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While acknowledging that changes must be made to the hospice industry, health policy researchers and providers worry that negative attention and the potential for overly punitive regulations could put patients at risk.
Congress appropriated $345 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for the 2026 fiscal year, but the agency has spent less than $15 million on grants. AHRQ hasn鈥檛 issued a new one in over a year.
The recent outbreak of a foodborne parasite sickened thousands and hospitalized hundreds across the U.S. before federal investigators identified the suspected source. Food safety experts say cuts to the public health system hobbled the response 鈥 and that the next outbreak could be much worse.
The tiny federal agency that tracks consumer product safety is pressuring hospitals to turn over patient records from emergency room visits, including about injuries that have nothing to do with consumer products.
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana chairs the Senate鈥檚 health committee. In an interview with 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner, he discusses the drug supply, his proposal to defray out-of-pocket costs, and his controversial vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.
A year after the Environmental Protection Agency stripped grant money from dozens of communities nationwide during Trump鈥檚 DEI crackdown, a small Georgia city is struggling to address environmental health concerns.
Federal officials charged two virologists they stopped en route from an African disease outbreak with violating import rules. But scientists tell 51视频 Health News the inactivated samples they carried posed no threat to the public, and they characterize the arrests as part of a government harassment campaign.
The Office of Personnel Management said it will 鈥減seudonymize鈥 medical records it collects on more than 8 million people 鈥 federal workers and retirees, and their family members. Democrats and employee unions say the agency鈥檚 move is an overreach.
Prisoners with severe medical conditions can be granted compassionate release, but without a long-term care facility willing to accept them, many continue to wait in prison as their conditions worsen.
Complex computer systems that decide whether people, including the disabled, get Medicaid benefits have a history of errors. Now changes to comply with Trump鈥檚 signature tax and domestic policy law are inundating those systems.
Final regulations on Medicaid work requirements say enrollees must regularly obtain documentation 鈥 possibly from medical professionals 鈥 to prove that they鈥檙e too sick to work. Doctors say the rules put them in a tough spot.
Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary pledge by dozens of insurers to improve prior authorization, which often requires patients to seek approval before treatments. But prior authorization remains commonplace, and there's no evidence the government is trying to hold insurers to account.
President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz, expressed support for vaccines, including covid shots, in her confirmation hearing. That contrasts with the stance of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
With the federal Medicaid work requirements looming in January, Democrats are considering state legislation to call out big companies that employ workers enrolled in the safety net health program. Business giants such as Amazon and Walmart said the figures are misleading.
California鈥檚 laws still leave extradition decisions related to reproductive rights and gender-affirming care to its governor. But as states with abortion bans target California physicians who prescribe abortion pills across state lines, Democrats want to lock in protections for doctors, no matter who the next governor is.
Republicans say California鈥檚 use of Medicaid money for social services amounts to waste, fraud, and abuse. But even as Gov. Gavin Newsom voices concern about losing funding, he says he鈥檚 proud of the state鈥檚 holistic approach to caring for its sickest and most expensive patients.
51视频 Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
New Medicaid work requirements could make a complex system even harder for farmworkers to navigate.
Many Americans are shopping around for affordable options as the cost of health insurance soars. But some who hope to keep the same doctors and medications face a thicket of red tape and disruption after they switch plans.
A work requirement is coming to Medicaid. Sam Whitehead tells WAMU鈥檚 鈥淗ealth Hub鈥 how to keep your coverage 鈥 and who鈥檚 exempt from the new rule.
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