Quick Takes Archive

The Latest on Medication Abortion Access: The Court Awaits the FDA Review

Apr 9, 2026

Despite for calls from Republican leaders and anti-abortion organizations for the FDA to act quickly, the Louisiana district court has given the FDA until October 7, 2026, one month before the midterms, to file a report with the status of its review and any updated timeframe for completion. In the meantime, clinicians may continue to mail mifepristone to pregnant patients seeking abortions regardless of where they live.

Medicare Advantage Insurers Will See Higher Payments as CMS Backs Off a Key Payment Update

Apr 8, 2026

Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek

The Trump administration this week backed off a key element of its Medicare Advantage rate proposal, resulting in billions of dollars in additional payments to private insurers.

Insurers’ Prior Authorization Data Offers Little Insight Into What Gets Approved or Denied

Apr 2, 2026

Kaye Pestaina

Certain insurers must now publicly report specific prior authorization metrics, but the new data offer limited insight, providing no information on what types of services are being approved and denied or why as well as no data on prescription drugs.

After 16 Years, Partisans Still View the Affordable Care Act Very Differently

Mar 23, 2026

Isabelle Valdes

On the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) passage, most of the public (61%) view the law favorably, though opinions and debates remain as partisan as ever....As voters continue to grapple with the affordability of coverage and care, the partisan legacy of the ACA will almost certainly figure into debates about health care costs this fall.

The Court’s Opening Shot on Federal Vaccine Policy Changes

Mar 17, 2026

Jennifer Kates

A growing number of states, reaching 30 as of March, have announced that they are no longer following CDC recommendations as their benchmark for some or all childhood vaccines... The court’s stay does not change these states’ decisions and in some ways may allow them to avoid a potential ‘ping pong’ of federal vaccine policy that could result from future legal rulings or actions by the administration.

Navigating Uncertainty: The Latest Challenge to the Title X Family Planning Safety Net

Mar 16, 2026

Alina Salganicoff

The Administration's latest funding deadline and guidance shift intensifies pressure to the reproductive health safety net at a time when the number of uninsured individuals is projected to rise due to Medicaid cuts and expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, and Planned Parenthood clinics have lost their federal Medicaid funding.

What Medicare’s Temporary Program Covering GLP-1s for Obesity Means for Beneficiaries

Mar 9, 2026

Juliette Cubanski

CMS’s efforts to expand Medicare coverage of GLP-1s for obesity could provide substantial benefits to millions of Medicare beneficiaries, given the potential demand for these highly effective medications…There are potential drawbacks to the short-term program, however.

Early Prenatal Care Use Falls, Gaps Widen for Women of Color, CDC Data Show

Feb 20, 2026

Latoya Hill

While the exact reasons for the recent declines in early prenatal care use are not known, disparities in maternal and infant health reflect underlying inequities in insurance coverage, access to care, and social and economic factors.

ACA Sign-Ups Are Down by Over a Million People, But It’s Still an Incomplete Picture

Jan 29, 2026

Jared Ortaliza

Data currently being released represent Open Enrollment Marketplace plan selections, or how many people have signed up for or been automatically renewed into 2026 coverage. These data do not necessarily translate to effectuated enrollments. That is because people who have selected a plan or been automatically renewed may not ultimately choose to pay for their plan, thus “effectuating” their coverage.

Health Care Providers Warn of Impacts of Increased ICE Presence at Health Care Facilities

Jan 22, 2026

Drishti Pillai

The presence of ICE at hospitals and health care facilities represents a reversal in policy under the Trump administration from previous policy that had protected against enforcement in these and other “sensitive locations” like schools and places of worship.

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