Midwest Bureau Archives - Page 5 of 48

RFK Jr.’s Very Bad Week

Episode 437

March 12, 2026

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA's vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join 51��Ƶ Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A man works with a polishing tool on the edge of a countertop. Dust can be seen flying in the air around the tool. Some of the dust has settled in the man's hair.

As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers

Crystalline silica, which is released into the air when workers cut and polish engineered stone, can scar human lungs beyond repair. Kitchen countertops made with this stone have triggered an increased rate of this fatal illness, doctors say.

By Céline Gounder

March 12, 2026

Two photos shown side by side: On the left, a young boy has a bloody gauze in his mouth. On the right, a hand holds an extracted tooth.

More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.

Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the covid-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.

By Farrell Brenner and Angela Y. Zhang

March 10, 2026

Two men sort racks of clothes in a Goodwill store.

Trump’s Cuts to Medicaid Threaten Services That Help Disabled People Live at Home

Iowa patient advocates say that in the face of federal Medicaid cuts, the state is quietly reducing in-home services that help people avoid being institutionalized. National groups are bracing for similar cuts elsewhere.

By Tony Leys

March 5, 2026

The back of a mother, father, and young baby being held by its mother. They are embracing.

As ICE Moved In, Minnesotans Set Up a Shadow Medical System. It’s a Lesson for Other Cities.

President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis forced families into hiding and catalyzed informal medical networks to deliver critical health care services.

By Arthur Allen and Kate Wells

March 5, 2026

Rural Health Payout

Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans

Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.

By Arielle Zionts and Sarah Jane Tribble

March 4, 2026

Turquoise paint peels off of a metal pole. Trees are out of focus in the background.

Federal Aid for Lead Cleanup Is Receding. That’s a Problem for Cash-Strapped Cities.

Congress and the Trump administration are rolling back some lead remediation resources. Case studies of two cities and a state that faced lead contamination problems could give cash-strapped cities ideas of how to address such pollution themselves.

By Halle Parker, Verite News

March 3, 2026

An older mother and father sit on a bed beside a smiling woman, laying down. The woman is living with a disability.

Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts

Idaho is positioning to slash Medicaid funding as state lawmakers grapple with the effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last year. On the table are in-home care services.

By Bram Sable-Smith

March 2, 2026

Two nurses in scrubs converse in front of a medication dispensing machine at a hospital.

‘You Aren’t Trapped’: Hundreds of US Nurses Choose Canada Over Trump’s America

More than 1,000 American nurses have successfully applied for licensure in British Columbia since April, a massive increase over prior years. Ontario and Alberta have also seen more interest from Americans.

By Brett Kelman

Feb. 26, 2026

A view of an immigrant detention center California City, California, surrounded by the landscape of the Mojave Desert.

Democrats Decry Meager Medical Care for Detainees in Funding Fight

A growing body of evidence indicates that immigrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement face medical consequences because of serious gaps in basic health care services. It’s adding to the political backlash against the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies.

By Stephanie Armour

Feb. 25, 2026

An illustration of various multi-color squares with dots and lines.

Deadly Denials

Red and Blue States Alike Want To Limit AI in Insurance. Trump Wants To Limit the States.

A revolt is afoot in both red and blue states against the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance determinations — and against efforts led by President Donald Trump to tie states’ hands.

By Darius Tahir and Lauren Sausser

Feb. 18, 2026

A vector illustration of a "$" symbol between two hands.

Trump Required Hospitals To Post Their Prices for Patients. Mostly It’s the Industry Using the Data.

Politicians have pushed for price transparency in health care. But instead of patients shopping for services, it’s mostly health systems and insurers that are using the information, as fodder for negotiations over pay.

By Darius Tahir

Feb. 17, 2026

A view of a bridge crossing a muddy river with another bridge in the background

Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn’t Require Any Action.

After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?

By Morgan Watkins, Louisville Public Media

Feb. 12, 2026

An American flag blows in the wind next to a barbed-wire fence in front of a landscape of grasslands

Priced Out

End of Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies Puts Tribal Health Lifeline at Risk

Tribal insurance programs give Native Americans access to affordable health care when the Indian Health Service falls short. Those plans are threatened by the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

By Katheryn Houghton and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Feb. 11, 2026

A box of ivermectin tablets is shown in a pharmacy.

US Cancer Institute Studying Ivermectin’s ‘Ability To Kill Cancer Cells’

At a January event organized by allies of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., National Cancer Institute Director Anthony Letai said results may be released “in a few months.” Ivermectin, used to deworm horses and other animals, has become a symbol of resistance against the medical establishment among supporters of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and many conservatives.

By Rachana Pradhan

Feb. 10, 2026

An exterior shot of the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency room entrance.

With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients

The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is forcing hospitals and states to consider alerting immigrant patients that information from emergency medical coverage applications could be used in efforts to remove them from the country.

By Phil Galewitz and Amanda Seitz

Feb. 6, 2026

Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference behind a podium with a sign on it that reads, "Treatment not tents."

Newsom Walks Thin Line on Immigrant Health as He Eyes Presidential Bid

Progressives are assailing Gov. Gavin Newsom for proposing to pull back coverage for some legal residents, such as refugees and asylum-seekers, while conservatives lambaste the California Democrat for using limited state funds on Medicaid coverage for immigrants without legal status.

By Christine Mai-Duc

Feb. 5, 2026

A Black woman holds her young daughter in her arms. She is smiling at her daughter.

HealthQ

If You’re Pregnant and Uninsured, Medicaid Might Be Your Answer

Prenatal care can make a huge difference to the long-term health of both the parent and baby. Every state offers health coverage to lower-income pregnant women who might otherwise go uninsured.

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio, Cara Anthony, and Emily Siner, Nashville Public Radio

Feb. 3, 2026

‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees

Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practices facilitate rights violations and create ethical concerns. Hospitals say they’re trying to protect patients.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Jan. 30, 2026

An older woman wearing glasses stands in her kitchen.

Bill of the Month

Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill

A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.

By Tony Leys

Jan. 30, 2026

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51��Ƶ Health News covers health care in the Midwest, with a bureau headquartered in St. Louis and staff reporters based in Iowa, Michigan, and South Dakota.