Policy-ish

State laws to stop surprise ambulance bills face pushback from insurers

Policymakers agree patients shouldn't be stuck in the middle when an ambulance service charges more than what an insurer will pay. But they can't settle on what price is fair.

Feds investigate hospitals over religious exemptions from gender-affirming care

A physician assistant claimed she was fired by a Michigan hospital for seeking a religious exemption regarding gender-affirming care. Now the federal government is also investigating.

Near old Montana mine, special clinic for asbestos-related illness fights to survive

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, closed in May after a court judgment. The clinic's federal funding is also threatened. Patients with scarred lungs worry about what's next.

5 ways Trump’s tax bill will limit health care access

With spending cuts poised to hit medical providers, Medicaid recipients and Affordable Care Act enrollees, here's how the bill will affect health care access for millions in the U.S.

Doctors don’t get much menopause training. State lawmakers are trying to change that

The California legislature wants doctors to get more educated about menopause symptoms and treatment. It's one of a number of states passing menopause-related legislation.

U.S. uninsured rates could resurge if Trump’s budget bill passes

Millions could lose health insurance as the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress weigh major changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. "The effects could be catastrophic," one policy analyst predicts.

RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz say health insurers will cut red tape on ‘prior authorizations’

In recent years, health insurers ramped up the practice of requiring doctors to get their approval before tests and procedures. On Monday, health leaders announced voluntary reforms from insurers.

Medicaid keeps getting more popular as Republicans aim to cut it by $800 billion

Americans across the political spectrum like Medicaid and think it should get more funding, not less, according to a new poll from health research organization KFF.

RFK Jr. names new slate of vaccine advisers after purging CDC panel

Two days after firing vaccine experts who help set the nation's immunization policies, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has picked eight successors for the CDC panel.

How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ threatens access to Obamacare

If the law passes, new paperwork requirements and other logistical hurdles could lead to millions of people on ACA plans becoming uninsured, according to Congressional Budget Office.

Does Georgia’s fetal ‘personhood’ law mean a pregnant woman must stay on life support?

The anti-abortion movement is rallying around new laws that establish fetal 'personhood.' Doctors are scrambling to adjust, but even conservatives don't always agree on how they should be applied.

A stricter FDA policy for COVID vaccines could limit future access

Federal officials unveiled a rigorous regulatory approach to future COVID vaccines that could make it harder for many people under 65 to get immunized.

RFK Jr. got rid of an ‘alphabet soup’ of health agencies. Now, Congress gets a say

On Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. goes to Capitol Hill to promote and defend his massive overhaul of HHS, and President Trump's plans to change it even more.

House oversight committee demands answers on gutting of CDC public records office

House Rep. Gerry Connolly is pushing CDC leadership to explain why the personnel who handle FOIA requests lost their jobs, noting that that the public has a right to access federal records.

Help for ACA health plans could be harder to come by since RFK axed teams of ‘fixers’

Federal workers who help resolve complicated problems for Affordable Care Act policyholders are among those recently cut by the Trump administration.

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.

After delays, first vaccine advisory meeting under RFK Jr. set to start

For the first time since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became health secretary, vaccine advisers to the CDC are meeting to discuss vaccines for RSV, HPV, COVID and more.

Judge rules Alabama can’t prosecute groups helping patients get abortions elsewhere

Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, the decision allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs

What happens when a Chicago hospital bows to federal pressure on trans care for teens

Patients and parents speak out after Lurie Children's in Chicago joined other hospitals in stopping gender-affirming surgeries. President Trump's executive order threatened their federal funding.

From TV to CMS: How Dr. Oz could shape Medicare and Medicaid

Dr. Oz lacks policy experience but has TV show chops. Tom Scully, who led Medicare & Medicaid for President George W. Bush, argues that Oz is well-suited to be a spokesman for Trump's health care agenda.

After historic indictment, doctors will keep mailing abortion pills over state lines

Doctors who mail abortion medication pills across state lines have been on alert ever since Louisiana, which bans abortion, indicted a New York doctor for mailing the pills to a woman there.

Trump vowed to end surprise medical bills. The team working on that just got slashed

Trump's first round of staff cuts to federal agencies eliminated dozens of positions at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, in charge of implementing the No Surprises Act.

Some Trump voters want him to rein in health care costs. It’s unclear if he will

In polls and focus groups, Trump voters say they want the government to do something about big medical bills. It's a big change from 5 years ago, pollsters say, and may not be on Trump's agenda.

NIH funding freeze stalls applications on $1.5 billion in medical research funds

The National Institutes of Health had to stop considering new grant applications, delaying funding for research into diseases ranging from heart disease and cancer to Alzheimer's and allergies.

Trump’s picks to oversee Medicare and biomedical research will divest stock

Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominated to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will sell shares in Eli Lilly and UnitedHealth. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH nominee, will shed stock in Walmart and Nvidia.

Republican proposals to cut Medicaid could be politically fraught

Republicans are proposing deep cuts to Medicaid to finance tax cuts and other priorities. Pushback is coming not only from Democrats, but also from hospitals that rely on revenue from the program.

Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for young people puts hospitals in a bind

Hospitals and clinics that have offered gender-affirming treatments to transgender youth reacted in a variety of ways to an executive order that aims to halt the care.

Why many Republicans think shrinking Medicaid will make it better

Republicans proposals to change the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans could amount to more than $2 trillion of cuts over the next decade.