US Policy Pulse

Medicaid Policy Changes

• 🔥 Final Medicaid Work Requirements: The Trump administration issued final rules on June 1 requiring states to enforce...

• Standard Part B premium hit $202.90 monthly in 2026 after a 9.7% jump, with the deductible climbing to $283.
• IRMAA surcharges for 2026 are locked...

• Final rules apply work requirements to roughly 18.5 million Medicaid expansion enrollees starting January 2027, with 80 hours of qualifying...

• Bond market signal: 30-year Treasury auction drew weakest demand since August 2025 with a 1.2 bp tail
• CBO transparency push: Legislative bill...

For-profit Medicare Advantage plans denied coverage more often than nonprofits, per a new Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General report. This pattern directly affects elderly beneficiaries facing barriers to needed care.

Medicare Trustees Report Updates

• 🔥 Hospital Insurance Trust Fund Insolvency: The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report projects the Part A Hospital...

Could capping broker commissions reduce steering into Medicare Advantage?

• Rep. Ocasio-Cortez introduced legislation requiring HHS to set maximum...

• Independent certification required: CMS chief actuary must verify no federal spending increase before approving, renewing or amending 1115 waivers...

Social Security's OASI trust fund is now projected to deplete in Q4 2032, one year earlier than prior estimates, hitting the 1965 birth cohort at...

A coordinated wave of federal and state actions is targeting fraud and improper payments in major programs.

• House passed 11 Oversight Committee...

• $0-premium plans carry a federal $9,250 in-network out-of-pocket ceiling for 2026, with separate $2,100 Part D cap.
• Nearly 3 million beneficiaries...

New federal Medicaid work requirements, effective 2026, are hitting recipients and states hard.

• Recipient anxiety: North Carolina blood cancer...

• Denial rates for post-hospital rehab and long-term care hit 54-80% at major plans like UnitedHealth, Humana and CVS/Aetna
• Appeals reversed...

Investors expect inflation to last several years, pushing them to demand higher yields on long-term Treasuries and raising future federal borrowing costs. Growing deficit risks will add further upward pressure on those rates.

Hundreds of thousands of Social Security recipients must switch to direct deposit or Direct Express cards by Sept. 30, 2025, with waivers available for those lacking banking access, in remote areas, or facing mental health barriers.

Medicare Beneficiary Adjustments

• 🔥 IRMAA Recalculation Option: Retirees whose income fell sharply after leaving work can file Form SSA-44 with...

Oregonians purchasing individual or small-group coverage face average 17% premium hikes next year—nearly double last year's increases—as insurers cite...

Two developments directly address seniors' out-of-pocket costs and care access.

• Prior authorization bill reaches 290 co-sponsors, qualifying for...

Strong buyer interest met the latest 10-year Treasury auction at a 4.538% yield—the highest since February 2025—signaling elevated borrowing costs.
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Trump pardoned all J6 defendants on day one of his second term, then moved in May 2026 to create a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund to pay...