Read today’s Kaiser Health News
About health insurance/insurers
Do higher premiums drive more healthcare usage? : “We’re seeing a significant and disproportionate increase in utilization largely within our public sector group retiree business. This population experienced the greatest year-over-year premium increases,” UnitedHealthcare CEO Tim Noel told investors. “We did assume that we would see some care activity level increases in this population, but what we’re seeing far surpasses what we would have recently anticipated. And in that population as well, we are seeing more preventative care, more annual wellness visits, more in-home clinical assessments. The driver there is also really the follow-on care that results from that.”
Comment: The unknown is whether it is a cause and effect relationship.
What would drive more usage? People trying too get their “money’s worth.”
Or, higher premiums drive sicker people away so that the remaining sicker population skews the average usage higher.
About pharma
The 25 most expensive hospital drugs FYI
About the public’s health
Nearly Half of People in U.S. Exposed to Dangerous Air Pollution Levels: Nearly half of the people living in the U.S. breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report, which was released today. In total, the report finds that 156 million people, 25 million more than last year’s report, are living in areas that received an “F” grade for either ozone or particle pollution. Extreme heat and wildfires contributed to worse air quality for millions of people across the U.S.
Comment: Regardless of opinions about pollution causing climate change, there is no doubt about its adverse role in health. In related stories, see what the EPA has announced and Trump officials consider shrinking 6 national monuments in the West.
Funding cut for landmark study of women's health:The Trump administration is shutting down most of a landmark federal project studying women's health, stunning researchers around the country.
"It's a huge loss. I can't put into words what a huge loss it is," says Marian Neuhouser, who chairs the steering committee for the federally funded Women's Health Initiative. The study, begun in the 1990s, has produced a series of groundbreaking results and was continuing to gather valuable data about women's health.
The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating contracts with all four regional centers that have been following tens of thousands of women who have been participating in the project for decades, according to the project's coordinating center.
About healthcare personnel
What noncompete laws look like in every state FYI
About healthcare finance