Health Hub Archives - �鶹Ů�� Health News

Listen: With Little Federal Regulation, States Are Left To Shape the Rules on AI in Health Care

Lauren Sausser — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: Quashing innovation or risking a patient’s health? Lauren Sausser told WAMU’s Health Hub on April 15 why the White House and some states are at odds over how to regulate AI in health care.

Speed, efficiency, and lower costs. Those are the traits artificial intelligence supporters celebrate. But the same qualities worry physicians who fear the technology could lead to insurance denials with humans left out of the loop.

With scant federal regulation, states are left to shape the rules on AI in health care. For residents in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, a divide is playing out on opposite sides of the Potomac River. Maryland and Virginia have taken very different approaches to regulating AI in health insurance.

�鶹Ů�� Health News correspondent Lauren Sausser joined WAMU’s Health Hub on April 15 to explain why where you live may determine how much of a role AI plays in your coverage.

�鶹Ů�� Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at �鶹Ů��—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Listen: What To Do When Health Insurance Slips Out of Reach

Sam Whitehead — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: Can’t afford health insurance this year? Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about money and the cost of care. On WAMU’s “Health Hub” on March 4, �鶹Ů�� Health News correspondent Sam Whitehead shared tips for people seeking affordable options without skipping care.

Health insurance could be out of reach for many Americans in 2026.

About a million fewer people signed up for Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage this year. The Congressional Budget Office told lawmakers that more could opt out in coming years after the GOP-led Congress let expire subsidies that helped many afford a plan. Meanwhile, plan premiums jumped, and new, stricter Medicaid eligibility rules kicked in.

If you lost health insurance this year, there may be ways to see the doctor without breaking the bank. On March 4, in conversation with WAMU host Esther Ciammachilli, �鶹Ů�� Health News correspondent Sam Whitehead shared tips on navigating care without coverage.

Renuka Rayasam and Taylor Cook contributed reporting.

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Effective but Underprescribed: HIV Prevention Meds Aren’t Reaching Enough People

Zach Dyer — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Listen: More than 2 million Americans could benefit from PrEP, but only about a quarter of them are getting the HIV prevention medication. On Feb. 4, during WAMU’s “Health Hub,” �鶹Ů�� Health News reporter Zach Dyer shared tips for overcoming common hurdles to care.

Billing mistakes. Stigma. Doctors who aren’t keeping up with the latest research. Those are just some of the hurdles that for many Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 2 million Americans could benefit from a treatment known as PrEP, but only a quarter of them are getting a form of the drug. Zach Dyer appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Feb. 4 to share tips patients can use to avoid those pitfalls and find a doctor who knows more about PrEP.

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Listen: Many Tents Are Gone, but Washington’s Homeless — And Their Health Problems — Aren’t

Angela Hart — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: In this audio portrait of homeless people displaced by the Trump administration’s crackdown on encampments in the nation’s capital, �鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart tells of residents living outside this winter and their search for medical care and shelter.

January’s extreme cold has put a spotlight on the conditions homeless people face. They get sicker and die younger than housed people, often because health problems go untreated. The Trump administration’s in Washington, D.C., has made it more difficult for health workers to reach that vulnerable population this winter.

�鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart takes WAMU “Health Hub” listeners to Washington’s streets to hear how homeless people are juggling their health and shelter after the Trump administration’s crackdown.

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Trump Rules Force Cancer Registries To ‘Erase’ Trans Patients From Public Health Data

Rachana Pradhan — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: “People get better care when we know who they are.” That belief is at the heart of why scientists and LGBTQ+ health advocates oppose a new rule that makes it harder to collect data on trans patients with cancer. �鶹Ů�� Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Dec. 10 about the change from the Trump administration.

In 2026, the Trump administration will require U.S. cancer registries that receive federal funding to classify patients’ sex as male, female — or not stated/unknown. That last category is for when a “patient’s sex is documented as other than male or female (e.g., non-binary, transsexual), and there is no additional information about sex assigned at birth,” the new standard says.

LGBTQ+ health advocates say that move in effect erases transgender and other patients from the data. They say the data collection change is the latest move by the Trump administration that restricts health care resources for LGBTQ+ people.

�鶹Ů�� Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Dec. 10 to explain why LGBTQ+ health advocates worry this change could hurt public health and the care patients receive.

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Listen: Nation’s Capital Cuts Traffic Deaths as Rates Rise Across US

Chaseedaw Giles — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: Distracted. Reckless. Drunk. Americans’ driving has gotten since the covid pandemic. Chaseedaw Giles appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 26 to share her reporting on that deadly trend.

Traffic deaths have climbed nationwide over the past decade. In some major cities, traffic deaths have . But this year, Washington, D.C., has recorded a in these kinds of deaths. Chaseedaw Giles, audience engagement editor with �鶹Ů�� Health News, appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 26 to share her reporting on the ways design and better enforcement can contribute to safer streets.

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Listen: New Federal Guidelines Could Weaken Consumer Protections Against Medical Debt

Noam N. Levey — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: Bad credit can keep you from getting a job, a car loan, or an apartment to rent. For many Americans, health care debt is to blame. �鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Noam N. Levey appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 12 to explain why new federal guidelines on health care debt and credit reports worry some consumer protection advocates.

More than 100 million Americans are estimated to have health care debt. In response, more than a dozen states have instituted laws to keep these unpaid bills off consumer credit reports.

The Trump administration has been chipping away at these protections.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, headed by President Donald Trump’s budget director, issued new guidance that challenges state laws, saying only the federal government can decide what can go in a credit report. Consumer advocates say that move could undercut state-level protections and worsen the financial strain on Americans burdened by medical bills.

�鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Noam N. Levey appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 12 to explain why state laws like these could be especially important in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, set to kick millions off Medicaid, and the potential lapsing of enhanced tax credits for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

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Listen: Amid Shutdown Stalemate, Families Brace for SNAP Cuts and Paycheck Limbo

Julie Rovner — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Listen: Health care has been at the heart of the federal government’s shutdown. �鶹Ů�� Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 22 “Health Hub” to explain the health care compromises some lawmakers want before they will agree to reopen the government.

Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the heart of government shutdowns in U.S. history. The impact is starting to be felt by families and federal employees. programs could at the end of the month. And federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced layoffs.

�鶹Ů�� Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on ” to discuss the possible compromises that could reopen the government.

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Listen: Green Goodbyes: Choosing an Eco-Friendly Burial

Paula Span — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Cremation has become Americans’ for the postmortem treatment of their bodies. But the process involves burning fossil fuels, which may release . “” columnist Paula Span appeared on WAMU’S Oct. 8 “Health Hub” to explain some of the more environmentally friendly alternatives.

are gaining popularity as an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional funerals. They avoid toxic embalming chemicals, steel caskets, and concrete vaults, letting a body naturally decompose. Methods range from the elaborate — like “human composting” and water cremation — to a simple pine box.

“” columnist Paula Span appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 8 “Health Hub” to talk about the environmental and economic motivations behind these alternatives to conventional burials.

Jackson Sinnenberg contributed to this report.

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Listen: Limiting Benefits and Adding Restrictions, ‘MAHA’ Reshapes Food Aid

Renuka Rayasam — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

LISTEN: Carrot or the stick? Some nutritionists say incentives are the best way to improve the diets of low-income Americans on food aid, while the Trump administration seems focused on restrictions. �鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Sept. 3 to explain.

The Trump administration is making historic changes to federal food aid as part of its plan to “Make America Healthy Again.” But some nutrition experts warn recent cuts to funding and more stringent rules to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could do the opposite: Worsen food insecurity and push families toward cheaper, less nutritious options.

�鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Sept. 3 to explain how these new policies are shaping what’s on American dinner plates.

Taylor Cook contributed to this report.

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