The Kaiser Family Foundation released an issue brief June 22 that projected total Medicare spending to top $1 trillion by 2026, up from a total of $702 billion last year, according to Congressional Budget Office and CMS data.

Prices continue to climb on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, with some estimates calling for 30 percent increases to typical silver-level plans in 2019. But despite the additional challenges faced by individuals on the marketplaces, insurers see clear skies ahead.

In a 396-14 vote, the House of Representatives passed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, or H.R. 6—bipartisan opioid legislation that aims to curb drug abuse.

While debates about immigration—and the controversial approach to separating families at the southwestern border of the U.S.—dominate the news, advocates warn that children may be at risk for losing healthcare coverage through Medicaid, according to a recent report from Kaiser Health News.

Diabetes advocates and legislators on both sides of the aisle are calling for more transparency and government oversight in the insulin market because of skyrocketing costs.

CMS is requesting input in hopes of “reducing the regulatory burdens” of the Stark Law, which prohibits physicians from referring Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries to entities from which the physician or an immediate family member would financially benefit.

New York and Massachusetts will sue the Trump administration following the announced expansion of association health plans, arguing the move will invite “fraud, mismanagement and deception.”

New data from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)’s DataDive Management and Staff Compensation highlights a 19 percent increase in total compensation for nursing staff between 2015 and 2017.