for groceries, child care, housing and retirement, the polling finds.
Making health insurance more affordable is a top priority for so many, and this research proves it.
Painful and heartbreaking. And, a result of policy decisions that can be undone. Deliberate decisions got us here, and deliberate decisions can make this country safe again.
Across party lines, affordable healthcare is something most of us can agree on, and policymakers should take note. If Congress doesn’t extend the enhanced ACA tax credits, many people will lose health coverage.
www.kff.org/public-opini...
