Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' is projected to add $3.4 trillion to the debt, budget office says: President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law this month, will add $3.4 trillion to the U.S. national debt over the next decade, according to a report the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office published Monday.
The report found that the law, which Republicans passed along party lines, will also “increase by 10 million the number of people without health insurance” by 2034.
Patient experience 2025 Results from Press Ganey’s Annual report on this topic:Key patient experience insights for 2025
Experience is improving—but not for all. Since 2019, “Likelihood to Recommend” (LTR) scores have risen by +2.8 points in medical practices, +1.7 in ambulatory surgery centers, and +0.5 in emergency departments. Inpatient scores, however, remain down 2.2 points compared to pre-pandemic levels, despite a modest +0.9 rebound year over year.
Teamwork is closely linked to trust. Teamwork has become a leading predictor of inpatient experience. Patients are significantly more likely to recommend hospitals when they perceive care teams working in sync.
Safety must be seen and felt. When patients report feeling “very safe,” LTR scores soar to 85.3. Without that perception, scores plummet to 34.6.
Equity gaps remain—and matter. Disparities by race, age, setting, and admission type persist. Yet hospitals with the least variation across racial and ethnic groups are 2.8x more likely to achieve top-tier patient loyalty.
Unplanned admissions create complexity. Patients admitted unexpectedly report 16% lower LTR scores than those with planned stays, highlighting the need for clear communication and coordinated transitions.
Experience is one continuous journey. Patients don’t separate digital, clinical, and post-care touchpoints. Aligning patient, consumer, safety, and employee strategies is key to delivering seamless, human-centered care.
About health insurance/insurers
Surprise Medical Bills Were Supposed To Be a Thing of the Past. Surprise — They’re Not. many good examples and explanations about how the system is not working as expected.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Are Hospital Acquisitions of Physician Practices Anticompetitive?: Focusing on childbirths, the most ubiquitous admission among the privately insured, we find that, on average, these mergers led to price increases for hospitals and physicians of 3.3% and 15.1%, respectively, with no discernible effects on quality measures. Using demand estimation to characterize substitution patterns for both physicians and hospitals, we construct tests that demonstrate price increases are larger among transactions with greater scope for foreclosure and recapture.
MEDICARE TO SPEED UP CLAWBACK OF $7.8B FROM HOSPITALS: The Trump administration plans to claw back $7.8 billion in Medicare payments to hospitals a decade sooner than originally proposed, potentially sparking another legal challenge from the hospital industry. CMS also intends to send surveys to hospitals asking what their drug costs are, which could set the stage for the Trump administration to attempt to cut hospital drug payments again.
24 large health systems growing bigger FYI
About pharma
Health Cuts Would Result in Fewer Drugs for Americans, Budget Office Reports: Funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could sharply reduce the number of new drugs available to Americans in the coming decades, according to an analysis released on Friday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The Trump administration has proposed shrinking the budget of the N.I.H., the world’s premier funder of medical research, by $18 billion, or nearly 40 percent. But even a 10 percent reduction would prevent roughly 30 additional drugs from coming to market in the next three decades, the budget office said.
About healthcare personnel
Independent Physician Practices Struggle for Survival as Value-Based Care Pressures Mount, Black Book Q2 Survey Finds: As the U.S. healthcare system accelerates toward value-based care (VBC) models and consolidation surges in 2025, independent physician practices are fighting for survival. New data from a Q2 Black Book Research poll of 496 practices reveals that 70% do not expect to maintain autonomy beyond the next 18 months without major changes to their operational strategies, partnerships, or financial management.
Comment: The article also provides a good summary of what these groups are doing to try to stay independent.