Latest Morning Briefing Stories
What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: GOP Mulls More Health Cuts
Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban 鈥渃onversion therapy鈥 for LGBTQ+ minors. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 stories.
State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors
North Carolina rolled out a $3.1 billion insurance plan for kids in foster care, but many doctors did not accept patients on the plan. The state is one of several experimenting with a model that has left kids鈥 guardians scrambling to find health care providers.
US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles鈥 comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contain the virus. 鈥淭hat we鈥檙e even talking about this is nuts,鈥 one virologist said.
After Man鈥檚 Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization
After Eric Tennant died, his widow vowed to speak out against West Virginia鈥檚 Public Employees Insurance Agency, which had denied cancer treatment recommended by Tennant鈥檚 doctor. Her efforts paid off. In March, West Virginia鈥檚 governor signed a bill to protect some patients from harm tied to prior authorization.
Trump鈥檚 One Big Beautiful Bill Act Darkens Outlook for Government-Backed Clinics
About 17,000 federally funded health clinics stand to collectively lose $32 billion under GOP-backed fiscal policies in the next five years 鈥 just as more uninsured patients will rely on them for low-cost care.
Inside the High-Stakes Corporate Fight Over Feeding Preterm Babies
Behind their warm-and-fuzzy marketing, infant formula industry giants Abbott, maker of Similac products, and Mead Johnson, maker of the Enfamil line, have turned neonatal intensive care units into arenas of brutal competition.
Trump Team Claims Successes Against ACA Fraud While Pushing for More Controls
A sweeping set of regulations issued in February includes Trump administration proposals to curb what Obamacare critics contend are fraud incentives.
What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: A Headless CDC
The Trump administration faces the challenge of naming a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who can both satisfy the Make America Healthy Again movement and get confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, a new Senate bill to rescind the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is again elevating the abortion debate, which some Republicans would prefer to stay on the back burner until after the midterms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University Law Center鈥檚 Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary.
An Arm and a Leg: Steep Health Care Costs Steer Americans to Tough Decisions
Two Americans explain how the skyrocketing cost of health insurance influenced their decision to buy 鈥 or skip 鈥 health insurance in 2026.
Aunque tengas seguro dental, la factura puede ser muy alta
Una encuesta revela que 1 de cada 4 adultos con seguro dental report贸 que el costo es una barrera para recibir atenci贸n.
Algunos adultos de mediana edad deciden posponer la atenci贸n m茅dica hasta tener Medicare
Las personas con planes de ACA que est谩n cerca de retirarse fueron de las m谩s afectadas por los aumentos de precios luego de la suspensi贸n de los subsidios federales mejorados, a finales de diciembre.
驴Qu茅 tan bajo se puede llegar? Las cambiantes gu铆as para el control de la presi贸n arterial
El ensayo SPRINT encontr贸 que un tratamiento intensivo para reducir la presi贸n sist贸lica por debajo de 120 disminu铆a el riesgo de ataques card铆acos, accidentes cerebrovasculares, otras enfermedades cardiovasculares y la mortalidad general.
Even With Dental Insurance, You Still Could Face a Large Bill
Costs keep many Americans, even those with insurance, from getting dental care. Understanding how dental insurance works and leaning into preventive care can help keep dental problems 鈥 and bills 鈥 manageable.
Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare
Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.
鈥楬ow Low Can You Go?鈥 The Shifting Guidelines for Blood Pressure Control
The number doctors use to demarcate high blood pressure keeps going down, a trend applauded by many experts, who point to studies linking the condition and dementia.
What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: RFK Jr.鈥檚 Vaccine Schedule Changes Blocked 鈥 For Now
A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called 鈥淗ow Would You Fix It?鈥
Oz Says California鈥檚 Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It鈥檚 Part of a Larger Battle
Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the 鈥淩ussian, Armenian mafia鈥 in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.
Watch: Affordability Plagues Health Care in Its Shift From Nonprofit to Profit Machine
On 鈥淲hat the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News,鈥 distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of 麻豆女优, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.
Evidence Shows ACA鈥檚 Mandated Benefits Alone Don鈥檛 Drive Up Costs. The Debate Continues.
The Affordable Care Act put in place a package of benefits that health insurance plans must cover. Critics contend this mandate has jacked up premiums. Evidence supporting that claim is mixed.
Maker of Device To Treat Addiction Withdrawal Seeks Counties’ Opioid Settlement Cash
Some researchers and recovery advocates see the NET device as the latest in a series of products pitched as the solution to the addiction crisis that have been overhyped to capitalize on money from the opioid settlements.
