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KFF
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The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
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KFF @kff.org · Oct 4
If you're just learning about KFF, we’re a nonpartisan health policy research, polling, and news organization. We have no connection to Kaiser Permanente and we're not a foundation. Please call us KFF, our legal operating name. More here: www.kff.org/about-us/.
About Us | KFF
KFF is the leading health policy organization in the
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kff.org
⚡ KFF’s Zachary Levinson writes about the site-neutral payment reform included in the CMS’s 2026 final outpatient prospective payment system rule under traditional Medicare. #QuickTake https://on.kff.org/4odNESQ
KFF graphic featuring a quote from Zachary Levinson, KFF Project Director, Project on Hospital Costs. It says, “The Administration’s change to reimbursement for drug administration services represents a step forward in implementing site neutral payment reforms but is modest compared to some of the more sweeping options raised by MedPAC and others.”
November 24, 2025 at 9:47 PM
kff.org
How did AI-generated videos contribute to false narratives about SNAP recipients during the government shutdown, lending credibility to stereotypes about beneficiaries of government assistance?

This and more in this week’s edition of The Monitor: https://on.kff.org/3LTFUbv
Health Information and Trust: The Monitor
This volume examines how AI-generated videos contributed to false narratives about SNAP recipients; findings from KFF’s Health Tracking Poll on beliefs about undocumented immigrants’ ACA eligibility; ...
on.kff.org
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
kff.org
The share of Medicare Advantage enrollees with a chart review record varied substantially across the largest insurers.

While chart reviews can be used to both add and remove diagnoses, the far more common outcome is additional diagnoses. https://on.kff.org/3XRl2Ec
Bar chart showing the share of Medicare Advantage enrollees with a chart review record, varying widely among insurers. CVS Health Corporation leads with 86%, followed by Elevance Health Inc. at 82%, UnitedHealth Group, Inc. at 77%, Centene Corporation at 73%, Humana Inc at 34%, and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. at 27%. Data sourced from KFF analysis of CMS Medicare Advantage encounter data, 2020, sample 2022.
November 24, 2025 at 8:16 PM
kff.org
Refugees and asylees are humanitarian immigrants who are unable or unwilling to return to their home countries due to the threat of persecution.

Our brief shows trends in admissions and changes in eligibility for assistance programs for refugees and asylees: https://on.kff.org/3XMHQF6
Refugees and Asylees: Recent Changes in Access to Health Coverage and Other Assistance  | KFF
This issue brief provides an overview of refugees and asylees in the U.S., trends in refugee and asylee admissions using data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and recent changes in eligibility for assistance programs for refugees and asyl...
on.kff.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
kff.org
1 in 6 Medicare Advantage enrollees had a diagnosis added on a chart review that increased federal payments to their insurers.

Chart reviews, which aren't used in traditional Medicare, are among the largest contributors to higher payments to MA plans. https://on.kff.org/3XRl2Ec
An informational graphic from KFF displaying statistics on Medicare Advantage Enrollees. It shows that 17% had a diagnosis that increased federal payments to their Medicare Advantage Plan. 1% had a diagnosis removed in a chart review.
November 24, 2025 at 6:08 PM
kff.org
Most home care services are delivered through Medicaid waiver programs.

Of the 50 responding states (including D.C.), 44 manage waiver costs through limits on total enrollment (37 states) or total spending (15 states): https://on.kff.org/48so73J
Bar chart shows the number of states reporting each type of cap on waiver spending or enrollment for any home care waiver, among the 49 states and DC that responded to the survey. The chart shows that nearly all states manage Medicaid home care spending with caps on spending or enrollment or by limiting services.
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
kff.org
This week, The Monitor covers: 

🤖AI videos and false narratives about SNAP.
⚕️Beliefs about undocumented immigrants’ eligibility for ACA insurance.
😷Updates on Louisiana’s delayed response to a whooping cough outbreak.

Read the issue and subscribe: https://on.kff.org/3LTFUbv
Health Information and Trust: The Monitor
This volume examines how AI-generated videos contributed to false narratives about SNAP recipients; findings from KFF’s Health Tracking Poll on beliefs about undocumented immigrants’ ACA eligibility; ...
on.kff.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
kff.org
President Trump has largely eliminated entry of refugees and asylees into the U.S. and Congress passed new restrictions on their access to assistance programs — changes that could exacerbate the health and socioeconomic challenges refugees and asylees face. https://on.kff.org/3XMHQF6
Line graph showing annual U.S. refugee admissions and admissions ceiling from 2016 to 2026. Admissions ceilings fluctuate, hitting 110,000 in 2017, a sharp decline thereafter and peaking at 125,000 from 2021 to 2025. It drops to 7,500 projected in 2026.
November 23, 2025 at 5:04 PM
kff.org
Prior authorization review frustrates patients and physicians, but we likely can’t just eliminate it.

President and CEO @drewaltman.bsky.social discusses why, and why the focus is now instead on “doing it smarter.”

Read the full column: https://on.kff.org/3K6Fhun
Quote from KFF President and CEO Drew Altman. It says: “In our fragmented health system, with no great way to control costs or limit unnecessary care, we seem to be stuck with prior authorization review…The tradeoffs and potential costs of eliminating prior authorization have driven most payers in a different direction: don’t eliminate it, ‘do prior authorization smarter.’” This quote is from Drew’s latest Beyond the Data column.
November 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
kff.org
#ICYMI: The KFF-@nytimes.com survey finds 41% of immigrants now fear they or a family member could be detained or deported — up from 26% in 2023.

Unease is not limited to those who are undocumented: Fear has increased the most among lawfully present immigrants and naturalized citizens.
KFF range plot showing percent of immigrants who say they ever worry that they or a family member could be detained or deported, from 2023 and 2025. Reported by total, and immigration status. The chart shows an increase across all immigrants from 2023 to 2025.
November 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
kff.org
During the last major reduction in federal Medicaid spending, all states reduced spending on home care by serving fewer people, cutting benefits, or reducing payment rates.

States may use similar methods in the future: https://on.kff.org/48so73J
Bar chart shows the number of states reporting each type of cap on waiver spending or enrollment for any home care waiver, among the 49 states and DC that responded to the survey. The chart shows that nearly all states manage Medicaid home care spending with caps on spending or enrollment or by limiting services.
November 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
kff.org
Our new policy explainer examines the implications of Republican proposals to repeal and replace some or all of the ACA premium tax credits, which currently help make Marketplace coverage more affordable, with federal contributions to HSAs or the like.

https://on.kff.org/4a9fZGB
The New ACA Repeal and Replace: Health Savings Accounts | KFF
Proposals from some Republicans in Congress would effectively repeal some or all of the ACA premium tax credits and replace them with contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or something simil...
on.kff.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:40 PM
kff.org
⚡ KFF’s Drishti Pillai reacts to a notice the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued that it will begin sharing Medicaid data it receives from states with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration enforcement. https://on.kff.org/3LVA1dK #QuickTake
November 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
kff.org
Forty-one states have waiting or interest lists for people seeking home care through Medicaid.

In 2025, 29 states reported an increase in their home care waiting lists, while only 12 states reported a decrease:https://on.kff.org/48fSeu7
Bar chart shows the number of people in 1000s on home care waiting or interest lists by whether or not states screens people on any waiting lists for eligibility prior to adding them to the list. The chart shows that a disproportionate number of people on waiting lists for home care live in states that don’t assess eligibility for people waiting.
November 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
kff.org
Medicaid’s significant spending on home care and the mechanisms available to limit this spending could spur states to cut home care services in response to the recently-enacted reconciliation law: https://on.kff.org/48so73J
Bar chart shows the number of states reporting each type of cap on waiver spending or enrollment for any home care waiver, among the 49 states and DC that responded to the survey. The chart shows that nearly all states manage Medicaid home care spending with caps on spending or enrollment or by limiting services.
November 21, 2025 at 8:16 PM
kff.org
Our 2025 California Health Benefits Survey with @chcfnews.bsky.social offers an in-depth look at trends in employer-sponsored coverage in the state, including premiums, cost sharing, and employer strategies to manage costs and access to care.

Explore the data: https://on.kff.org/43CRWfg
2025 California Health Benefits Survey | KFF
The survey provides an in-depth look at trends in employer-sponsored coverage in California, including premiums, cost sharing, offer rates, and employer strategies to manage costs and access to care, ...
on.kff.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:12 PM
kff.org
We’ve updated our ACA Marketplace FAQs to provide information about the latest policy changes, including changes to who is eligible to purchase marketplace plans or get financial assistance.

Learn more: https://on.kff.org/4fzAviF
Infographic titled 'Frequently Asked Questions About the ACA Open Enrollment,' featuring a series of common inquiries about health insurance options, credits, and eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, presented in a visually engaging format with speech bubbles and the KFF logo.
November 21, 2025 at 6:08 PM
kff.org
Between 2024 and 2025, total enrollment in waiting and interest lists for home care through Medicaid increased by 14%, and is over 600,000 in 2025.

Federal cuts to Medicaid could change waiting list sizes again: https://on.kff.org/48fSeu7
Bar chart shows the number of people in 1000s on home care waiting or interest lists by whether or not states screens people on any waiting lists for eligibility prior to adding them to the list. The chart shows that a disproportionate number of people on waiting lists for home care live in states that don’t assess eligibility for people waiting.
November 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
kff.org
40% of immigrant adults — and 77% of likely undocumented immigrants — say immigration-related worries have led to negative health impacts since January, including stress, sleep problems, or worsening chronic conditions. https://on.kff.org/47OUlWR
Chart showing the percentage of immigrants who have experienced negative impacts due to immigration-related worries since January 2025, broken down by status: total immigrants, naturalized citizens, lawfully present immigrants, and likely undocumented immigrants. Categories include increased stress, anxiety or sadness, problems sleeping, worsening health conditions, and at least one of these impacts. Source: KFF/New York Times Survey of Immigrants.
November 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
kff.org
⚡ KFF’s Hagere Yilma explains how recent changes to the CDC’s website language falsely asserting that a link between vaccines and autism cannot be ruled out may introduce ambiguity that online narratives can exploit. #QuickTake https://on.kff.org/3LXftBv
KFF graphic featuring a quote from Hagere Yilma, KFF Senior Manager, Health Information & Trust. It says, “...these findings illustrate how uncertainty about vaccines and autism persists even after decades of research, and how shifts in official language can interact with that uncertainty. Polling shows most people are not firmly committed to false beliefs but remain unsure, while media monitoring suggests that changes in guidance often become focal points for online narratives framing prior statements as misleading.”
November 20, 2025 at 9:20 PM
kff.org
Prior authorization review frustrates patients and physicians, but we likely can’t just eliminate it.

In his new column, President and CEO @drewaltman.bsky.social discusses why, and why the focus is now instead on “doing it smarter.” https://on.kff.org/3K6Fhun
Quote from KFF President and CEO Drew Altman. It says: “In our fragmented health system, with no great way to control costs or limit unnecessary care, we seem to be stuck with prior authorization review…The tradeoffs and potential costs of eliminating prior authorization have driven most payers in a different direction: don’t eliminate it, ‘do prior authorization smarter.’” This quote is from Drew’s latest Beyond the Data column.
November 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by KFF
kffhealthnews.org
KFF Health News and @thetrace.org are talking to people who’ve been wounded or families of those killed by gun violence to better understand how insurance affects such medical care.

Click below to reach our reporting team ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Help Us Investigate Medical Care for Gunshot Wounds - KFF Health News
We’d like to talk to people who’ve been wounded or families of those killed by gun violence to better understand how insurance affects such medical care.
kffhealthnews.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:25 PM
kff.org
Under current law, ACA enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of 2025.

Our updated calculator provides estimates of how much more people would pay in premiums in the ACA Marketplaces — both with and without the enhanced premium tax credits. https://on.kff.org/4olBSa4
Calculator: ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credit
The ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. This calculator estimates how much out-of-pocket premiums would increase for families if Congress does not extend the credi...
www.kff.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
kff.org
Immigrants report significant health and economic challenges:

Nearly half say they struggle to pay for housing, food, or health care — up from 31% in 2023.

40% of immigrants, and 77% of likely undocumented immigrants, say immigration-related worries have negatively impacted their health since Jan.
Infographic with two pie charts comparing struggles faced by immigrants. The left chart shows 47% of immigrants report difficulties in paying for health care, rent/mortgage, or food in the last 12 months. The right chart displays that 40% of immigrant adults experienced increased stress, anxiety or sadness, problems eating or sleeping, or worsening health conditions related to immigration concerns since January 2025. Sourced from 2025 KFF/New York Times Survey of Immigrants.
November 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
kff.org
In California, average family premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage topped $28,000 this year — about $1,400 than the national average.

Our 2025 California Health Benefits Survey with @chcfnews.bsky.social highlights the key trends: https://on.kff.org/43CRWfg
2025 California Health Benefits Survey | KFF
The survey provides an in-depth look at trends in employer-sponsored coverage in California, including premiums, cost sharing, offer rates, and employer strategies to manage costs and access to care, ...
on.kff.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM