About 1.3 million people could lose health insurance in 2026 due to marketplace and Medicaid changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the independent Congressional Budget Office estimated Aug. 11.

Put another way: Alternative ways of paying for healthcare will have 1.3+ million more potential customers amid a “perfect storm” of insurance coverage losses, Sabrina Corlette, founder and director of the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms, told us.

These plans—like short-term health plans, farm bureau plans, fixed indemnity coverage, and nonprofit healthcare sharing ministries (HCSMs)—are exempt from Affordable Care Act protections, allowing them to charge some customers less in exchange for covering less.

Though some analysts argue these plans offer a good alternative to people who might otherwise go uninsured, the American Hospital Association says their growth could increase the billions of dollars per year hospitals and health systems spend on uncompensated care if these plans stick patients with medical bills they can’t pay.

It’s a good time to be a health plan alternative.—CC

Leaders from across the healthcare industry are responding to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. firing CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month after she took the role.

HHS announced Monarez’s firing in an Aug. 27 post on X. Following the news, four CDC leaders resigned. Though Monarez had initially refused to step down, with her lawyers saying only the president had the authority to dismiss her, the White House on Aug. 28 named Jim O’Neill, who was HHS’s deputy secretary, as the new CDC director.

Now, healthcare leaders and professional organizations are warning the firing and subsequent resignations threaten US public health and the country’s ability to respond to future infectious outbreaks.

Here’s what industry bodies had to say.—MA

With healthcare costs projected to rise 9% in 2026, it seems employers and patients alike can’t expect a slowdown in spending anytime soon.

Bills and executive orders have been proposed to establish price transparency about healthcare costs, so patients can know what they’re expected to pay up front.

Now, Trillium Health is giving a look into the numbers.

The healthcare analytics company published last month a large study (2,659 hospitals and 3,491 ambulatory surgery centers across the nation) that provides some insight into these rising costs.

The report used data provided through the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Transparency in Coverage rule, a 2020 regulation that requires health plans to share out-of-pocket cost information and negotiated rates. The idea was to give patients information about how much they’re expected to pay before care is delivered.

See more findings from the report here.—CM

Healthcare’s toughest challenges don’t come with a prescription—but data and tech come close. On Sept. 24, discover how providers are applying predictive analytics, automation, and integrated systems to streamline cash flow, unify records, and curb costly revenue leaks—all while freeing up time for patient care.

After years of devastating losses, US opioid deaths are finally falling—thanks to wider naloxone access, telehealth rules, and Medicaid coverage. But looming $1t Medicaid cuts and new work requirements could reverse those gains, leaving millions at risk of losing treatment. With 47% of adults with opioid use disorder relying on Medicaid, experts warn coverage gaps may undo recent progress. Healthcare Brew breaks down what’s at stake in the next phase of this crisis.

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