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I got a blood test as a newborn that changed the course of my life forever. The test, part of newborn screening performed on babies across the U.S. led to my being diagnosed with a rare inherited disorder, phenylketonuria (PKU).  I avoided intellectual disability and other symptoms such as seizures because of my early diagnosis and treatment. Every year, that simple heel prick blood test, along with a heart and hearing screening, helps identify about 14,000 babies in the U.S. born with a number of unique conditions. But recently, the federal government made an alarming decision that will risk the preventable death and suffering of children with rare conditions like mine: The Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC) was terminated. (Lillian Isabella, 4/24)  

A new website launched last week, covid.gov, and even though an editor once told me that writers should never instruct readers to “drop everything and look at this,” because then readers might never return to their articles, I must now ask you to drop everything and go look at this, and I will wait for you. (Monica Hesse, 4/24)

The US Supreme Court appears likely to preserve a key component of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that requires insurers to fully cover preventive care such as colon and lung cancer screenings. That’s a huge relief. The case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, has enormous consequences for the health of millions of Americans. But the positive news comes with a big asterisk: A decision that maintains free preventive care would also put more power over what isn’t covered in the hands of Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Lisa Jarvis, 4/24)

Veronica Cox had a plan, and receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to help feed her three kids wasn’t part of it. She got a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and worked in security for 10 years before debilitating pain in her hips — caused by a health issue she’s likely had since birth — forced her to stop working. (Kate Maehr and Julie Yurko, 4/24)

The 2025 Kansas legislative session, which wrapped up on April 11, focused mostly on divisive social issues — rather than addressing the economic challenges that Kansans are currently facing. Senate Bill 107, a sales tax exemption for period products, diapers and incontinence products, was introduced by Wichita-area state Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau in January. However, the entire session went by without so much as a hearing given to the bill. (Caitlyn Hammack, 4/24)