August 13, 2026

EDITOR’S NOTE: ACA enrollment fell by nearly 3 million people in 2026, with average premiums and deductibles rising substantially. The Trump administration attributes much of the decline to the removal of potentially fraudulent or improper enrollments, while health policy experts argue that higher costs and reduced subsidies are also major factors driving people out of the market.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A study found that Medicare value-based payment programs were associated with more than $3 billion in additional administrative costs across participating hospitals form 2008-2020, likely reflecting added staffing and work related to reporting, care coordination, documentation and risk adjustment. The findings raise questions about whether the administrative costs of mandatory programs are adequately accounted for when evaluating their potential savings and quality improvements, particularly as CMS expands bundled payment models.

EDITOR’S NOTE: DentaQuest, the second-largest dental benefits administrator in the U.S., serves approximately 32 million beneficiaries across its dental and vision plans. The company reported that a hacker accessed its systems between May 17 and May 20, potentially exposing sensitive information belonging to 15 million people. Compromised data may include Social Security numbers, Medicaid and Medicare IDs, as well as diagnosis, treatment, and billing information.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The executive order signed Monday reduces the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. However, its practical impact remains unclear. Changes to federal vaccine recommendations typically flow through a CDC advisory panel, while states, not the federal government, generally determine which vaccinations are required for children attending schools and daycare facilities.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The agency concluded "that the evidence supporting these interventions for children remains insufficient to justify federal taxpayer funding." It said that some medical associations, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, are also updating their positions on these services.