Weekly News Roundup for Aug 24, 2026


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Andy Imparato

Breaking News in Healthcare Reform

 

Featured Podcast

 

What are the hidden costs of getting sick in America? Who are the patients whose lives are upended by medical debt? Why is the healthcare system failing the very people it’s supposed to serve?

In Debt and Desperate: The Hidden Cost of Getting Sick

Featuring Susan Greenberg, CEO, National Consumers League

Code WACK! | Podcast Episode 344 | August 24, 2026

 

“At a policy forum hosted by Politico this month, Becerra promised Californians would not lose health coverage despite federal cutbacks, saying he would push the industry to eliminate waste from ‘attorneys, accountants, pencil pushers’ that cost consumers billions.”

Becerra, Running for Governor of California, Faces a Health Insurance Problem

NPR | Christine Mai-Duc | August 23, 2026

 

“I don’t understand … he’s a cancer patient … we’re not faking a disease, we’re not scamming anybody so what’s the problem?”

Single Mom Turns to 7 On Your Side for Help With Son’s Health Care Coverage as He Fights Cancer

ABC 7 | Nina Pineda | August 22, 2026

 

“…projections found that health plan costs will rise across all industries, with the highest spikes anticipated for finance and insurance; technology and communication; and the public sector.”

Employer Health Costs Projected to Rise 9.5 Percent

The Hill | Joseph Choi | August 21, 2026

 

“Just 28% of doctors surveyed have ever practiced in a physician-owned setting, and most doctors under the age of 40 have only ever known corporate ownership.”

Doctors Say They Feel Pressured to Prioritize Corporate Interests Over Patients: Report

Healthcare Dive | Jill Hughes | August 21, 2026

 

“Employer health care cost increases have more than doubled since 2022, rising from 3.7% to 8.8% in 2026.”

Another Tough Year Ahead for Employer Health Costs

Axios | Adriel Bettelheim | August 20, 2026

 

“US health trends reflect a shift from fatal to disabling disease, driven substantially by the obesity/metabolic and substance use epidemics, layered onto deep and widening structural inequities by race/ethnicity, place, and education.”

Chronic Disease and Disability in the United States: Trends, Inequities, and Imperatives for Policy Reform

The Milbank Quarterly | Ali H. Mokdad, Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Christopher J.L. Murray | August 19, 2026

 

“The legislation was successful in protecting patients, but the bills didn’t go away. The No Surprises Act set up a process that lets doctors and patients’ insurance companies negotiate over the out-of-network doctors’ bills. It hasn’t worked out well.”

How the No Surprises Act Is Driving Up Health Care Costs

Center for Economic and Policy Research | Eileen Appelbaum | August 18, 2026

 

“Today, nearly 1 in 3 hospitals also own insurance plans – putting them on both sides of the transaction.”

What Happens When Your Hospital is Also Your Insurance Company? We’re Starting to See the Effects

The Conversation | Geronimo Bejarano Cardenas, Grace Mackleby | August 18, 2026

 

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Shining a light on ongoing inequities in health care
and the impact they have on vulnerable individuals and communities. 

 

Our podcast Code WACK! brings to life the failures of America’s healthcare system with stories, commentary and analysis.
 
Our Weekly News Roundup shares news and views about health policy, health equity and healthcare reform (from non-paywalled news sources) 

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