October 6, 2026 Support for a "Medicare for all" healthcare system continues to grow among registered US voters. KFF reports ("Current and Historical Public Opinion on Medicare-for-All and Other National Health Plan Proposals," KFF, October 6, 2026): "A September 2026 KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that two-thirds (66%) of the public say they favor having a national health plan, sometimes called Medicare-for-all, in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan. This includes about eight in ten Democrats (84%) and seven in ten independents (72%). Most Republicans, however, oppose the proposal (66%), including about half (48%)…
Oregon Universal Health Plan Report Delayed Until December
September 23, 2026 Oregon's Universal Health Plan Governance Board was to issue its report to the state legislature on implementing universal health coverage for all state residents by September 15, 2026. That deadline has been pushed back until December 1. Oregon Capital Chronicle reported (Jake Thomas, "Oregon universal health care board punts single-payer report over funding uncertainty," Oregon Capital Chronicle, August 6, 2026): "The Universal Health Plan Governance Board voted unanimously Thursday morning to extend its deadline to Dec. 1 for its report that will describe the state’s transition to a single-payer system where a public corporation would offer what’s…
Yale Study: Universal Health Coverage Could Save Lives and One Trillion Dollars Annually
A not-yet-peer reviewed Yale University study has found that adoption of universal health coverage in the United States could save $1.04 trillion and 114,000 lives every year.According to a news release from the Yale University School of Public Health (Matt Kristoffersen, Universal Health Coverage Could Save $1 Trillion and 114,000 Lives Every Year, Yale Study Projects, August 13, 2026):"The model identified five major sources of savings: lower pharmaceutical prices, Medicare-level payments to providers, reduced administrative overhead, less fraudulent billing, and fewer avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Even under more conservative assumptions about drug prices and fraud reduction, the researchers…
US Health Spending Projected To Reach Nearly Nine Trillion Dollars By 2034
June 24, 2026 US spending on health care is projected to reach nearly $9 trillion by 2034 according to an analysis by experts at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published online June 24, 2026 in the journal Health Affairs. (Jacqueline A. Fiore, Andrea M. Sisko, John A. Poisal, Sheila D. Smith, Gigi A. Cuckler, Andrew J. Madison, Sean P. Keehan, Kathryn E. Rennie, and Nicholas J. Feehley. National Health Expenditure Projections, 2025–34: Strong Utilization Growth Initially, Legislative Impacts Later. Health Affairs. Published online ahead of print June 24, 2026. doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2026.00642.)According to the authors:"During 2029–34, national health expenditure…
World Health Statistics Report 2026 Released
The World Health Organization released its World Health Statistics Report 2026 on May 13, 2026. According to the WHO news release (Global health gains face threat of reversal, WHO, May 13, 2026):"The notable progress outlined in the report includes:"- new HIV infections fell by 40% between 2010 and 2024;"- both tobacco use and alcohol consumption have declined since 2010; and"- the number of people needing interventions for neglected tropical diseases has dropped by 36% between 2010 and 2024."Though progress has been made in advancing health, challenges still remain. According to the release:"Progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) has slowed sharply.…
Surprise Medical Billing Law Creates Windfall For Medical Practices, Physicians
A federal law intended to protect healthcare consumers from surprise medical bills appears to have had some unfortunate side effects. The New York Times reports (Sarah Kliff and Margot Sanger-Katz, A $440,000 Breast Reduction: How Doctors Cashed In on a Consumer Protection Law, New York Times, April 22, 2026):"The No Surprises Act was designed to eliminate surprise medical bills, for patients who showed up in the emergency room and were treated by a doctor who didn’t take their insurance."It bars those out-of-network doctors from billing patients directly. Instead, they can plead their case to a government-approved arbitrator. If they win,…
One Third of Americans Forced to Make Cut Backs to Pay for Healthcare
One third of Americans have been forced to make cut backs in order to afford healthcare. That's according to research by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare.According to Gallup (Ellyn Maese, "One-Third of Americans Cut Back to Cover Healthcare Expenses," Gallup, March 12, 2026):"In a nationally and state-representative survey of nearly 20,000 U.S. adults conducted from June through August 2025, roughly one-third of respondents — the equivalent of more than 82 million Americans — said they have made at least one trade-off with daily living expenses to afford healthcare."These financial trade-offs are far more common among Americans who do not…
US Health Care Spending Rose More Than 7 Percent In 2024
National health care spending in the US rose by 7.2% in 2024, according to research published in the journal Health Affairs (Hartman M, Martin AB, Lassman D, Catlin A; National Health Expenditure Accounts Team. National Health Care Spending Increased 7.2 Percent In 2024 As Utilization Remained Elevated, Health Aff (Millwood), Published online January 14, 2026, doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01683).The authors report:"Health care spending reached $5.3 trillion, or $15,474 per person, growing 7.2 percent in 2024 (exhibit 1). This was the second consecutive year of growth above 7 percent (growth was 7.4 percent in 2023), after growth of 4.1 percent in 2021 and 4.8 percent in 2022. The strong growth in both 2023…
West Health-Gallup: Cost Is Most Urgent Health Problem Facing US
The cost of healthcare is the most urgent health problem facing the United States. That's according to new research by West Health-Gallup (Lydia Saad and Megan Brenan, "Cost Leads Americans' Top-of-Mind Healthcare Concerns," December 15, 2025).According to Gallup:"Americans’ already elevated perception that the cost of healthcare is the 'most urgent health problem' facing the country rose further this year to 29%, up from 23% a year ago. The latest figure is the highest level recorded since 2004 and also one of the highest readings in the trend dating back to 1987. Cost now outpaces access to healthcare, at 17%, and…
Tracking Universal Health Coverage
The World Health Organization and the World Bank have released a new report entitled Tracking universal health coverage: 2025 global monitoring report.According to the news release (Most countries make progress towards universal health coverage, but major challenges remain, WHO–World Bank report finds, World Health Organization, December 6 2025):"The UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025 shows that health service coverage, measured by the Service Coverage Index (SCI), rose from 54 to 71 points between 2000 and 2023. Meanwhile, the share of people experiencing financial hardship due to large and impoverishing out-of-pocket (OOP) health payments declined from 34% to 26% between 2000 and…