An ongoing update documenting the growing healthcare affordability crisis and how our system is failing Americans.
November 11, 2026 - “The Perverse Reason Health-Care Costs Are About to Surge”- The Atlantic
The story (paywalled) talks about the perverse incentives surrounding arbitration in no-surprise billing cases, with providers filing more than 2.6 million claims against health plans in 2025. Because the for-profit arbitration companies who rule on these cases are paid based on the number of claims they process, they are incented to increase that volume, and may be doing so by rewarding providers with extraordinary settlements to encourage providers to file more claims. The result are higher health costs across the board, and just like the October 20th story from Mother Jones below on companies profiting from Medicaid work requirements, another industry sector has arisen to profit from the American healthcare system.November 3, 2026 - “The Election Ends Tonight. Their Campaign Starts Tomorrow”- HEALTH CARE un-covered
Wendell Potter reminded us on Election Day that no matter the outcome, there is huge money aligned against healthcare reform.
“When I added up lobbying by the big insurers and four of their trade and advocacy groups last year, I found $476.5 million in just over five years. Those totals don’t include most of the advertising, and all of it ultimately comes out of our premiums and our taxes.’October 30, 2026 - “A new kind of medical clinic is surprising some patients with thousands in ER bills”- STAT
The story reports that a PE-backed “hybrid ER-Urgent Care Clinic” bills non-emergency care at emergency rates, such as charging a patient $1,756 for a UTI urinalysis test.October 22, 2026 - “Uninsured Rate Climbs Even Before 2027 Medicaid Cuts Take Effect”- The Commonwealth Fund
A just-released study found the working-age uninsured rate (for those aged 19-64) went from 8.9% to 11.2% between 2024 and 2026, and half of survey respondents went without care because of cost. All of this before the 2027 healthcare cuts from the Big Beautiful Bill go into effect.October 22, 2026 - “Job-Based Health Plan Costs Rise, With Little Relief in Sight”- KFF Health News
The total cost of annual premiums for a family covered by employer-sponsored health plans rose 5% in 2026 YOY to an average of $28,303. As a result, employers asked employees to cover more of those premiums, leading to a 9% rise in premiums paid YOY by employees. Forecasts show that even after the third year in a row of increases, employer-sponsored health plans are expected to rise again in 2027.October 20, 2026 - “Private Contractors Are Set to Cash In As Millions of Americans Lose Health Care” - Mother Jones
As millions of people lose access to health insurance thanks to the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the federal government is paying huge tech companies such as Deloitte hundreds of millions of dollars to manage consumer eligibility for government programs.October 16, 2026 - “Three-quarters of Americans disillusioned with costs” - Fierce Healthcare
An annual survey from USofCare that was conducted in July showed that more than 75% of voters across party lines said healthcare was in their top three issues deciding their votes, and that only 1 in 5 paid for care in the last year with no difficulties.October 16, 2026 - “A typical hospital stay now costs nearly 11 weeks of work” - Becker’s Hospital Review
According to the report by LendingTree, Americans would need to work 435 hours, or nearly 11 weeks, to earn the equivalent of the estimated hospital expenses for a typical stay. In Idaho, that number is 648 hours, or just over 16 weeks.October 15, 2026 - “Health Care Costs Are Crushing Americans. It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way”- The Commonwealth Fund
A repeat of the same unfortunate refrain: The United States spends more on health care than any other high-income country. Yet Americans live shorter, sicker lives than their counterparts abroad who spend far less.October 13, 2026 - “43% of hospitals are operating at a loss” - Kaufman Hall
According to the consultant’s National Hospital Flash Report, the number of hospitals in the red is higher today than before the Covid pandemic (33% operating at a loss), with YTD margins averaging 2.5% across the industry.October 11, 2026 - “US maternity wards face wave of closures as Medicaid cuts kick in” - The Guardian
According to the article, 52 maternity wards have already closed since the “Big Beautiful Bill” was announced in July 2025, with 8 more slated to close. The full effects of the bill in terms of Medicaid cuts, the cited source of the closings, aren’t due to hit until 2027.October 6, 2026 - “Health Care Issues in the Lead-Up to the 2026 Midterm Election” - KFF
According to the KFF survey, two-thirds (66%) of U.S. adults now support Medicare-for-all, up from 53% when KFF last asked the question in October 2020. Maybe that’s because 60% of respondents in the same study said they worried about paying for healthcare costs.October 6, 2026 - “These Influencers Are on a Mission to Stop People From Paying Medical Bills” - The Wall Street Journal
Online platforms are rife with influencers and everyday people who are furious with healthcare costs, including some who advocate for not paying healthcare bills at all.September 25, 2026 - “Removal of 760,000 people from ACA marketplace could undermine US health system” - The Guardian
The Trump Administration’s crackdown on “fraud and abuse” through the removal of thousands from ACA coverage could not only hurt legitimate policy holders, it would weaken the entire system by shrinking the pool of ACA participants. All likely because they’ve misread data on enrollees, according to this article.September 21, 2026 - “Patient affordability a growing ‘pressure point’ for health systems” - Becker’s Hospital Review
Health systems are reporting the increased impact of affordability issues in their financial outlook. “The number of patients we are seeing without insurance coverage is rising significantly, especially with the elimination of subsidies for ACA exchange plans. This means patients are delaying care or waiting until health problems are critical and require emergency care.” - Daniel Isacksen Jr., CFO, Trinity HealthSeptember 20, 2026 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode that covers United Healthcare - HBO
Bringing the work of Wendell Potter’s HEALTH CARE un-covered and others to bear to show how large United Health Group has grown and how it has gamed the system to maximize profits, all while inflating costs for consumers, rejecting claims and prior authorizations, and resulting in deaths.September 17, 2026 - “How Medical Bills and Debt Impact Americans with Private Insurance” - The Commonwealth Fund
About one-third (32%) of working-age adults with private insurance are paying off medical bills or debt over time, and nearly two-thirds (64%) of people with private insurance paying off medical balances said the debt was from hospital services, either inpatient or outpatient care or emergency room care.September 8, 2026 - “WDIV/Detroit News poll finds 49.2% of Michigan voters support changing American health care system” - WDIV Channel 4/Click on Detroit
Nearly half of respondents to the Michigan poll say they support a single-payer system similar to Medicare. When respondents to the survey of Michiganders heard a clearer definition of how this would work, 69% were in support.September 6, 2026 - “Why More Hospitals and Doctors Are Asking Patients to Pay First” - The Wall Street Journal
According to a study, about 92% of U.S. health providers either encourage prepayment, require it or collect a payment method on file during the estimate process. Last year, it was 81%. The growing demand from pre-payment is a direct result of patients facing higher deductibles, claim denials and low or no insurance coverage at all.September 2, 2026 - “Millions of People Are Losing Coverage Following 2025 Republican Policy Changes” - The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
According to the article:
“Some 2.2 million fewer people were enrolled in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces as of February 2026 compared to December 2025, after Republicans chose to not extend premium tax credit (PTC) enhancements in the 2025 reconciliation law. Millions more people have seen their cost of coverage rise. And many others will lose ACA marketplace coverage throughout 2026, 2027, and 2028, as monthly premiums stack up and harmful marketplace policies in the 2025 Republican reconciliation law and new Trump Administration regulations take effect.”August 27, 2026 - “Healthcare Exec Lists $18.25 Million French Chateau-Style Home Outside Atlanta” - The Wall Street Journal
The wealth accumulated by individuals and corporations is at an all-time high, all while millions in the U.S. can’t afford healthcare and medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy. Rod Windley’s 18,000 sq. ft. home stands on seven acres once owned by country music star Kenny Rogers.August 20, 2026 - “U.S. Workers Are Paying More for Healthcare, and Next Year Will Be Worse” - The Wall Street Journal
Workers in the U.S. pay an average of $5,297 a year for healthcare, an increase of $388 from 2025, and that costs are likely to grow much higher.
“The burden is likely to grow significantly next year, when U.S. employers expect their healthcare costs to go up by 11.1%, according to a new survey from WTW, another big benefits consultant—the steepest rise in more than 20 years. That would represent the fifth year of escalating increases, according to WTW.”August 15, 2026 - “Republicans are trying to hide these health care cuts” - New York Times
Rather than try to kill the ACA or government funded plans, Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration continue to gut the ACA and cut Medicaid and Medicare but in a much more quiet way, making it difficult for Americans to see the direct impact..
August 3, 2026 - “A shocking 92 percent of US adults are not going to the doctor because it’s too expensive” - The Independent
A story reporting on a study by financial firm JG Wentworth of more than 1,500 adults in the U.S. that showed 92% of respondents had delayed or abandoned care due to cost. The article also states:
“High prices at the doctor’s office, urgent care, emergency room and more have led to 85 percent of Americans having medical debt.Collectively, American consumers have $220 billion in medical debt, according to a February poll from KFF - that’s around $958.61 per adult with medical debt.”
April 30, 2026 - “Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs” - KFF
Among the results of KFF’s polling:Just under half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and about three in ten say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months.
About one-third (36%) of adults say that in the past 12 months they have skipped or postponed getting health care they needed because of the cost. Notably three in four (75%) uninsured adults under age 65 say they went without needed care because of the cost.
About four in ten (43%) U.S. adults say they have not taken their medication as prescribed in the past year due to costs
In 2022, about four in ten adults (41%) reported having debt due to medical or dental bills including debts owed to credit cards, collections agencies, family and friends, banks, and other lenders to pay for their health care costs, with disproportionate shares of Black and Hispanic adults, women, parents, those with low incomes, and uninsured adults saying they have health care debt.
About two-thirds of adults say they are either “very worried” (30%) or “somewhat worried” (34%) about being able to afford the cost of health care for themselves and their families.