Julie Rovner

Politicians are again pointing fingers over cutting Medicare. Any party accused of threatening the program tends to lose elections, but without a bipartisan agreement, seniors stand to lose the most.

Common misperceptions are that only abortion-seekers are affected, that Democratics could have codified protections before, and that Congress can easily get rid of federal laws restricting abortion.

When Medicare began in 1965, its backers expected benefits to expand over time, but politics have mostly stymied that. Congressional Democrats are trying again as part of a $3.5 trillion budget plan.

The president is one of a disappearing group of politicians who sought moderate compromises on abortion. His supporters want faster changes. But abortion-rights opponents are also taking him to task.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says she'll focus her time in charge on getting more Americans insured.

Democrats control the new Congress by such a slim margin that passing health laws will be daunting. Instead Biden may have to use executive authority to advance his health care vision.

In talk of the impact Amy Coney Barrett could have on abortion rights, many people overlook related cases that might be in play, including the right to birth control that the court recognized in 1965.

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg comes just as the Supreme Court was about to hear a case challenging the ACA. It could end Medicaid expansion and protections for preexisting conditions.

Congress authorized $100 billion to reimburse health care providers for losses linked to the pandemic, but much of that money has gone for Medicare patients, with low-income families left behind.

Because the public health system mostly operates in the background, it rarely gets the attention or funding it deserves ― until there's a crisis.