August 2026

BAN PRIOR AUTHORIZATION: Ending Big Medicine’s Strategy to Boost Profits by Denying Medically Necessary Care By Hannah Garden-Monheit and Emma Freer August 2026   I. INTRODUCTION   “Prior authorization” is the process by which health insurers require plan members to obtain their approval before a treatment occurs. It began as a narrow cost-control tool but […]

ACA Premiums Are Going Up Again and Patients are Paying the Price Lawmakers wanted to reform surprise billing so patients weren’t hit with unexpected charges. But they also created a parallel system with new middlemen that is increasing health care costs.   By David Dayen August 13, 2026   Official Washington, and more surprisingly Donald

ACA Premiums Are Going Up Again and Patients are Paying the Price After 2026 premium hikes pushed millions out of ACA coverage or into higher-deductible plans, insurers are seeking another round of double-digit increases while spending billions on stock buybacks.   By Rachel Madley, PhD August 12, 2026   Health insurers selling plans on the

What air quality sensors around Boyle Heights warehouse are telling us By Lucas Brady Woods for LAist Augustu 12, 2026   With kids headed back to classrooms for the school year, environmental health officials with LAUSD say there is no significant health risk from air contamination for students in Boyle Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Medicaid Work Rule Leaves Homeless People in the Cold By Katheryn Houghton August 6, 2026   MISSOULA, Mont. — Tywon Pugh has seizures that make it hard to find and keep a job.   “They called me a ‘liability to the job site,’” Pugh said, recalling the words of his manager when a seizure cost