Author: Brian Lund
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Marketplace customers who underestimate their income now repay every dollar of the subsidy
Every fall, people who buy their own health coverage through the ACA Marketplace tell the government what they expect to earn the following year, and that estimate decides how much of their premium tax credit arrives early as a lower monthly bill. Guess low and then earn more than expected, and the extra subsidy has…
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The count of health systems dropping Medicare Advantage this year has climbed from 25 to 28
Becker’s Hospital Review runs a tracker that follows hospitals and health systems ending some or all of their Medicare Advantage contracts, and the number on it keeps climbing. Earlier this month it stood at 25 systems. As of August 31, it reads 28. This isn’t a one-time report — it’s a page Becker’s rewrites in…
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A family of four can earn $3,575 a month and still qualify for food stamps on October 1
A four-person household in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. can bring in as much as $3,575 a month in gross income and still qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program once the federal fiscal year turns over on October 1. That figure is a ceiling, not a payment amount — it decides whether…
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Presbyterian is ending most Medicare Advantage plans for 30,000 New Mexicans after a $59 million loss
Presbyterian Health Plan members in New Mexico are getting two different messages about their Medicare Advantage coverage, and the timing is what matters most. Nothing changes before January 2027 — same doctors, same drug coverage, same premiums for the rest of this year. But starting with the 2027 plan year, Presbyterian is dropping most of…
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Nine small-town hospital systems dropped Humana, Aetna or UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage this year
Nine community and county hospital systems have walked away from a Medicare Advantage contract with Humana, Aetna or UnitedHealthcare so far this year, according to a running tally kept by Becker’s Hospital Review plus one small-market system confirmed independently. For patients in a big metro area, that usually means driving to a different hospital across…
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Rhode Island patients kept a UnitedHealthcare plan after the hospitals left, and now the doctors are gone too
Rhode Islanders who stuck with their UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan last year specifically to keep seeing a Brown University Health doctor are now finding that the doctor is gone from the network too. Brown Health’s hospitals left UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage network in July 2025; as of July 1, 2026, the health system’s outpatient physician offices…
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The FDIC and four other regulators told banks they were never barred from warning a customer about fraud
Five federal bank regulators said this week that a rule banks have long pointed to as a reason they can’t explain a frozen or closed account was never the roadblock it was treated as. In a joint statement issued September 2, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the National Credit Union…
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The smallest food stamp benefit becomes $25 a month when the new SNAP year begins October 1
Starting October 1, the smallest monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment climbs by a dollar, from $24 to $25, as part of the federal government’s annual reset of SNAP’s dollar figures. The increase applies specifically to the one- and two-person households that qualify for the program’s minimum benefit rather than a payment calculated from their…
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The Justice Department pulled Walmart, Costco, Amazon and Kroger into its beef price investigation
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has widened its year-long look at beef prices beyond the meatpacking plants and onto the shelves where households actually shop. Four of the country’s biggest grocery sellers — Walmart, Costco, Amazon and Kroger — are now among eight retailers that received formal letters asking about recent increases in retail beef…
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Molina is keeping only its dual-eligible Medicare members and shedding a $1 billion drug-plan business
Molina Healthcare has decided which half of its Medicare business to keep. The insurer will stop selling its standard Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans starting with the 2027 plan year, walking away from roughly $1 billion in annual premiums, while doubling down on the $5 billion book of business it runs for people who qualify…
