This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated cost estimates of the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), reflecting the final provisions. The score finds that between now and 2034, the law will add $3.4 trillion to the deficit and cause more than 10 million people to […]
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This year marks major anniversaries for three cornerstone programs that have shaped the nation’s health and economic well-being. Social Security, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 15, 1935, turns 90 in 2025. Medicare and Medicaid, established thirty years later through the Social Security Amendments of 1965 […]
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On July 4, President Trump signed the damaging Republican budget reconciliation bill into law. But that does not mean each provision takes effect immediately. Instead, implementation stretches across many years, with many of the most controversial aspects timed to fall after future elections. Below, we explore some of these timelines, […]
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Prescription drug coverage in Medicare, provided via private health insurance plans under Part D, covers more than 53 million Americans. The Part D benefit—first available in 2006—has undergone significant policy changes in its nearly 20-year history. As initially designed, Part D left beneficiaries with substantial out-of-pocket cost obligations; they were responsible […]
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For longtime callers to the Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline, many of the most familiar voices are our volunteers. Joining us weekly to counsel callers on Medicare questions and complex cases, our volunteers include current and former nurses, teachers, lawyers, and others—professionals from all walks of life who bring with […]
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With the reconciliation bill now law, stakeholders and advocates are eyeing the implementation process and what it might mean at the state level. A new resource from Manatt Health offers state-specific estimates on Medicaid coverage and hospital expenditures, as well as congressional district–level data. The authors estimate nearly 9 million […]
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Late last month, the Supreme Court kept the current system for designating what services should be covered as preventive services for people with Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans and other coverage. This decision, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, preserves access to these services, including immunizations and screenings, at no cost to […]
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Update, July 3, 2025: The House passed the legislation—along party lines and without a single Democratic vote—that will rip critical health and nutrition programs for millions of Americans. Learn more about the bill’s devastating impact below. An Overview of the Harmful Budget Bill Senate Republicans passed a devastating budget bill […]
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The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a devastating budget bill that would slash funding for Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and SNAP (food assistance)—all to fund tax breaks that disproportionately benefit high-income earners while ballooning the national debt. The Senate already passed this harmful […]
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