By Amy Oliver – I have always cared about healthcare access and equity. But recently it stopped being just a professional conviction and became something messier and more specific, the kind of care that comes from watching the system fail someone you love and not being able to do anything about the system, only about showing up.

CMS issued multiple Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 final payment rules in late July 2026. These rules update payment rates, quality programs, and reporting timelines across acute care, long-term care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and hospice settings, generally taking effect on October 1, 2026.

By Dr. Patricia Hayes – We spend more on children after they’re sick, in admissions and emergency visits, and far less on the proactive care that keeps them safe at home. We pay for the crisis and underfund the work that would have prevented it. That’s why adding clinicians or expanding telehealth only goes so far.

By Matt Fisher – The biggest recent news for HIPAA is the quiet reveal that updates to the Security Rule are now delayed until sometime in the middle of 2027. The update was made on an Office of Management and Budget webpage, which now shows expected final action as an undefined date in July 2027.