From Drew Altman: Trump Has No Health Plan, He Has the Art of the Health Care Deal

In his first column for the new year, KFF CEO Dr. Drew Altman analyzes President Trump’s “make a deal” approach to health care. He explains that while the president doesn’t have a health reform plan, or even “concepts of a plan,” or a replacement for the ACA, he does have a distinctive set of tactics that features one-off deals with the health care industry that are more like “health policy by transaction.” He writes that the deals “even do some good,” but “don’t change the long-term incentives of the health care companies that participate in the deals,” and a big question is “whether they have staying power.”

Affordable Care Act

Updated Larry QT on ePTCs

There is No Drop-Dead Date for an ACA Tax Credit Extension, But Coverage Losses Will Mount as the Clock Ticks

A discharge petition in the House paves the way for a vote on a three-year extension of the tax credits, which would provide ACA enrollees premium relief whenever it comes. While there is still time to extend the enhanced tax credits, with each passing day, more and more ACA Marketplace enrollees are going to drop their health insurance when faced with eye-popping increases in their premium payments, writes KFF’s Larry Levitt.

Policy Changes Bring Renewed Focus on High-Deductible Health Plans 

Policy changes, anticipated increases in premium costs for enrollees, and new standards for health savings accounts may encourage consumers to seek out plans with lower premiums but higher deductibles. This issue brief explores the features of bronze and catastrophic plans, coverage and costs, and the complicated choices consumers face.

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State Efforts to Fill in Federal Funding Gaps for Planned Parenthood

This brief examines efforts in 11 states to fill in funding gaps created by the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law, which prohibits federal Medicaid funding for reproductive-health care services provided by Planned Parenthood and other organizations that also provide abortion care.

From Larry Levitt: How Unaffordable is Health Care? 

In a new column for JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores how unaffordable health care is in the context of the debate over extending enhanced ACA premium tax credits and an upcoming election where affordability will likely be front and center.

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