State of the Union: Health
Healthcare affordability is still a top issue for Americans, amidst a broader livability crisis. Even insured Americans are struggling to cover out-of-pocket costs. With the State of the Union on Tuesday night, President Trump spoke to this crisis, reiterating his plans to address affordability through direct payments to consumers in lieu of comprehensive health coverage. He touted a new federal website for discounted prescription drugs called TrumpRx, which would only be usable without insurance. Meanwhile, enrollees insured on the ACA Marketplace and Medicaid face a precarious coverage situation as the extension of enhanced premium tax credits has yet to be enacted, and Medicaid cuts and work reporting requirements have been set in motion. The Commonwealth Fund points out that current proposals for health coverage fail to comply with ACA protections, which would impact people with disabilities the most.
Urban Institute has a new piece outlining some evidence-based strategies they recommend for addressing affordability concerns, highlighting healthcare as a key area of focus. Additional guidance for state policymakers is also available from the Center on Health Insurance Reforms.
With Medicaid in the crosshairs of our national health policy discussion, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have recently released a dataset to encourage analysis of “waste, fraud, and abuse” with a focus on provider-level spending. Kaiser Family Foundation has an explainer on the limits of this dataset for understanding provider spending. In particular, home care services through Medicaid have been accused of fraud by the Trump administration. KFF explains how program integrity is managed for Medicaid HCBS. Amidst accusations of fraud, the Trump administration has frozen Medicaid reimbursements to the entire state of Minnesota. They have also announced a six month moratorium on new enrollments for durable medical equipment suppliers, which will affect people with disabilities nationwide. This will affect the ability of people to obtain prosthetics and wheelchairs, among other medical supplies. CMS published a Request for Information on waste, fraud and abuse in health care. Input on this RFI could be used to write new regulations on the topic. Comments for the RFI are due March 27, 2026.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is being used by health insurers to conduct tasks like prior authorization reviews. Some states are rolling out protections to limit the use of AI by health insurance companies. Federally, there are efforts underway to block states from regulating AI usage at all, though state regulation of AI is gathering broad, nonpartisan support. Groups like the American Medical Association are supporting more state regulation, especially around prior authorization. This work will be critical, especially as consumers are increasingly using AI to solicit personal medical advice, raising concerns about data security. Consumers should be notified that AI is increasingly being used by health providers during appointments for medical documentation purposes.
Quick Health Updates
- MARCH 25 – “Substance Use Disorder Policy & Care in a Time of Medicaid Change.” Virtual Conference co-hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and The Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH). 1:00 – 4:00pm ET. Learn from policymakers, researchers, and public health professionals about the upcoming changes to substance use disorder care provided under Medicaid: Register here.
- KFF Health News Minute is a weekly program from Kaiser Family Foundation that gives a snapshot of recent public health developments across the United States. Check out this week’s update to stay in the know.
For Enrollees:
- Quiz – How Well Do You Understand Your Health Insurance? From the Kaiser Family Foundation. Share this with the people you’re helping to enroll in coverage to help them better understand their healthcare options and coverage.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website. Follow AAHD’s other newsletters to stay current on research opportunities and policy developments supporting people with disabilities.