A national plastic surgeons group is warning patients to “do their homework” before getting liposuction, a Brazilian butt lift, or other cosmetic procedures.
That's after an investigation by KFF Health News and NBC News examined allegations of disfiguring injuries and deaths tied to the surgeries.
Many independent primary care practices are in financial trouble. Some are banding together to increase their market power when negotiating with insurance companies.
Some insurers say it let's them offer an alternative to the fee-for-service payment model.
Older Americans are losing billions of dollars each year to financial exploitation. Hundreds of banks and investment firms are training employees to spot red flags and stop the transactions.
Across the nation, children's visits to the ER for preventable tooth problems has risen sharply since the pandemic, more the doubling in some communities.
Policy changes under the Trump administration are poised to worsen the trend, report
@farrellbrenner.bsky.social & @zhangela.bsky.social ⤵️
Although other Democratic leaders and public health leaders have openly criticized the federal government, few have been as outspoken as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is considering a run for president in 2028.
Many states must adopt Medicaid work requirements by January under Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
That's not required in Florida, but lawmakers there are proposing the work requirements anyway.
The move baffles health care advocates. Some doubt it’s even legal.
This month is 40 years since @julierovner.bsky.social began reporting on health policy in Washington.
To mark the anniversary, Rovner speaks with two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.
“There’s been a fundamental destruction.”
Scientists are leaving the National Institutes of Health in droves under President Donald Trump.
@rachanadpradhan.bsky.social & @k-hought.bsky.social report on what's left behind ⤵️
The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine.
Now, after Sen. Bill Cassidy tried to simultaneously back vaccines and RFK Jr., he's fighting for his political life.
Can’t afford health insurance this year?
➡️ Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about $$ and the cost of care
➡️ Search for providers that specifically work with uninsured patients
➡️ Call your local health department
➡️ Research generic drug options & shop around
Listen for more tips 🎧
Patient advocates say state administrators in Iowa appears to be reining in Medicaid spending by cutting home care services for people with disabilities that help them live outside institutions.
National groups are bracing for similar cuts elsewhere.
Thousands of Minnesotans are still too scared to leave home, even for desperately needed medical care. So doctors and nurses have quietly operated informal, underground medical networks to bring that care to them.
Some state lawmakers and health associations say the political rhetoric around a federal program initially pitched to keep rural hospitals afloat doesn’t match reality.
“[It] will not save a single hospital in our state,” said the head of the Nebraska Rural Health Association.
Many cities send teams of mental health professionals to respond to calls for people experiencing delusions or hallucinations instead of police.
But without consistent sources of funding, some mobile crisis teams are shutting down despite their successes. Can states step in?
Health care prices are on the rise, with bills for many brief, routine procedures reaching tens of thousands of dollars.
Patients are flummoxed that even insurance companies aren’t doing more to control costs.
For years, many cash-strapped cities haven’t prioritized lead cleanups. Lessons from several cities and one state may provide a road map for dealing with lead in pipes, soil and paint.
@halleparker.bsky.social reports ⤵️
Several states have expanded dental services for Medicaid patients in recent years. But with federal funding cuts looming from the Big Beautiful Bill, many states could roll back coverage.
“We will lose all the gains we have made,” one dental policy researcher said.
NEW: Most of the Medicaid cuts passed by congressional Republicans last year don't take effect until after the midterms, but the Trump's signature law is already squeezing state Medicaid programs.
In Idaho, one service on the possible chopping block is home care for people with disabilities.
In the wake of the federal Big Beautiful Bill, state lawmakers in Idaho and elsewhere are mulling cuts to Medicaid services that help disabled people live at home or in their communities.
“We just hold our breath every legislative session,” says one mother.
@realbrambo.bsky.social reports ⤵️
A Mass. woman knew the drug her doctor prescribed required preauthorization, but she didn’t realize the approval had an expiration date. It took weeks of calls and paperwork to get her prescription refilled.
Tips for navigating the process ⤵️
Insurers must approve certain treatments or tests, especially costly ones. Navigating the process, called prior authorization, can take weeks. Finding out when your prior authorization expires can help avoid health care disruptions.
Read more tips from @sarahboden.bsky.social ⤵️
The drug to treat his autoimmune disorder costs thousands of dollars per month. A copay card was supposed to help him cover his share. It lasted less than two months.
Then, he started rationing the pills.
After urging Republicans to make health care a central issue in midterm campaigns, Pres. Trump gave the issue only passing mention in his record-long State of the Union speech.
“Trump doesn’t really care that much about health care. He finds it complicated," says @sherylnyt.bsky.social🎧⤵️
Premium increases hit early retirees, middle-income earners, and residents of high-cost states hardest. Chaz and Jean Franklin are all three.
Read their full story ⤵️
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/insurance-premium-payments-terminal-diagnosis-aca-subsidies-covered-california/
More than 1,000 American nurses have been approved to work in British Columbia in less than a year.
Some said they are leaving the U.S. for one reason: President Donald Trump.
“It raises alarm bells," said @kellymorrisonmn.bsky.social. "There are no beds, no blankets, minimal food. It’s freezing in there. Everyone is in leg shackles. It’s chaotic, disorganized, and frankly dangerous.”
@stephaniearmour.bsky.social reports ⤵️
Measles was supposed to be history in the U.S., but it’s spreading among unvaccinated children in South and, now, North Carolina. Health experts warn it’s hard to tell it apart from other sicknesses. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
The federal government penalized a North Carolina hospital for mishandling two children with measles.
But doctors say mistakes can easily happen because few health workers have ever seen the disease.
@arjonesreports.bsky.social has more ⤵️
In a claim disputed by researchers, RFK Jr. says he knows people, including family members, who’ve had a tougher time quitting SSRI anxiety meds than people have quitting heroin.
Doctors say the drugs are safe for extended use.
Louisiana has among the nation's worst health outcomes for mothers & new babies.
A program in New Orleans is trying to improve those odds by sending a nurse to the family during the crucial first months of life. Lawmakers want to expand the program statewide, reports @rosemarywestwood.bsky.social.
