Health insurance could be out of reach for many Americans in 2026.

About a million fewer people signed up for Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage this year. The Congressional Budget Office told lawmakers that more could opt out in coming years after the GOP-led Congress let expire subsidies that helped many afford a plan. Meanwhile, plan premiums jumped, and new, stricter Medicaid eligibility rules kicked in.

If you lost health insurance this year, there may be ways to see the doctor without breaking the bank. On March 4, in conversation with WAMU host Esther Ciammachilli, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News correspondent Sam Whitehead shared tips on navigating care without coverage.

Renuka Rayasam and Taylor Cook contributed reporting.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Billing mistakes. Stigma. Doctors who aren’t keeping up with the latest research. Those are just some of the hurdles that keep HIV prevention medication out of reach for many Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 2 million Americans could benefit from a treatment known as PrEP, but only a quarter of them are getting a form of the drug. Zach Dyer appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Feb. 4 to share tips patients can use to avoid those pitfalls and find a doctor who knows more about PrEP.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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January’s extreme cold has put a spotlight on the conditions homeless people face. They get sicker and die younger than housed people, often because health problems go untreated. The Trump administration’s removal of homeless tent encampments in Washington, D.C., has made it more difficult for health workers to reach that vulnerable population this winter.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News senior correspondent Angela Hart takes WAMU “Health Hub” listeners to Washington’s streets to hear how homeless people are juggling their health and shelter after the Trump administration’s crackdown.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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In 2026, the Trump administration will require U.S. cancer registries that receive federal funding to classify patients’ sex as male, female — or not stated/unknown. That last category is for when a “patient’s sex is documented as other than male or female (e.g., non-binary, transsexual), and there is no additional information about sex assigned at birth,” the new standard says.

LGBTQ+ health advocates say that move in effect erases transgender and other patients from the data. They say the data collection change is the latest move by the Trump administration that restricts health care resources for LGBTQ+ people.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Dec. 10 to explain why LGBTQ+ health advocates worry this change could hurt public health and the care patients receive.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Traffic deaths have climbed nationwide over the past decade. In some major cities, traffic deaths have . But this year, Washington, D.C., has recorded a in these kinds of deaths. Chaseedaw Giles, audience engagement editor with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News, appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 26 to share her reporting on the ways design and better enforcement can contribute to safer streets.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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More than 100 million Americans are estimated to have health care debt. In response, more than a dozen states have instituted laws to keep these unpaid bills off consumer credit reports.

The Trump administration has been chipping away at these protections.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, headed by President Donald Trump’s budget director, issued new guidance that challenges state laws, saying only the federal government can decide what can go in a credit report. Consumer advocates say that move could undercut state-level protections and worsen the financial strain on Americans burdened by medical bills.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News senior correspondent Noam N. Levey appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 12 to explain why state laws like these could be especially important in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, set to kick millions off Medicaid, and the potential lapsing of enhanced tax credits for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

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Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the heart of government shutdowns in U.S. history. The impact is starting to be felt by families and federal employees. programs could at the end of the month. And federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced layoffs.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on ” to discuss the possible compromises that could reopen the government.

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Green burials are gaining popularity as an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional funerals. They avoid toxic embalming chemicals, steel caskets, and concrete vaults, letting a body naturally decompose. Methods range from the elaborate — like “human composting” and water cremation — to a simple pine box.

“The New Old Age” columnist Paula Span appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 8 “Health Hub” to talk about the environmental and economic motivations behind these alternatives to conventional burials.

Jackson Sinnenberg contributed to this report.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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The Trump administration is making historic changes to federal food aid as part of its plan to “Make America Healthy Again.” But some nutrition experts warn recent cuts to funding and more stringent rules to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could do the opposite: Worsen food insecurity and push families toward cheaper, less nutritious options.Ìý

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Sept. 3 to explain how these new policies are shaping what’s on American dinner plates.Ìý

Taylor Cook contributed to this report.Ìý

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, replaced the members of a federal vaccine advisory committee in June. The committee plays an important role in recommending vaccines, and its guidance influences the coverage decisions insurance companies make.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News reporter Jackie Fortiér appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Aug. 27 to explain why confusion over federal immunization policy has left parents and pediatricians uncertain about future access to childhood immunizations, especially for those on Medicaid.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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