This column explores how health reform is changing the ways in which we pay for and deliver health care in the U.S. It also highlights the ways in which our current system is falling short on measures of coverage, access and affordability. On any given week, that could mean a look at how Republican plans to repeal Obamacare could reshape the individual insurance market, how the safety net system is adapting to new financial pressures, or how the trend of doctors and hospitals merging into ever-larger entities is driving up costs. We also explore health care costs and whether the Affordable Care Act or its successor plans can live up to the promise to rein them in. Throughout, we keep watch on how the goals of health reform intersect with the shaping power of markets and human behavior. Contributors include veteran health journalist Trudy Lieberman and independent health journalist Kellie Schmitt, with occasional contributions from independent journalists such as Susan Abram and Sara Stewart.
A reporter takes pride in stories that are "building blocks" for bigger changes.
For undocumented immigrants like Ericka Rosas Aranda, California's May 1 expansion of Medicaid can prove life-saving.
If it took this long to fix this financially punishing legislative "typo," what does that portend for larger health policy aspirations?
The long-term care insurance market is a disaster. Can Washington state offer a better path forward?
The private market has failed to deliver affordable long-term care insurance. Washington state has another plan.
Is the government serious about attacking super-high drug prices by paying only for those with proven benefit for patients? The Aduhelm decision will be a critical tell.
New York City bets on this controversial model. More communities may soon follow.
The state is on the cusp of becoming the first to offer all residents health care coverage, regardless of their immigration status.
While the country awaits a Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, state lawmakers are busy chipping away at access to care.
Sustained coverage on surprise bills fueled public outrage and legislation. But the resulting regulations are far from perfect.
A trio of reporters offer a masterful examination of the overuse, underuse and misuse of medical care in America.
