This summer, the state of Louisiana texted just over 13,000 people enrolled in its Medicaid program with a link to a website where they could confirm their incomes. The texts were part of a pilot run to test technology the Trump administration says will make it easier for some Medicaid enrollees to prove they meet … Read more
A series of tumultuous health policy changes seem to have shaken faith in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s quest to tackle chronic disease and question science. Fifty-nine percent of Americans now disapprove of the Health and Human Services secretary’s performance, according to a KFF poll released last week. And six surgeons general from Democratic and Republican administrations, including … Read more
While plowing a wheat field in rural Washington state in the 1990s, William Wallace spotted a gray plane overhead that he believed was releasing chemicals to make him sick. The rancher began to suspect that all white vapor trails from aircraft might be dangerous. He shared his concern with reporters, acknowledging it sounded a little like “The X Files,” … Read more
A deadly measles outbreak in Texas ended in August, but outbreaks in other parts of the United States continue to add hundreds of new measles cases to this year’s record national total. There have been an average of 27 new measles cases reported each week since the end of August, according to data from the US Centers for … Read more
Hundreds of staff fired from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Friday have been reinstated, according to the American Federation of Government Employees. After a new round of layoff notices sent late Friday night to around 1,300 workers at the CDC, approximately 700 were reinstated on Saturday, while about 600 remain laid … Read more
It’s that time of year when the leaves are turning golden, there’s a chill in the air and the threat of respiratory viruses like Covid-19, influenza or RSV looms across the country. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the 2025-26 fall and winter respiratory disease season to have a similar number of … Read more
Janet McCaskill was on vacation in Arizona with her husband and best friend when she heard that President Donald Trump had suggested he might be able to bring the cost of popular weight-loss drugs down to $150 a month. “The thought of it going to $150 a month is dramatic,” said McCaskill, a grandmother from … Read more