Half-million Cook County residents have their medical debt forgiven (WBEZ, Reset)

Hey there — We’re always asking: Why do drugs cost so freaking much? In surveys, more than 20 percent of people in the US report having to skip their meds because of the cost. How did that happen? There are a bunch of reasons, to be sure — and we’ve looked into a lot of them. And of course there’s the most obvious

Hey there— Staying on top of the news these days is a job all on its own. And it can definitely be overwhelming if you’re a newsletter junkie like me. (I may or may not have over…600 unread emails right now. ) But a new month feels like the perfect time to catch up on health care stories that might not

Hey there— Time to follow up on a podcast episode from earlier this year, where New York Times reporter Ron Lieber talked about his family’s horrifically-tense experience with prior authorization, the lessons he learned, and a tool he made for providers to help their patients. One thing we didn’t unpack here from that conversation: Some of Ron’s practical takeaways for those of us

Hey there — How many Americans dropped insurance when Obamacare costs skyrocketed for 2026? And how many “traded down” to lower-rated plans with crappier coverage? The final numbers actually aren’t in yet. But our partners at KFF Health News have been talking with dozens of people about the choices they were forced to make, and in today’s podcast episode, two of those folks tell

When insurance denies your claim, they’ll give you an official reason — but what were they really thinking? Turns out, you have a right to know. To see their notes, maybe even their internal correspondence, or to listen to audio recordings from phone calls. It’s all in your “claim file,” which federal law says you have the right to demand. What’s in that file could