World Health Systems Facts

A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care

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A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care
As medical costs rise, more than 80 million people have made sacrifices like skipping meals and driving less, a new survey finds.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/h...

40 Years of Health Policy - KFF Health News This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two lon...

This month is 40 years since @julierovner.bsky.social began reporting on health policy in Washington.

To mark the anniversary, Rovner speaks with two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.

New A.C.A. Plans Could Increase Family Deductibles to $31,000

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"The Trump administration’s proposed new rules for Obamacare plans next year would shift more health care costs to Americans, with much higher deductibles that could lead to larger medical bills."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/h...

State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt - KFF Health News At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.

In the latest push on medical debt protections, legislators in at least eight states are eyeing how to tamp down the practice of siphoning patients’ paychecks to pay back medical debt.

@raelnb.bsky.social reports kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The political world of caregiving Writer and scholar Laura Mauldin's new book takes on the hidden politics of spousal care.

I had the pleasure of talking to @lauramauldin.bsky.social about her new book “In Sickness and In Health,” which delves into spousal caregiving, including in ways our political system is not set up to help caregivers not burn out, at @motherjones.com.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

This Ballad Hospital, Flooded by Hurricane Helene, Will Be Rebuilt for $44M in a Flood Plain - KFF Health News Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding.

A small Tennessee hospital that was destroyed by a surging river during Hurricane Helene will soon be rebuilt on low-lying farmland. It could face several feet of flooding in a much smaller storm, risking another disaster.

“The proposed site is so obviously a flood plain," said one hydrologist.

Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo - KFF Health News U.S. Public Health Service doctors and nurses are being deployed to Guantánamo and other detention centers as President Donald Trump escalates mass arrests in his campaign to curb immigration. Some ha...

Uniformed health workers have been deployed to President Donald Trump’s secretive immigration operation at Guantánamo Bay. They describe a dark prison and limits on medical care.

@amymaxmen.bsky.social investigates ⤵️

Congress Reins In Drug Middlemen in Effort to Lower Prescription Prices

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"While the new restrictions on P.B.M.s received widespread support, it is unclear how much they will benefit the government, employers and patients."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/h...

Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month

"Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each month."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be con...

"WHO remains steadfastly committed to working with all countries in pursuit of its core mission and constitutional mandate: the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for all people."
www.who.int/news/item/24...

‘Absolutely no detail’: experts alarmed as Trump unveils healthcare plan Months after Trump spoke of ‘concepts of a plan’, framework offers few specifics – and could stall in Congress

"The short document, titled the Great Healthcare Plan, provides four headline objectives, but few specific details as to how they will be achieved."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

As Insurance Prices Rise, Families Puzzle Over Options - KFF Health News Millions of middle-class Americans who have Affordable Care Act marketplace plans are facing soaring premium payments in 2026. Some people are contemplating big life changes to deal with new rates tha...

Millions of people who bought health plans on the Obamacare marketplaces face soaring 2026 premium payments. Some are considering going without insurance, taking on extra jobs, or even postponing marriage. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Culture Wars Take Center Stage YouTube video by KFF Health News

LISTEN: Millions are paying more for health insurance after enhanced ACA subsidies expired Jan. 1, as Washington focuses on culture-war issues and HHS reels from staffing and grant upheaval. youtu.be/oKtE7Xvpo94?...

NHS staff face ‘national emergency’ as patient violence hits 285 incidents a day Nearly 300,000 violent and sexual assaults recorded by NHS trusts in England over three years, Guardian analysis shows

"Of the 212 NHS trusts surveyed by the Guardian, 40 recorded more than 2,000 alleged violent incidents each over 2022-2025, including seven with more than 5,000 cases."
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

New Dietary Guidelines Abandon Longstanding Advice on Alcohol

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New Dietary Guidelines Abandon Longstanding Advice on Alcohol
Now the government’s recommendation is to “limit” drinking, without specifying safe amounts for men and women. The guidelines no longer warn of risks like cancer.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/h...

Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information Misinformation from the Trump administration is cited as fuelling Canadians’ concerns over childhood vaccinations

Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information
Misinformation from the Trump administration is cited as fuelling Canadians’ concerns over childhood vaccinations
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Judge blocks 340B rebate pilot program - Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Health and Human Services from launching its 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, which was scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2026...

"A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Health and Human Services from launching its 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program, which was scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2026."
www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/jud...

US health insurance costs to rise by 114% for millions as subsidies expire More than 20 million people in the United States will face sharply higher health insurance costs as of January 1 after enhanced tax credits that helped enrollees in the Affordable Care Act afford cove...

"Health analysts have predicted the expiration of the subsidies will drive many of the 24 million total Affordable Care Act enrollees – especially younger and healthier Americans – to forgo health insurance coverage altogether."
www.france24.com/en/americas/...

Cost Leads Americans' Top-of-Mind Healthcare Concerns Concerns about and dissatisfaction with healthcare costs in the U.S. underscore Americans' belief that the nation's healthcare system is highly flawed.

Cost Leads Americans' Top-of-Mind Healthcare Concerns
news.gallup.com/poll/699770/...

‘A state of crisis’: record number of Americans are pessimistic about US healthcare system Costs, insurance delays and difficult-to-obtain mental health treatment plague the US health system

‘A state of crisis’: record number of Americans are pessimistic about US healthcare system
Costs, insurance delays and difficult-to-obtain mental health treatment plague the US health system
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Denmark: Preventive Healthcare - World Health Systems Facts Denmark: Preventive Healthcare - World Health Systems Facts

Denmark: Preventive Healthcare
healthsystemsfacts.org/denmark-prev...

Foreign medics shunning NHS because of anti-migrant rhetoric, says top doctor Exclusive: UK an ‘unwelcoming, racist’ country for overseas health workers, according to medical colleges leader * ‘The NHS would collapse within hours’: BME staff say Britain fails to appreciate their roles Foreign doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created “a hostile environment”, the leader of Britain’s medics has warned. The health service is being put at risk because overseas health professionals increasingly see the UK as an “unwelcoming, racist” country, in part because of the government’s tough approach to immigration, Jeanette Dickson said. Continue reading...

Foreign medics shunning NHS because of anti-migrant rhetoric, says top doctor

US Medical Prices and Health Insurance Premiums, 1999-2024 This economic evaluation describes changes in US workers’ contributions to health insurance premiums and medical costs compared with wages from 1999 to 2024.

US Medical Prices and Health Insurance Premiums, 1999-2024
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Five big global health wins in 2025 that will save millions of lives From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases

Five big global health wins in 2025 that will save millions of lives
From HIV to TB, scientists and doctors made breakthroughs in treatment and prevention of some of the world’s deadliest diseases
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

PAHO urges countries of the Americas to prioritize financial protection to advance towards universal health Washington, D.C., December 11, 2025 (PAHO) – On Universal Health Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) highlighted the growing impact of out-of-pocket health care spending across the region...

"Although the percentage of people facing financial hardship due to health care expenses fell globally — from 34% to 26% between 2000 and 2022 — the poorest households continue to bear the greatest burden."
www.paho.org/en/news/11-1...

For more than 1/4 of the world’s population, access to health care remains an unaffordable dream.

This #UHCDay, we’re holding leaders to account and reminding them to prioritise health as a foundation for #SustainableDevelopment

Join the movement! Visit uhcday.org

Health Policy in 2026 In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman forecasts eight things to look for in health policy in 2026. “First and foremost,” he writes, “is the role health care affordability will play in the...

New must-read column by Drew Altman at KFF: Health Policy in 2026 www.kff.org/from-drew-al...

Health Savings Accounts, Backed by GOP, Cover Fancy Saunas but Not Insurance Premiums - KFF Health News Health savings accounts can be used to cover medical expenses, tax-free. But while wealthier Americans are using them to pay for gym equipment, cedar ice baths, and hemlock saunas, poorer Americans ca...

President Trump wants more health savings accounts. A catch: They can’t pay insurance premiums.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

New student loan rule could dissuade people from advanced nursing degrees • Stateline Zoe Clarke became a hospital registered nurse two and a half years ago, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. Clarke, an ICU nurse in Asheville, North Carolina, wants to get her ma...

"States are already grappling with workforce shortfalls caused by exhausting work conditions that have led many nurses to burn out and leave the field, or leave bedside care to teach, nurses told Stateline."
stateline.org/2025/12/08/n...

Medicare’s new AI experiment sparks alarm among doctors, lawmakers • Stateline A Medicare pilot program will allow private companies to use artificial intelligence to review older Americans’ requests for certain medical care — and will reward the companies when they deny it.

"The program effectively inserts one of private insurance’s most unpopular features — prior authorization — into traditional Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and those with certain disabilities."
stateline.org/2025/12/04/m...