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,…
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…
Healthcare Policies in US States: The Washington Cares Fund
March 6, 2025 The Washington Cares Fund is a long-term care insurance program operated by the state of Washington. According to the WA Cares Fund website (accessed March 6, 2025), "All working Washingtonians contribute a small percentage of their income into the fund. Then when you need care, you can access your earned benefit of $36,500 (adjusted up to inflation) to pay for services."According to the Washington State Standard ("Initiative to roll back Washington’s long-term care program fails," Nov. 5, 2024), "The program applies a 0.58% tax on the paychecks of workers in Washington. Beginning in July 2026, those who…