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Every decade since the 1970s, Congress has tried and failed to reform Medicaid, the health entitlement for the poor. Republican lawmakers’ latest effort — as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — appears to be no different. Instead of addressing the program’s core deficiencies, the party instead fixated on shrinking it. The likely result? Needless disruption and little in the way of serious savings or reform. (7/24)

Last week, I wrote about how easy-to-conceal nicotine pouches manufactured by tobacco companies are addicting youths to the drug, just as e-cigarettes did before them. Most readers I heard are concerned that the product is the latest cynical ploy by Big Tobacco to draw in a new generation of users. (Leana S. Wen, 7/24)

Last week, the Trump administration rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a global treaty that the United States has been a part of since 2007. The rejection cited concerns about sovereignty, scientific freedom, and World Health Organization overreach. (Stephanie Psaki, 7/24)

Value-based care is too often misunderstood — and sometimes even maligned. Recent surveys show patients sometimes associate the term with cheaper, lower-quality “knock-off” care. Some industry observers choose to put the term in quotation marks, signaling skepticism, while others contend that ACO, familiar shorthand for Accountable Care Organization, stands for “another consultant opportunity.” (Mara McDermott, 7/22)

Every day, firefighters respond to sickness, trauma, tragedy and disaster. As a firefighter in Colorado, I have personally experienced and witnessed the toll this work takes on our mental health. But as of July 1, the program meant to support our emotional well‑being — the Colorado Firefighter Benefits Trust Behavioral Health Program, created in 2022 under Senate Bill 2 — was slashed from a $10,000 annual benefit per firefighter to a $1,000 lifetime cap. (Linda Crane, 7/24)