Health Care
Medical groups are concerned that RFK Jr. may dismiss a panel of primary care experts
The American Medical Association is urging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not to oust members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group of experts focused on primary care.
Alabama officials worry about life-saving Narcan program’s future as CDC grants stall
OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it's responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths.
WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom
The Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew Hawkins' reporting on the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region.
Americans’ medical debt can stay in credit reports, judge rules. What does that mean?
The judge's decision vacated a rule imposed by the Biden administration earlier this year to keep medical debt from affecting credit scores.
Q&A: How a conservative Mississippi mom became an advocate for legalizing drugs
Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too
Netherlands police embrace a public health approach to drugs. Will it work in the South?
Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results.
Wisconsin’s 1849 law does not ban abortion, the state Supreme Court rules
After years of litigation following the Dobbs decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, with their liberal majority, ruled that the state's 176-year-old law does not ban abortion in the state.
Supreme Court upholds key Obamacare measure on preventive care
Siding with the government on Friday, the court upheld the Affordable Care Act, allowing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to continue determining which services will be available free of cost to Americans covered by the Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid changes don’t meet Senate rules in ‘big, beautiful bill’ says parliamentarian
The nonpartisan Senate official whose office determines if legislation fits within the rules of the chamber dealt Senate Republicans a blow on proposed changes to Medicaid.
Supreme Court upholds South Carolina’s ban on Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood
The Supreme Court allowed South Carolina to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.
Purdue Pharma, Sacklers reach new $7.4 billion opioid settlement
A new $7.4 billion opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family has been approved by all U.S. states and territories
Trauma-informed nurses help sexual assault survivors. Most hospitals don’t have them.
Alabama has 44 certified SANEs for the entire state. Louisiana has 42. Mississippi only has 6 — for a population of almost three million.
Alabama drops four places in national child well-being rankings
Alabama ranked 43rd nationally for child well-being in the latest KIDS COUNT data book from by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Why did Alabama families drop their challenge to an anti-transgender law?
Alabama parents sued the state over a law banning gender-affirming care for minors, but they dropped the suit earlier this month.
French health ministry extends smoking ban
France to ban smoking at beaches, parks and outside schools from July 1st to protect children.
Going Dutch: Harm reduction is embraced in the Netherlands but struggles in the US
The Netherlands has proven drug use harm reduction works. So why does it still face stigma, criminalization and political resistance in the Gulf South?
DOGE cuts, policy changes jeopardize care, housing for vulnerable HIV patients in Alabama
Federal funding has helped states like Alabama and Mississippi make strides in fighting the HIV epidemic. Doctors and advocates are worried about the future.
How new at-home HPV test kits could help Alabama fight cervical cancer
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the country’s first at-home HPV screening kit, a disease that causes nearly all cervical cancers. While some hope the new kits might turn things around, others have questions.
These Democratic governors are trying to curb health care for unauthorized immigrants
After expanding state Medicaid programs to cover people in the country without legal status, Democrats are considering changes that would reduce immigrant access.
Could calligraphy help with anxiety? This study aims to find out
People have a lot of strategies for dealing with anxiety – medication, therapy or exercise, for instance. But a new study explored a different method – calligraphy.
AvKare recalls over-the-counter eye drops after FDA audit
Customers are encouraged to stop using several eye irritation products, including gels and artificial tears.
RFK Jr. stands by deep cuts to health budget during contentious hearings
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is standing firm on the sweeping cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, cuts he says were suggested by Elon Musk and his DOGE team.
Medicaid cuts will hurt families and cost GOP politically, says Kentucky governor
Republicans' proposed Medicaid cuts will cause 8.6 million people to lose health insurance by 2034, an estimate shows. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said it will cost Republicans seats in Congress.
UnitedHealth Group abruptly replaces CEO Andrew Witty, deepening a terrible year
The health care conglomerate is facing mounting financial problems – and ongoing consumer anger over high costs and denied claims.
RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info
The National Institutes of Health will partner with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to create a database of Americans with autism, using insurance claims, medical records and smartwatch data.
How a rural clinic is changing lives in Alabama and why it’s at risk
Cahaba Medical Care, a collection of clinics that get doctors into some of the poorest, sickest communities in Alabama, never turns away patients. But a federal grant that supports the doctors there is at risk of getting cut in the midst of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize.
The long road to answers for some chronic illnesses
Growing costs, research cuts, and staffing shortages are health care issues that are top of mind for many in the country right now, especially for the millions of people who deal with chronic illness. Some of those people don’t even know what to call their illness.
Trump signs executive action to lower drug prices
The action is intended to build upon the existing program for Medicare drug price negotiations, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration.
Doctors remove pig kidney from an Alabama woman after a record 130 days
Towana Looney is recovering well from the removal surgery and has returned home to Gadsden. In a statement, she thanked her doctors for “the opportunity to be part of this incredible research.”
Alabama lawmakers pass legislation that could give pregnant women more access to health care
The “presumptive eligibility” legislation states that Medicaid will pay for a pregnant woman’s outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while an application for the government-funded insurance program is being considered.
Supreme Court to decide if states can strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funds
At issue is whether a state, in this case, South Carolina, can remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.
Five years out, an ER doc reflects on how he and his colleagues faced down COVID-19
In Alabama, emergency departments were overrun during the Covid-19 pandemic – the state had one of the highest rates of hospitalizations in the country. Children’s of Alabama ER doc David Bernard remembers “the first time we started to feel that maybe we wouldn't die.”
