Medicare Savings Programs Under Threat: Q2 Insights from Hospitals and Insurers

July 28, 2025

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Bob Herman covers health insurance, government programs, hospitals, physicians, and other providers — reporting on how money influences those businesses and shapes what we all pay for care. He is also the author of the Health Care Inc. newsletter. You can reach Bob on Signal at bobjherman.09.

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Famous YouTubers like Ryan Trahan have new competition: STAT’s senior multimedia producer Alex Hogan. Alex’s latest vlog is great: He goes on a “MAHA food crawl” where he tries things like Coke with cane sugar and a pint of Häagen-Dazs ice cream with no artificial dyes, and then talks with reporter Sarah Todd on why these things in the context of MAHA are “nutritionally hilarious.” Give ol’ Hogan-Dazs and Sarah a watch.

‘A war on the poor’

There are nearly 11 million people in America who are older and extremely destitute — to the point where they qualify for a public benefit, called Medicare Savings Programs, that covers all or most of their Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.

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