This Week: 8 Things to Look for in Health Policy in 2026

Plus, updates from the most recent CDC advisory panel meeting.

View in browser This Week The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news. Eight Things to Look for in Health Policy in 2026 In a new Beyond the Data column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman forecasts eight things to look for in health policy in 2026. "First and foremost," he writes, "is the role health care affordability will play in the midterms." And, he notes: "The average cost of a family policy for employers could approach $30,000 and cost sharing and deductibles will rise again after plateauing for several years."   Read the column → Watch: What Do Republicans Really Want on Health Care?   On "What the Health? From KFF Health News," distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and podcast host Julie Rovner sat down with Avik Roy, a GOP health policy adviser, to talk about how health care has evolved as a Republican Party issue.   Watch → CDC Vaccine Panel Ends Universal Hepatitis B Recommendation and Reviews Aluminum in Vaccines   This volume of The Monitor shares updates from the most recent CDC advisory panel meeting, changes to the CDC webpage on autism and vaccines, and polling on trust in news organizations. Additionally, it shares recent developments in AI and social media policy and new KFF poll findings about perceptions of mifepristone's safety and prevalence.   Learn more → Timely insights and analysis from KFF staff "In the final six weeks of open enrollment, price-sensitive consumers may be considering tradeoffs: pay more for health insurance that provides more financial security or lower their monthly costs by assuming more financial risk if they get sick or injured (if they're healthy enough to enroll in a limited benefit product to begin with). The decision could come down to the information they receive about their options and health insurance literacy." Read more. Michelle Long Senior Policy Manager, Program on Patient and Consumer Protections   Trump Administration Actions to Curb Data Collection Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)   This brief describes Trump Administration efforts to scale back or modify data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity variables in federal surveys. Read more →   Also, related KFF Health News stories: Trump Rules Force Cancer Registries To 'Erase' Trans Patients From Public Health Data This HIV Expert Refused To Censor Data, Then Quit the CDC Question of the Week   Last week, 34% correctly answered that 51% of adults that purchase their health coverage on the ACA Marketplace say it is difficult to afford the cost of health insurance premiums each month. What percentage of U.S. adults overall say it has been harder for them and their family to earn a living since January? 33% 44% 53% See how many readers answered correctly in the next edition of This Week. Health News   What the Health? From KFF Health News: Crunch Time for ACA Tax Credits   Sticker Shock: Obamacare Customers Confront Premium Spikes as Congress Dithers   Vaccine Panel's Hepatitis B Vote Signals Further Turbulence for Immunization Policy, Public Trust   Health Care Consolidation and Rising Costs Happen, but Obamacare Is Not the Key Culprit Plan-Switching, Sign-Up Impersonations: Obamacare Enrollment Fraud Persists   Rural Health Providers Could Be Collateral Damage From $100K Trump Visa Fee   Out-of-Pocket Pain From High-Deductible Plans Means Skimping on Care   Trump's Idea for Health Accounts Has Been Tried. Millions of Patients Have Ended Up in Debt. More on Health Policy   KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs in the Current Moment of Economic Anxiety   Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight: A First Look at Plan Premiums and Benefits Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight: A First Look at Plan Offerings   Recent Trends in Commercial Health Insurance Market Concentration   Tracking Key Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe to This Week. This email was sent to albarkahslamet.ssss@blogger.com. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Or, permanently unsubscribe from all future emails. Need assistance? Email subscriptions@kff.org; do not reply to this email. KFF: The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news. KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107