iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

It tells you a lot about how concerned voters are about the affordability of health care when it's tied with gas prices right now as an economic worry. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

When Congress passed the biggest health care cuts ever, they delayed almost all of them until after the midterms, while the temporary rural health fund they created started this year. But, very few rural voters have heard much of anything about the rural fund.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

As @axios.com notes this morning, this is very much a health care election. Both Democrats and Republicans are attacking the health care industry, but many Republicans have the political baggage of votes to cut Medicaid and opposition to enhanced ACA subsidies. @cookpolitical.com

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

New Census numbers show the number of people uninsured held steady in 2025. BUT...That's before enhanced ACA premium subsidies expired, causing millions of people to drop coverage this year. And before Medicaid cuts start to hit next year. www.census.gov/library/publ...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

President Trump says he'll send $500 rebates to almost 1 million ACA enrollees who don't receive premium subsidies. These are middle-income people who lost subsidies when Congress did not extend enhanced tax credits, and are now paying in many cases thousands of dollars more.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

New federal data from the Quarterly Services Survey show hospital revenues were up 9.9% in the second quarter compared to last year. That is what's at the root of the affordability crisis in health care. www.census.gov/services/ind...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Many farmers are facing a double whammy this year: Rising diesel prices, plus higher health insurance costs after Congress allowed enhanced ACA premium subsidies to expire.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

New: When patients appeal prior authorization denials by health insurance companies, the denials often get overturned. The problem is, few people appeal. www.kff.org/patient-cons...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Who the public trusts for health information. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

ACA enrollment has dropped in every state, except New Mexico. What's special about New Mexico? They are the only state to fully replace the extra federal premium subsidies that ended this year. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

New: With enhanced ACA premium subsidies expired and Medicaid cuts phasing in, the Congressional Budget Office expects the share of the population uninsured to rise above 10% for the first time since the ACA was implemented. www.cbo.gov/publication/...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

New: Voters are more likely to think there's a lot of fraud in the tax system, defense contracts, and foreign aid than in health programs. They perceive the least fraud in the ACA Marketplaces. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

There's a resurgence in enthusiasm for Medicare for All as progressive candidates succeed in Democratic primaries. It's the rare health care policy that fits on a bumper sticker, though there's not yet a clear path to passage. @axios.com @maya-goldman.bsky.social www.axios.com/2026/07/06/d...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

If you need help navigating the new Medicaid work requirement in Nebraska -- the first state to implement it -- you can call the helpline between 8 am and 5 pm. Hopefully, you have a job that gives you the flexibility to call during the workday.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

At the bicentennial in 1976, the U.S. spent 7.6% of GDP on health care compared to 6.2% in other high-income countries. Now, we spend 17.2% of GDP on health care vs. 11.2% in comparable countries. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

New federal data shows hospital revenues increased 7.6% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to 2025. Hospitals continue to be the biggest driver of health care cost growth. www.census.gov/services/cur...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

New: The average ACA deductible has jumped by over $1,000 per person in 2026 as people switched to lower premium plans with higher deductibles as Congress allowed enhanced premium subsidies to expire. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Telehealth and abortion medication delivered by mail have been instrumental in helping to preserve access following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the right to an abortion. www.kff.org/womens-healt...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Congress has moved on from the ACA for now without Republican support for extending enhanced premium subsidies. But meanwhile, as the @nytimes.com reports, millions are now facing higher premium payments, bigger deductibles, or loss of coverage. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/b...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Even as gas prices cause real pain for consumers and dominate the news, our new poll finds health care tied with gas as the public's top economic worries. Health care affordability is a big issue for voters this year. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

On an hourly basis, employers contribute towards health care more than three times on average for managerial and professional jobs what they do for service jobs. www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collec...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

The proof here will be in whether the Trump administration pushes policies to make health care affordability better or worse. But, having an official at HHS focused on affordability is important. www.axios.com/newsletters/...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

The new Wakely consulting firm analysis also finds large numbers of ACA enrollees have switched to lower premium bronze plans as expanded premium subsidies expired. Deductibles in bronze plans average over $7,000 per person.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

A new analysis from the Wakely consulting firm finds 14% of people who signed up for or were automatically renewed into ACA marketplace coverage did not pay their premiums to start coverage in January, as expanded premium subsidies expired. That's millions of people. www.wakely.com/blog/who-pai...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

This is a stunning new statistic from IQVIA: 70% of new prescriptions are initially rejected by private insurers. Many of those prescriptions are eventually approved, but it can take up to a year, and about one-quarter are still ultimately denied. www.iqvia.com/locations/un...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

If healthy people take government subsidies to buy health care directly rather than purchase insurance, what happens to sick people? What happens to those healthy people if they get sick?

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

In response to higher out-of-pocket premiums with enhanced ACA subsidies expiring, enrollees are switching to higher deductible plans. 40% of consumers are now in bronze plans -- with deductibles averaging over $7,000 per person -- up from 30% last year.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

New federal data shows that the expiration of enhanced ACA premium subsidies has resulted in a 58% increase in out-of-pocket premiums among consumers. Monthly out-of-pocket premiums are up $65 per month, or $780 on an annual basis. www.cms.gov/files/docume...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

A big reason hospital prices are so high: New @kff.org analysis shows 97% of metropolitan areas have highly concentrated markets for inpatient hospital care based on thresholds used in current antitrust guidelines. www.kff.org/health-costs...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Our new follow-up survey of ACA enrollees as enhanced tax credits expire finds they’re paying more for health care and cutting back on household spending. Nine percent are already uninsured, and that number is sure to grow. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

43% of adults have not taken a medication as prescribed in the last year due to the cost.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

The pharmacy counter is the place people most frequently interact with the health care system, so concern about prescription drug costs is broad, and growing. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Americans are worried about health care affordability, legitimately so. But, as a new survey from the @newyorkfed.org shows, there's another reason to be worried: The rising cost of employer health benefits leads to smaller wage increases. libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/03/are-...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

New: Insurer gross margins dipped somewhat in 2024. Dollar margins per enrollee remain highest in Medicare Advantage. www.kff.org/medicare/hea...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

New: It's going to take months, and maybe even over a year, before we really know how many ACA enrollees have dropped their insurance because their premium payments have skyrocketed due to the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

New: Health care affordability is a big concern for people. But, don't underestimate the complexity of our health insurance system as a burden, especially prior authorization. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Medicare Advantage insurers made 53 million prior authorization determinations in 2024. That's an average of 1.7 determinations per enrollee. It's no wonder patients, physicians, and hospitals find the system burdensome and complex. www.kff.org/medicare/med...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

New federal data shows 23 million people have signed up for ACA coverage, 1.3 million fewer than last year as enhanced tax credits expire. The number of people losing coverage will rise as people can't make their premium payments, which are more than doubling on average. www.cms.gov/newsroom/fac...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

When you think about us having a health care cost problem, which part of this Venn diagram comes to mind first? @drewaltman.bsky.social www.kff.org/from-drew-al...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

The effects of enhanced ACA premium subsidies expiring are starting to hit home. www.wsj.com/health/healt...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

If we're going to talk about the role health insurers play in the cost of health care, we should be talking more about Medicare Advantage than the ACA. www.kff.org/medicare/hea...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

President Trump is suggesting here that people could use government subsidies to buy insurance that doesn’t comply with ACA rules, including coverage of pre-existing conditions. That could lower costs for healthy people, but send the ACA marketplace into a death spiral.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

If you want to focus on insurance company overhead and profit, Medicare Advantage is the market that stands out as an outlier. www.kff.org/medicare/hea...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

My latest in @jamahealthforum.com looks at health care affordability -- or, more aptly, unaffordability -- in the context of the debate over enhanced ACA premium tax credits. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

New: With first year awards from the rural health transformation fund out, our analysis shows wide variation in the amount per rural resident across states. www.kff.org/state-health...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I'd say this pretty much seems up the ACA debate in the Senate today. www.politico.com/live-updates...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Pre-existing conditions -- which led to a denial of individual health insurance before the ACA -- are highest among older working age people without a college degree. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Under the Senate Republican ACA plan, premium payments would still more than double next year. Healthy people could be better off in a high deductible plan with a health savings account. People who are sick would face big premium increases or a deductible they can't afford.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I was genuinely interested to see President Trump's health plan today. Guess we'll have to wait longer.

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Larry Levitt @larrylevitt.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Proposals from Senators Scott and Cassidy to convert ACA premium tax credits into health accounts present trade-offs that benefit healthy people at the expense of sick people. Senator Scott's proposal, in particular, would destabilize the insurance market in some states. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

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