ACA marketplace enrollment decline puts coverage affordability in focus
The Trump administration released updated 2026 enrollment figures for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, arguing that the year-over-year decrease resulted from efforts to crack down on fraud. Enrollment fell from 22.1 million at the end of 2025 to 19.2 million in February 2026.a The drop-off largely reflects reductions in improper enrollment rather than in…
FastFinance: AI in the ED; ACA plan pressure could hit providers
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. An AI tool helped cut emergency department lengths of stay, a recent study found. That improvement demonstrates the technology’s potential to drive operational efficiency, says one of its authors. Also, this…
ACA plan financial struggles could hit providers
ACA marketplace plans lost $5.5 billion in 2025 — despite record enrollment and before extra subsidies expired, according to new data. Their course-correction strategies could hit hospitals and health systems. The individual segment plans suffered a $5.5 billion underwriting loss in 2025, according to an analysis of insurance filings by Mark Farrah Associates. That compared…
Not dead: Provider-sponsored plans reassessing
Provider-sponsored health plans (PSHPs) proliferated in recent years and now face a historically challenging market. Some are reassessing, while others are in wait-and-see mode, says an adviser. From 2018 through 2023 the number of hospitals owning PSHPs increased from 692 (18.3% of hospitals) to 834 (27.2%), according to a new study published in JAMA by…
FastFinance: Hospital non-patient revenue; ACA plan changes
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Most hospital revenue is from non-patient-care sources, according to a new analysis. The shares of patient-care revenue vary widely by hospital type. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 40%. That’s the increase…
Hospitals object to ACA marketplace changes
Proposed changes to the rules of the ACA marketplaces will shift more costs onto hospitals, industry advocates told CMS. The comments came in response to a proposed rule for 2027 marketplace plans that aimed to stabilize enrollment from 2026 to 2027. “Hospitals are often the providers of last resort for many patients, and policies that…
Consequences of new MA and ACA Marketplace regulations
Nick and Shawn discuss regulatory changes coming from CMS for the 2027 regulatory season.
Democrats push for $1.4 trillion spending boost, risking federal shutdown
Congressional Democrats are pushing for a $1.4 trillion increase in federal spending, with the majority of the funds going towards healthcare, in order to pass a continuing resolution and avoid a federal government shutdown on October 1st.