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aaronecarroll.bsky.social

@aaronecarroll.bsky.social
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Recent events showed that the federal health evidence system rested more on custom than on law. AcademyHealth's new Blueprint proposes ways to turn that custom into obligations that bind. blueprint.academyhealth.org
blueprint.academyhealth.org
Modernizing Federal Health Evidence: The Blueprint
A practical plan to protect the federal research, tracking, and data behind health decisions, so decision-makers have evidence they can trust.
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AcademyHealth @academyhealth.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Today AcademyHealth released Modernizing Federal Health Evidence: A Blueprint, a nonpartisan plan to strengthen the institutions, data systems, workforce, and protections behind federal health evidence, built to hold across administrations. buff.ly/c777bmN
buff.ly
Modernizing Federal Health Evidence: The Blueprint
A practical plan to protect the federal research, tracking, and data behind health decisions, so decision-makers have evidence they can trust.
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rosenkris.bsky.social @rosenkris.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I've spent the better part of the year working on this, but it's really the outcome of a decade of work dating back to the Paradigm Project. The key question then was how do we build a better, more durable, more impactful evidence system. The Blueprint gives us a point from which to start.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
How do we build a federal health evidence system that holds up under any administration? AcademyHealth's new Blueprint is our nonpartisan, agency-by-agency attempt to answer that question. blueprint.academyhealth.org
blueprint.academyhealth.org
Modernizing Federal Health Evidence: The Blueprint
A practical plan to protect the federal research, tracking, and data behind health decisions, so decision-makers have evidence they can trust.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Health services research helps address the things Americans dislike most about health care - costs, access, quality, and delays in care. The GAO has now confirmed that funding for that work was illegally withheld. Read AcademyHealth's response: ahsituationreport.substack.com/p/gao-finds-...
ahsituationreport.substack.com
GAO Finds AHRQ Funds Were Illegally Withheld
AcademyHealth applauds GAO investigation, which validates the intentional collapse of AHRQ grantmaking that AcademyHealth has documented over the last 18 months.
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AcademyHealth @academyhealth.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The GAO has confirmed that AHRQ funding was illegally withheld. $80 million in health services research authorized by Congress never reached researchers, disrupting studies focused on patient safety, access, quality, and affordability. Read our response: buff.ly/k5xJhBS
buff.ly
GAO Finds AHRQ Funds Were Illegally Withheld
AcademyHealth applauds GAO investigation, which validates the intentional collapse of AHRQ grantmaking that AcademyHealth has documented over the last 18 months.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Issue 6 of our Decisionmaker's Guide is out. My goal was the same as it has been with every issue: understand the evidence, explain why the estimates differ, and be clear about what we don't know. Read it and judge for yourself. academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
Single Payer: Two Trillion-Dollar Headlines, One Complicated Question | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A new single payer analysis projects 114,000 fewer deaths. But 51,311 of those are attributed to reversing 2025 coverage rollbacks, not to single payer itself. That's 45% of the headline estimate. Our guide breaks it down. academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
Single Payer: Two Trillion-Dollar Headlines, One Complicated Question | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In the final Pain Points episode, I dig into why medical bills ambush people: opaque pricing, messy billing, and a brutal appeals process. The video shows what’s hidden, what’s not said, and what to ask for. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4r...
youtube.com
Why Are Healthcare Costs So Confusing?
Have you ever opened a medical bill and nearly choked in surprise at the number on the “due now” box, and wondered why the hell it wasn’t covered by your insurance? A lot of that confusion isn’t…
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Why do single payer estimates differ so much? A big reason: assumptions about what hospitals and physicians would be paid when commercial insurance goes away. Yale and AAF make very different assumptions. academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
Single Payer: Two Trillion-Dollar Headlines, One Complicated Question | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New Pain Points video: what aren’t insurers telling you? Missing fees, surprise prior auths, fragmented bills. I break it down and provide simple steps to avoid shocking bills. Watch now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4r...
youtube.com
Why Are Healthcare Costs So Confusing?
Have you ever opened a medical bill and nearly choked in surprise at the number on the “due now” box, and wondered why the hell it wasn’t covered by your insurance? A lot of that confusion isn’t…
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I want to see fixes to prior authorization that actually help: standardized rules, policy change, "gold-carding" trusted providers, and better transparency so patients aren’t blindsided. Learn more about these solutions in this week’s Pain Points ep: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM0H...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
After 17 months without a meeting, The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has new members. This is good news. But how will they evaluate evidence when the infrastructure has been damaged? Read more in our statement: academyhealth.org/blog/2026-09...
academyhealth.org
New Task Force Members Raise Questions. The Evidence Pipeline Behind Them Raises More. | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’ve walked out of the clinic with a care plan, then later learned an insurer needed prior auth. Hours on hold, repeating my story, wondering whether treatment will happen. How can policy fix this? Watch this week’s Pain Points ep: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM0H...
youtube.com
What's the Deal with Prior Authorizations?
Have you ever left a doctor’s appointment with a whole plan to tackle some health issue you’re facing, only to get a call later saying someone at your insurance company, who may or may not be a…
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Filling out redundant paperwork, waiting on hold forever, spending hours trying to understand what’s covered and what’s not. This should not be the burden of patients. But it is. Here’s why: www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjT...
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Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Thanks so much to @academyhealth.bsky.social @josh-caplan.bsky.social for this opportunity to write on the potential admin burden problems that can come from introducing new prior authorization requirements to traditional Medicare through the new CMS WISeR pilot program. substack.com/inbox/post/2...
substack.com
Fraud Prevention or Administrative Burden? Prior Authorization Comes for Medicare
Instead of reducing wasteful care, Medicare’s new WISeR model introduces administrative barriers and delays critical care for patients who need it most.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I studied health services research to learn how to improve health systems. In this new Situation Report, Timothy Beebe explains what happens when programs that train the next generation of researchers lose that experience. ahsituationreport.substack.com/p/ahrq-train...
ahsituationreport.substack.com
AHRQ Trained the Next Generation of Health Care Delivery Researchers
University of Minnesota faculty member, Timothy Beebe, who had an AHRQ training grant canceled, highlights what it means for the next generation of health services researchers.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Looking forward to gathering with the D&I community this December at #DIScience26 to discuss how we can better leverage tools and evidence to improve clinical, community, and public health practice. Register here: academyhealth.org/DIScience2026
academyhealth.org
19th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
As a pediatrician, I know that better outcomes start with better evidence. Stephen Patrick's Situation Report is an important reflection on AHRQ, learning health systems, and what's at stake when the research that helps us improve care is cut. ahsituationreport.substack.com/p/the-cost-o...
ahsituationreport.substack.com
The Cost of Forgetting How to Learn
Professor and Neonatologist Dr. Stephen Patrick reflects on AHRQ’s role in improving patient care and the downstream impact of his own cancelled grants.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Turning patients into part-time admins is cruel and inefficient. Endless forms + fragmented billing = missed reimbursements and worse outcomes. Watch this week’s Pain Points ep: www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjT...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Prior authorization can work as designed and still produce bad outcomes. It saves money by reducing use. But some of that reduction may be care patients need. Read more about the tradeoffs in the latest AcademyHealth Decisionmaker's Guide. academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
Prior Authorization Reform: The Evidence Behind the Debate, the Reforms Now Moving, and What No One Is Measuring | AcademyHealth
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AcademyHealth @academyhealth.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Rural communities face hospital closures, workforce shortages, telehealth gaps, and barriers to care. Many canceled AHRQ-funded studies were designed to help address those challenges. Our latest Situation Report shows what's being lost. buff.ly/2OichPU
ahsituationreport.substack.com
What Rural Communities Stand to Lose From AHRQ Grant Cancellations
At a time of growing concern about rural health access, several canceled AHRQ-funded projects were generating evidence to help communities overcome some of their most pressing challenges.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Our new analysis examines 150 AHRQ awards that lost funding. It's not an argument about what the agency's priorities should be. It's a question about whether the reasons given for discontinuing ongoing research fit the public record. Read more: academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
AHRQ Stopped Funding 150 Research Awards. The Record Raises Questions About Why and How. | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Sometimes when people talk about heath care spending in the U.S., it just sounds like "blah blah blah." Don’t worry, that won’t be the case in this week’s Pain Points episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDqS...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I wrote this in 2015, after candidate Trump said the same things about vaccines at a primary debate. The evidence was clear then. It's clearer now. The only thing that's changed is that this time it comes with an executive order. www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
Not Up for Debate: The Science Behind Vaccination (Published 2015)
The candidates discussed lots of topics at the second Republican debate, but there was one they would have done better to leave alone.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
A teenager with a heart defect saw specialist after specialist. None of them was in charge of his flu shot. He caught influenza & died. The trial testing how to fix that failure was canceled by the federal government in July. My essay in @nytopinion www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Medical Breakthroughs Are a Thrill. Then Comes the Hard Part. (Gift Article)
The Trump administration has dismantled the agency that ensures that research makes its way into medical practice.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
AHRQ canceled studies on patient safety and antibiotic resistance. The reason it gave: to focus on new priorities, including "patient safety" & "preventing antibiotic resistance." That's not a typo. My @nytopinion.nytimes.com on the dismantling of delivery science: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Medical Breakthroughs Are a Thrill. Then Comes the Hard Part. (Gift Article)
The Trump administration has dismantled the agency that ensures that research makes its way into medical practice.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Conversations around high spending on U.S. health care are often oversimplified, and that’s why policies miss the mark. This week, we’re cutting through the noise in the newest Pain Points episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDqS...
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Joe Gitchell @jgitchell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Very good episode and includes a shout-out to @aaronecarroll.bsky.social's recent WaPo op-ed on SSRIs.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This was clearly not the night to be flying home on @americanair.bsky.social 😞
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
When the AHRQ cancellations started, no one was giving the public a clear picture of what was being lost. My team built one. This is research that makes care safer and more affordable. Americans deserve to know what's happening to it. Researchinterrupted.academyhealth.org
researchinterrupted.academyhealth.org
Research Interrupted: Canceled AHRQ Grants | AcademyHealth
When health care research stops, the answers stop with it. Explore AcademyHealth's interactive tracker on canceled AHRQ research grants and lost funding.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The question isn't whether we should reexamine antidepressant use. We should. The question is whether policy starts with evidence, or starts with a conclusion and looks for evidence later. We need more research, not less. Read my latest piece:
washingtonpost.com
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Early #hdpalooza registrants get exclusive access to AcademyHealth's guide, "Why Good Health Data Products Fail," which explores how implementation science can help products succeed in real-world settings. Early reg ends Friday: academyhealth.org/Datapalooza2...
academyhealth.org
2026 Health Datapalooza | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Health policy is changing fast. Our Health Policy Orientation is designed to help people understand the policymaking process and engage more effectively. Registration is now open:
academyhealth.org
2026 Health Policy Orientation | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Bad news: I turned my dog into a stethoscope. Good news: There’s a new episode of Pain Points out for you to watch! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbUz...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Looking forward to seeing the innovative research, lessons learned, and real-world impact stories submitted to this year's Science of D&I Conference. Presentation deadline: July 16, 5 PM ET academyhealth.confex.com/academyhealt...
academyhealth.confex.com
Call for Papers
Call for Papers
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I know you’ve been WAITING for another video about health care wait times. Well, the wait is over. Check out our newest Pain Points episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF7m...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The second reflection in Work Interrupted: Voices from the Field is now live. @drdebhoury.bsky.social reflects on leadership, identity, and finding purpose beyond a title after leaving CDC during a period of profound change. Read here: buff.ly/YjI2GYd
buff.ly
When Work Is Interrupted: Finding Purpose Beyond a Title | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
A lot of big policy questions are coming together right now on drug pricing, ACA coverage, and research funding. This Situation Report looks at where things may be headed, and what it means for evidence, affordability, and access.
ahsituationreport.substack.com
New Federal Proposals Raise Questions on Affordability, Access, and Research Capacity
New federal proposals this week span drug pricing, ACA coverage, vaccine policy, behavioral health funding, and research regulation, with implications for affordability, access, and evidence.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Issue 3 of our Decisionmaker's Guide is out. This one examines Medicaid work requirements, a policy where supporters and critics are often answering different questions. We tried to map the evidence, the tradeoffs, and the uncertainties. academyhealth.org/publications...
academyhealth.org
Millions Could Lose Medicaid Coverage. Will Work Requirements Increase Employment? | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
We don’t always get guidance right the first time. The problem isn’t just wrong answers, it’s being too certain before the evidence is there. Health services research helps us learn from that and do better. academyhealth.org/blog/2026-06...
academyhealth.org
How Evidence (or Lack Thereof) Shapes Everyday Decisions | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
How does health policy influence how long it takes to get an appointment with your medical provider? I’m breaking this down in this week’s Pain Points episode. Watch now: youtu.be/v2lY1jFOgXk
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Health services research matters, even in infant feeding. A @jama.com pediatrics study and an editorial I co-authored show earlier allergen introduction is linked to lower food allergy rates. Read more here: www.medpagetoday.com/allergyimmun...
jamanetwork.com
When Guidance Outruns Evidence
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that mothers eliminate peanuts and tree nuts from their diets while nursing and that high-risk infants avoid eggs until age 2 years and…
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
How does health policy influence the amount of time it takes to get an appointment with your medical provider? I’m breaking this down in our newest Pain Points episode. Watch now:
youtu.be
How Policy Can Increase Healthcare Wait Times
In our partnership with AcademyHealth to improve health and the US health care system, we're on a kick about wait times. We've already talked about how wait times aren't a random failure of a given…
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Reposted by @aaronecarroll.bsky.social
AcademyHealth @academyhealth.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The USPSTF firings made headlines. The real story has been building for 14 months. New from @aaronecarroll.bsky.social: how a year of changes to the evidence infrastructure connects, and what it means moving forward. Read the Situation Report:
buff.ly
The USPSTF Firings Are Headlines. The Real Story Has Been Building for a Year.
Aaron Carroll connects the dots to tell the deeper story behind fourteen months of USPSTF headlines.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
The average wait time for a medical appointment in the United States is one month. While you’re waiting, you might as well watch my new video on why it takes so long: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1u-...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
In a new #ARM26 blog, MacKenzie Isaac reflects on food justice and what it takes to communicate about nutrition with care and context. These themes will be part of the conversation at the Monday Plenary in Seattle. academyhealth.org/blog/2026-05...
academyhealth.org
When ‘Food for Thought’ Gets Ultra-Processed | AcademyHealth
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
The average wait time for a medical appointment in the United States is one month. While you’re waiting, you might as well watch my new video on why it takes so long: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1u-...
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The USPSTF may be restarting after a year of disruption, but the details matter. This Situation Report looks at what’s at stake for evidence based prevention, trust, and the future direction of the Task Force:
substack.com
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force at a Crossroads: Signals of Restart, Risks of Redirection
Experts and former U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) chairs Alex Krist and Michael Barry reflect on recent developments at the Task Force, which signal disruption and potential renewal.
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aaronecarroll.bsky.social @aaronecarroll.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The latest AcademyHealth Situation Report looks at Supreme Court actions affecting access to medication abortion, changes in federal health leadership, and how states are navigating Medicaid work requirements under H.R.1: ahsituationreport.substack.com/p/amid-hr1-r...
ahsituationreport.substack.com
Amid H.R.1 Rollout, States Implement Medicaid Work Requirements
Today’s issue explores how Supreme Court actions are shaping access to medication abortion, Medicaid work requirement policies under H.R.1, efforts to sustain rural hospital financing, and more.
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