Last year was a tough one for farmers. Amid falling prices for commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, rising input costs for supplies like fertilizer and seeds, as well as the Trump tariffs and the dismantling of USAID, many farms weren’t profitable last year.

And now, the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that many Americans, including farmers, relied on to purchase health insurance are gone, having expired at the end of December.

James Davis, 55, who grows cotton, soybeans, and corn in northern Louisiana, said he didn’t know how he and his wife would afford coverage. Their share of their insurance premium quadrupled for 2026, jumping to about $2,700 a month.

“You can’t afford it,” Davis said. “Bottom line. There’s nothing to discuss. You can’t afford it without the subsidies.”

More than a quarter of the agricultural workforce purchases health insurance through the individual marketplace, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

That 27% rate is much higher than the overall population’s — only 6% of U.S. adults have non-group coverage.

Farmers are used to facing challenges such as unpredictable weather and fluctuating commodity prices. But the loss of the enhanced subsidies, coupled with challenging economic conditions, will make coverage unaffordable for many.

Without major intervention from Washington, farmers say they’ll have to choose between being uninsured or leaving the farm work behind for a job that offers health insurance.

Read more.

Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will now offer a new plan, WellKids by Pennsylvania Health and Wellness. CHIP is a health insurance program for children and teens who are not eligible for Medicaid up to age 19.

WellKids is now one of nine MCOs offering coverage through CHIP joining Aetna, Capital Blue Cross, Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plan, Highmark, Keystone First, United Healthcare, and UPMC. PA Health and Wellness is a Managed Care Organization and subsidiary of the Centene Corporation along with WellCare (Medicare) and Ambetter (Pennie/Commercial).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapters 9, 13, and 18. Updates include reimbursement after cost reporting clarification and manual guidance related to Rural Health Clinic (RHC) preventative vaccines in claims processing and benefit policy.

The manual can be accessed here.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal agency that examines how taxpayer dollars are spent, is now accepting nominations for MedPAC appointments, with terms beginning May 2026.  MedPAC is an independent congressional agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. By statute, the Commission includes nationally recognized experts in health finance, economics, actuarial science, health care delivery and management, provider reimbursement, and clinical practice. The Commission must reflect diverse professional backgrounds, broad geographic representation, and a balance between urban and rural perspectives.

Letters of nomination and resumes should be submitted to MedPACappointments@gao.gov by February 6.

Per an Executive Order and the 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will survey hospitals to find out how much they pay for outpatient drugs. This survey runs from January 1 through March 31, 2026. The results will help shape Medicare payment policies starting in 2027. Hospitals that received OPPS payments for outpatient drugs between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, must complete the survey.

Contact  OPPSDrugSurvey@cms.hhs.gov with any questions.  Comments are due on by March 31.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new online form for providers to submit complaints about Medicare Advantage plans. The form collects basic information about the complainant, beneficiary, provider, and plan, along with a summary of the complaint.  Submitted complaints will be routed to CMS’s Health Plan Management System (HPMS) Complaints Tracking Module (CTM), where they will be queued and reviewed by CMS.