Zach Levinson

Project Director at KFF. Opinions expressed are mine. RTs are not endorsements.

[Larry Levitt @larry_levitt]

New federal data shows hospital revenues increased 7.6% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to 2025. Hospitals continue to be the biggest driver of health care cost growth.

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

Farewell to a remarkable leader, colleague, and human being! Miss you already, @tricia_neuman!

[KFF @KFF]

All of us at KFF wish @tricia_neuman, a senior VP and Medicare policy program executive director, a wonderful retirement!

We’re grateful for her dedication, hard work, and leadership to inform debates about Medicare policy and help people understand the program.

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

We're hiring! The KFF Project on Hospital Costs is searching for a Senior Policy Analyst or Senior Data Analyst to work on timely policy analyses relating to hospital and health system spending, prices, finances, and business practices: https://t.co/uAwbmt64nY

[KFF @KFF]

Hospital prices paid by private insurers rose 30% from 2019-2026, compared to a 21% increase in Medicare payment rates.

The disparate growth widened an existing gap between what Medicare and private plans pay for hospital services: https://t.co/SziNpQMi4y

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

@Ajzionts Cool!

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

At a roundtable, the administration touted a $50 billion fund that will make large investments in rural health. That funding would accomplish more if not on the heels of an estimated $137 billion reduction in federal Medicaid spending in rural areas.
https://t.co/LtkfuGZeSZ

[Drew Altman @DrewAltman]

The Rural Fund grants are a grab bag from telehealth to mobile health to parks and trails for recreation. Our analysis based on rural population: https://t.co/0wujGT61gn

[KFF @KFF]

NEW: The initial awards to states under the new federal Rural Health Transformation Program show relatively modest variation in total awards across states but wide variation in how much states will receive per rural resident.

Our analysis: https://t.co/KZgabVzv5D

[Larry Levitt @larry_levitt]

New: With first year awards from the rural health transformation fund out, our analysis shows wide variation in the amount per rural resident across states.

[KFF @KFF]

⚡ KFF’s Zachary Levinson writes about the site-neutral payment reform included in the CMS’s 2026 final outpatient prospective payment system rule under traditional Medicare. #QuickTake https://t.co/YLMIPUIkU4

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

CMS will decide which states to fund by the end of the year, and how to allocate the first year of funding across states. It is not yet clear how states will distribute funds across rural hospitals, other providers, and other state initiatives (9/9)

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

The July 2025 reconciliation law created a $50B rural health fund to help offset the impact of the law on rural areas. Our brief suggests that state awards from most of the fund could vary only modestly despite large differences in rural needs 👇(1/9) https://t.co/9NxmBDWJhL

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

The analysis could not factor in the $12.5 billion that will be distributed based on CMS’s discretionary scoring of state policy, state initiatives, and other factors (8/9).

[Zach Levinson @zlevs100]

CMS's recent announcement includes many new details about the distribution of the rural health fund across states, but questions remain about which states will receive funding and how well awards will align with state need. More in our recent brief: https://t.co/io9bZhTFIN