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Inside California’s Push for
Guaranteed Healthcare
Featuring
Michael Lighty
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Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“Multiple viral stories highlight how people have uploaded itemized bills to AI for analysis, uncovering errors like duplicate charges, improper coding, or violations of Medicare rules.”
Exclusive: 40 Million People Turn to ChatGPT for Health Care
Axios | Megan Morrone | January 5, 2026
“Ever since President Richard Nixon privatized American health insurance through the HMO Act of 1973, the system has been working exactly the way it was created: to put patients at the bottom of the funnel for maximum profits at the top. It’s why the first question patients get is, ‘What insurance do you have?’”
The Next Election Will Be Decided by America’s Sick
The Hill | Matthew Zachary | January 3, 2026
“The change affects a diverse cross-section of Americans who don’t get their health insurance from an employer and don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare — a group that includes many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers.”
Health Subsidies Expire, Launching Millions of Americans into 2026 with Steep Insurance Hikes
Associated Press | Ali Swenson | January 1, 2026
“You can’t afford it. Bottom line, there’s nothing to discuss. You can’t afford it without the subsidies….”
Farmers Are About to Pay a Lot More for Health Insurance
NPR | Sarah Boden, Drew Hawkins | December 31, 2025
“Citing data from healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors, Reuters wrote that at least 350 branded medications are set for price hikes next year, including ‘vaccines against COVID, RSV, and shingles,’ as well as the ‘blockbuster cancer treatment Ibrance.’”
As Trump Claims He’s Slashing Costs, Big Pharma Jacks Up Prices on 350 Drugs
Common Dreams | Brad Reed | December 31, 2025
“The parties, and even the factions within them, are sharply divided on the path forward.”
Health Care Fight Returns in January with Affordability at Center
Roll Call | Jessie Hellmann | December 30, 2025
“The Golden State is allocating nearly $200 million to replace the expired federal subsidies for roughly 300,000 of its poorest residents, but the rest of the state’s 2 million residents enrolled on the Obamacare exchange could be hit hard.”
States Step Into the Breach as Obamacare Subsidies Lapse
Politico | Alice Miranda Ollstein, Natalie Fertig | December 29, 2025
“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program … to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country.”
CMS Announces $50 Billion in Awards to Strengthen Rural Health in All 50 States
CMS | Press Release | December 29, 2025
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Shining a light on ongoing inequities in health care
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