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This is the warning of the latest report from the Healthcare Affordability Index, which tracks how many in the U.S. have been forced to avoid medical care or haven't been able to fill their prescriptions in the last three months—and how many would struggle to pay for care if it was needed. Affordability has fallen six points since 2022, down to a record low of 55 percent since the index was launched back in 2021. (Randall, 7/17)

Fallout from the Change Healthcare cyberattack continues to affect UnitedHealthGroup, with the healthcare giant nearly doubling its estimates of how much the incident will financially disrupt business operations this year. High Medicaid and Medicare Advantage medical expenses contributed to high costs in the second quarter, executives said during a Tuesday earnings call. (Tepper, 7/16)

Meal delivery could be the key to cutting health care costs, nutritional researchers claim. Not just any meals, though. For patients who have certain conditions that require special diets and restrict their ability to perform daily activities, bringing them medically tailored meals (MTMs) could lead to "substantial savings," according to a study by the American Society for Nutrition. (Rudy, 7/16)

Most of Generation Z is turning to TikTok to seek health advice, citing quick responses and free advice, a recent survey found. The poll, conducted by Zing Coach, found 56 percent of Gen Z respondents use TikTok for wellness, diet and fitness advice and that a large share of them use the platform as their main form of health advice. Among those surveyed, 34 percent said they use TikTok to get most of their health advice, making it more than twice as popular as the other options listed. (Sforza, 7/16)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: HealthSherpa And Insurers Team Up To Curb Unauthorized ACA Enrollment Schemes

The largest private company that brokers use to enroll people in Affordable Care Act health plans said it’s joining with insurers to thwart unauthorized Obamacare sign-ups and plan switches. HealthSherpa, which has its own sales team, announced the new initiative — called “Member Defense Network” — July 16. It will cut off commissions for unscrupulous insurance brokers believed to be signing up thousands of Americans for health plans they don’t need or switching their coverage without express consent. (Appleby, 7/16)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Her Hearing Implant Was Preapproved. Nonetheless, She Got $139,000 Bills For Months

Caitlyn Mai woke up one morning in middle school so dizzy she couldn’t stand and deaf in one ear, the result of an infection that affected one of her cranial nerves. Though her balance recovered, the hearing never came back. Growing up, she learned to cope — but it wasn’t easy. With only one functioning ear, she couldn’t tell where sounds were coming from. She couldn’t follow along with groups of people in conversation — at social gatherings or at work — so she learned to lip-read. (Rosenthal, 7/17)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: The Woman Who Beat An $8,000 Hospital Fee

In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Georgann Boatright, a patient in Mississippi who was willing to drive to another state to avoid paying a steep fee to her local hospital. (Weissmann, 7/17)