“Realmente puedo sentarme, interactuar, concentrarme en ellos y escuchar”, dijo Boose, quien .

Hace aproximadamente dos años, comenzó a usar una aplicación de IA para tomar notas durante las consultas. La herramienta escucha mientras Boose habla con sus pacientes y luego genera automáticamente un resumen de la visita basado en la conversación.

Este resumen suele estar listo en cuestión de segundos después de que termina la cita.

“Se encarga de todo ese trabajo tedioso de registrar información y tomar notas durante la visita”, dijo. “Me libera mucho tiempo completando eso, y hasta puedo llegar a casa con mi familia más temprano”.

Casi un tercio de las prácticas médicas están utilizando asistentes de IA para tomar notas, y otras están trabajando para incorporar esta herramienta, con el objetivo de reducir el trabajo administrativo.

Si tu doctor sugiere usar un asistente de inteligencia artificial en tu próxima cita, hay tres cosas que debes tener en cuenta:

1. Los profesionales de salud deben pedirte permiso.

Al comienzo de una cita, tu doctor podría preguntarte algo como: “¿Está bien si uso un asistente de inteligencia artificial para ayudarme a tomar notas durante esta consulta?”. Una práctica común es aceptar el consentimiento verbal, no por escrito, antes de activar la herramienta. Sin embargo, los requisitos legales para obtener permiso para grabar una conversación con un paciente varían según el estado.

Boose dijo que el paciente puede pedir que se detenga al asistente de IA en cualquier momento, especialmente para hablar de algo sensible. Y si decides no usarlo, tu doctor probablemente volverá a tomar notas manualmente en una computadora.

1. Los asistentes de IA también cometen errores, así que revisa tu información.

Como otras herramientas de inteligencia artificial, estos asistentes pueden “alucinar”, es decir, agregar errores de forma espontánea en un registro. También pueden omitir información importante o perder el contexto dentro de una conversación.

Se supone que los profesionales de salud deben revisar y editar los resúmenes generados por IA antes de agregarlos al historial del paciente. Como paciente, es buena práctica revisar cuidadosamente el resumen de tu visita y comunicarte con tu proveedor de salud si notas errores.

1. Sí, la empresa de IA podría usar tus datos, pero con limitaciones.

Las empresas y sistemas de salud que ofrecen estas herramientas tienen acceso a datos médicos y están sujetos a normas federales sobre cómo usan y almacenan la información del paciente, bajo la Ley de Portabilidad y Responsabilidad del Seguro de Salud (HIPAA, por sus siglas en inglés).

Pueden usar los datos de tu consulta para mejorar su software sin informarte, dijo Darius Tahir, quien cubre tecnología de salud para Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News. “Si la información está ‘no identificada’, lo que puede significar eliminar identificadores y asegurarse de que no se pueda rastrear a una persona, entonces hay más libertad para usarla de otras maneras”, explicó. “Hay muchos menos requisitos regulatorios”.

Si quieres saber cómo se están usando tus datos, puedes preguntarle a tu doctor o al sistema de salud. Pero es posible que no recibas una respuesta clara, dijo Tahir.

Personas y políticas

Es probable que el sistema de salud en Estados Unidos continúe integrando tecnología de IA en la atención al paciente.

La administración Trump apoya firmemente su desarrollo y uso, especialmente en el sector salud. A comienzos de 2025, el presidente Donald Trump emitió una orden ejecutiva que reduce regulaciones existentes sobre inteligencia artificial para ayudar al país a “mantener el liderazgo global en inteligencia artificial”.

En diciembre, el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS) publicó una estrategia sobre IA en la que afirma que apoya “la integración de la inteligencia artificial para modernizar la atención y la infraestructura de salud pública y mejorar la salud a nivel individual y poblacional”.

Emily Siner, de Nashville Public Radio, contribuyó con este artículo.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Family physician Eric Boose has been using an artificial intelligence tool to get back to what he calls “old-fashioned medicine” — talking with patients face-to-face, without having to type into a computer at the same time.Ìý

“I can really just sit there and engage and just focus on them and listen,” saidÌýBoose, who .Ìý

Roughly twoÌýyears ago, he started using an AI notetaker app during patient visits. The tool listens while he talks with patients and then automatically generates a visit summary based on the conversation. The summary is usually ready within seconds after the appointment ends.Ìý

“It’s taking care of all that tedious work of charting and taking notes during the visit,” he said. “It’s just freeing up a lot more time to get that done, and I can get home to my family earlier.”Ìý

Nearly a third of physician practices are using AIÌýscribesÌýand others are working to add the tool, in an effort to cut down on administrative work.Ìý

If your practitioner suggests using an AI scribe at your next appointment,Ìýhere are three things to keep in mind:

1.ÌýClinicians should ask for your permission.Ìý

At the start of an appointment, your doctor might ask something like, “Are you OK if I use an AI scribe to help me take notes during this appointment?”ÌýA common practiceÌýis to accept verbal, not written, consent from patients before turning the tool on. However, the legal requirements for getting permission to record aÌýpatientÌýconversation vary by state.Ìý

Boose said you can ask to pause the AI scribe at any point, especially to discuss something sensitive. And if you decline altogether, your practitioner willÌýlikely returnÌýto taking manual notes on a computer.Ìý

2.ÌýAI scribes make mistakes too, so check their work.Ìý

Like other AI tools, medical scribes can “hallucinate,” or spontaneously add errors into a record. AI scribes can also omitÌýimportant informationÌýor miss context clues within a conversation.Ìý

Clinicians are supposed to review and edit the AI-generated visit summaries before adding them to aÌýpatient’sÌýrecord. As a patient,Ìýit’sÌýa good practice to carefully review your visit summary and contact your health provider if you notice errors.Ìý

3.ÌýYes, the AI company could use your data, with limitations.Ìý

Companies and health systems that offer AI scribe tools have access to medical data and are subject to federal standards about how they use and store patient data, under theÌýHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known asÌýHIPAA.Ìý

They may use data from your appointment to help improve their software without informing you, said Darius Tahir, who reports on health technology for Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.Ìý“ IfÌýinformation is ‘de-identified,’Ìýwhich can mean stripping it of identifiers [and] making sureÌýit’sÌýnot personally traceable back to people, then it isÌýmore freeÌýto be used in more ways,” he said. “There are way fewer regulatory requirements.”Ìý

If you want to know how your data is being used, ask either your practitioner or medical system for more information. But you might not get a clear answer,ÌýTahirÌýsaid.Ìý

People and PolicyÌý

The U.S. health care system willÌýlikely continueÌýto integrate AI technology into patient care. The Trump administration strongly supports the development and use of AI, especially in health care. In early 2025, President Donald Trump issuedÌýÌýreducing existing regulations on AI to help the U.S. “retain global leadership of artificial intelligence.” In December, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releasedÌýanÌýÌýstating that the department supports “integrating AI to modernize care and public health infrastructure to improve health at the individual and population levels.”Ìý

Emily Siner at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.Ìý

HealthQÌýis a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable health care system.ÌýIt’sÌýa collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Severe ankle pain drove Jelon Smart to start taking a weight loss injection a year and a half ago.

Smart was 285 pounds and worked as a caterer in Savannah, Georgia. After she’d been standing on her feet for long hours, her ankles would be “as swollen as a football,” she said. She was walking with a limp. An orthopedic doctor diagnosed her with Achilles tendinitis and recommended losing weight to mitigate the symptoms. Smart began taking the brand-name GLP-1 Ozempic.

The appetite suppression resulted in her shedding pounds quickly, at first.

“I lost 30 pounds initially without changing anything,” said Smart, 48. But then she found herself unable to shed additional pounds.

GLP-1s have quickly become one of the most popular types of weight loss drug in America. Nearly 1 in 5 people have taken them at some point, , a health information nonprofit that includes Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News. But doctors say it takes more than a regular shot for patients to achieve their weight goals in the long run.

Here’s what to know.

The Old-School Rules of Weight Loss and Health Still Apply

Regular exercise, smart food choices, plenty of sleep — those basic, healthy lifestyle choices are not only going to help you lose weight on a weight loss drug but also help you keep it off, said Dafina Allen, an  obesity medicine physician who runs a clinic in Saginaw, Michigan. For example, some people find that they eat less on a GLP-1, “but they’re not improving their health because they’re not exercising. They’re not improving the quality of the food they’re eating,” Allen said. The path to weight loss is also guided by hormones, metabolism, and genetics.

After her weight loss on Ozempic plateaued, Smart realized she needed to start moving her body, too.  “I’m in the gym now six days a week,” she said. “I went from 285 to 175” pounds. The swelling and pain in her ankle went away as well.

Mental Health Matters, Too

The mind and body are deeply connected. Food and body image can be especially emotional, Allen said. “I can tell you about the patients that I helped lose 50 pounds, that I helped lose 100 pounds, and they still look in the mirror and are not happy.”

The key is seeking help for mental health along the way, said Gerald Onuoha, who practices internal medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. “Making sure that you’re talking to people about your problems, whether it’s a family member or a licensed professional, I think goes a long way,” he said.

Work With a Doctor To Closely Monitor Your Dosage

Onuoha said people can run into serious problems if they increase their GLP-1 dosage too quickly or don’t follow the recommended schedule. He’s seen patients come to the hospital with pancreatitis, gallstones, or acute kidney injury.  “I always ask patients that are on GLP-1s: How long have they been on them?” he said. “Are they adhering to the directions? Because those things determine whether or not you’re going to have those complications.”

Part of the issue, Allen said, is that GLP-1s are relatively easy to access — and often much cheaper — through online pharmacies or websites, but those providers may not educate patients about their dosage or side effects. “So they might just go online, find a random company that will ship it to their house, where they don’t even know what dose of the medication they’re taking, or even if the medicine is safe for them as the patient with the medical conditions they have,” she said.

People and Policy

GLP-1 drugs can be costly, and most insurance programs — public or private — don’t cover the medications for weight loss. Medicaid, the government program that covers 69 million Americans, covers GLP-1s for medically accepted conditions like diabetes, but only about a dozen state Medicaid programs cover GLP-1s for obesity treatment, . For older Americans with Medicare, the federal government is planning to allow temporary coverage of GLP-1s for weight loss starting in July.

Katherine Ruppelt at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable health care system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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“La semana pasada me hicieron un tratamiento de conducto (endodoncia) que costó unos $500”, dijo. “Antes me colocaron una corona que me costó varios cientos de dólares. Y ahora mismo tengo un diente roto, así que tengo que ir al dentista pronto”.

En total, Anthony calcula que pagará alrededor de $2.000 por esta atención este año, aunque tiene seguro dental.

“Tratar de evaluar el costo de cuándo ir a recibir atención dental y pagar por ello, frente a otras necesidades que tengo, es algo muy importante”, agregó Anthony.

La Asociación Dental Estadounidense (American Dental Association, ADA) informó que el tenía seguro dental en 2021. Pero esa cobertura no protege necesariamente contra facturas elevadas.

De hecho, 1 de cada 4 adultos con seguro dental reportó que el costo es una barrera para recibir atención, de KFF, una organización sin fines de lucro de información de salud que incluye Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Aquí hay tres cosas que debes saber para entender mejor tu plan dental y mantener los costos lo más bajos posible:

1. Incluso con seguro dental, tendrás que pagar por procedimientos

Los planes dentales suelen cubrir completamente la atención de rutina, pero solo pagan una parte del trabajo adicional. Los beneficios varían, pero muchos planes siguen la regla “100/80/50”: cubren el 100% de la atención preventiva, como limpiezas y exámenes, el 80% en el caso de procedimientos básicos, como empastes y endodoncias, y el 50% de otros procedimientos mayores.

Además, los planes dentales suelen tener un límite máximo anual de pago, por lo general, de entre $1.000 y $2.000. Los pacientes deben pagar cualquier costo que supere ese límite. Por ejemplo, si tu plan tiene un máximo de $1.500 y necesitas $4.000 en tratamientos dentales, tendrás que pagar la diferencia de $2.500.

1. ¿Enfrentas una factura dental alta? Tienes opciones

Puede resultar incómodo hablar de dinero directamente con un dentista, pero es útil ser claro sobre lo que puedes pagar.

Muchas clínicas odontológicas ofrecen opciones de financiamiento para ayudar a los pacientes a manejar el costo de la atención, incluyendo estimaciones previas al tratamiento y planes de pago. Si recibes un presupuesto que parece muy alto, revisa los detalles y considera buscar una segunda opinión. También puedes preguntar si ofrecen algún descuento.

Si necesitas una opción de menor costo, puedes considerar las escuelas de odontología, que a menudo ofrecen atención con descuento, o los , que ajustan los precios según los ingresos del paciente.

1. Visitar al dentista con regularidad puede ayudar a mantener bajos los costos

Sarah Olim, dentista generalista en Katy, Texas, recomienda a sus pacientes hacer cita cada seis meses.

“Lo mejor que puede hacer para reducir el costo de ir al dentista es asegurarse de ir con regularidad y tratar los problemas a tiempo”, dijo.

Olim atiende a pacientes sin importar cuánto tiempo haya pasado desde su última visita. Pero advirtió que quienes esperan varios años entre consultas pueden encontrar que sus citas son más costosas y más incómodas.

¿La razón? Los problemas dentales generalmente no se resuelven por sí solos. Por ejemplo, una caries pequeña que requiere un empaste rápido puede costar $200. Si no se trata, puede convertirse en un problema mayor que requiera un tratamiento de conducto o endodoncia y una corona, con un costo de miles de dólares.

Tu dentista también te recomendará seguir medidas preventivas básicas: cepillarte los dientes durante dos minutos, dos veces al día. Olim aconseja a sus pacientes tomarse el tiempo o escuchar una canción que les guste para asegurarse de cepillarse el tiempo suficiente.

Personas y políticas

Los legisladores federales han intentado aumentar el acceso de los niños al seguro dental. Bajo la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), la atención dental se considera un , por lo que los planes de salud en el mercado individual deben ofrecer cobertura dental para menores de 18 años.

Los programas estatales de Medicaid también .

Emily Siner, de Nashville Public Radio, contribuyó con este informe.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Russell Anthony made eight trips to the dentist last year. The 65-year-old retiree in Nashville, Tennessee, hopes to go less often in 2026, but he’s already made a few visits.

“I had a root canal just last week that was like $500,” he said. “The week before that, I had a crown that cost me several hundred dollars. And as we speak, I have a broken tooth, and I have to go and see the dentist soon.”

In all, Anthony — uncle of HealthQ host Cara Anthony — expects to pay about $2,000 for dental care this year, even though he has dental insurance.

“Trying to weigh the cost of when to go to get dental care and paying for it, versus the other needs that I have, is something that’s very important,” Russell Anthony said.

The American Dental Association reported that had dental insurance in 2021. But that coverage does not necessarily protect against large bills. In fact, 1 in 4 adults with dental insurance reported costs as a barrier to care, according to a by KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Here are three things to know to better understand your insurance plan and keep your dental costs as low as possible:

1. Even With Dental Insurance, You’ll Have To Pay for Procedures

Dental plans typically cover routine care in full but pay only a portion of additional work. Benefits vary, but many plans follow the “100/80/50” rule, covering 100% of preventive care like cleanings and exams, 80% of basic procedures like fillings and root canals, and 50% of other major procedures.

Plus, dental plans often have a maximum annual payout, usually between $1,000 and $2,000. Patients are responsible for any costs above that. For example, if your plan maxes out at $1,500 and you need $4,000 of dental treatments, you will be on the hook for the difference of $2,500.

2. Facing a Big Dental Bill? You Have Options

It might feel uncomfortable to talk about finances directly with a dentist, but it’s helpful to be up-front about what you can afford.

Many dentist offices offer financial options to help patients manage the cost of care, including pretreatment estimates and payment plans. If you get an estimate that seems especially high, talk through the items and consider getting a second opinion. It never hurts to ask the office for a discount.

If you need a lower-cost alternative, consider looking into dental schools, which often offer discounted care, or , which use sliding scales based on a patient’s income.

3. Seeing Your Dentist Regularly Can Help Keep Costs Low

Sarah Olim, a general dentist in Katy, Texas, encourages her patients to come in for visits every six months.

“The best thing that you can do to mitigate the cost of going to the dentist is make sure that you are going regularly and trying to take care of things early,” she said.

Olim welcomes patients no matter how long it’s been since their last visit. But she cautioned that patients who wait a few years between visits may find their appointments are more expensive and more uncomfortable.

The reason? Dental problems often don’t resolve on their own. For example, a small cavity that needs a quick filling might cost $200. If left untreated, it could turn into a larger issue requiring a root canal and crown — and cost thousands.

Your dentist will also encourage you to follow the best preventive maintenance: brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day. Olim tells her patients to use a timer or listen to a favorite song to make sure they brush long enough.

People and Policy

Federal lawmakers have tried to increase children’s access to dental insurance. Under the Affordable Care Act, dental care is considered , so health insurance plans on the individual marketplace must offer dental coverage for those 18 or younger. State Medicaid programs are also for children.

Emily Siner at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable health care system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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This story can be republished for free (details).

When Mike McKee thinks about saving money for the future, he has a few priorities. Maxing out his retirement is one. Building up his kid’s college fund is another.

Opening up a health savings account? Not so much, even though he qualifies because of his high-deductible health plan.

“I’m so frustrated with the system that has anything to do with medical savings,” said McKee, 42, a self-employed musician in Nashville, Tennessee. “I’m just so turned off emotionally that I have to be really careful to be logical about it.”

More Americans are eligible to open an HSA — a kind of tax-free savings account that lets them sock away money for medical expenses — after changes that were part of new legislation last year. But an HSA can be a headache to set up and navigate.

Here’s what to know about how they work and when they’re worth it.

Like a Tax-Free Investment Account for Medical Expenses

With an HSA, you set aside money from your paycheck before taxes, and you can use that money to pay for medical expenses later. , including medications, glasses, orthodontia, and many kinds of therapy.

You have options for the money in the account, including investing it. Some people call HSAs a “triple tax advantage”: There are no taxes on the money that goes in, no taxes on any interest earned, and no taxes on the money that comes out for medical expenses.

Pro tip: An HSA is not the same as an FSA, or flexible spending account, even though it sounds similar. An FSA also lets you put pretax income into an account for medical expenses, but you typically lose unspent money at the end of the calendar year. By contrast, HSA money stays in your account until you spend it. Think F for “forfeit” and H for “hold on to.”

The Admin Work of an HSA Can Be a Real Barrier

First, you have to find out whether your health plan allows for an HSA. Most high-deductible health plans do, but with these plans you might have to spend thousands of dollars before most benefits kick in. Starting this year, plans on the individual Affordable Care Act marketplace that are categorized as “bronze” or “catastrophic” are also eligible. (The easiest way to find out whether you qualify is to call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask.)

Then, you have to open the HSA on your own through a financial institution — although if you get health insurance through a job, your employer might have preferred institutions. And finally, you have to keep track of your qualified medical expenses. You pay for them using a special debit card or by submitting claims for reimbursement, usually through an online portal. Either way, it’s smart to hold on to receipts.

People and Policy

If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you may find it difficult to take advantage of the tax savings that come with an HSA. “HSAs, in this way, tend to benefit more the higher-income enrollees, because those are the ones who have the disposable income to set aside at the end of the month,” said Michelle Long, a policy researcher at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News. Plus, people with higher incomes and higher tax brackets have more to gain from getting discounts on their taxes, which is basically what an HSA provides.

Katherine Ruppelt at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable health care system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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When she noticed an unusual craving for hot dogs, Matte’a Brooks suspected her body was telling her something, so she decided to take a pregnancy test. She took two just to be sure. Both were positive.

“I was definitely scared,” said Brooks, 23, who was uninsured. “I was like, OK … I’m pregnant, so where do I go from here?”

Until then she hadn’t thought much about health care, but that changed when she found out that her daughter was on the way.

Brooks got that news last winter. The mix of joy, anxiety, and excitement she felt mirrors what many new parents feel at this time of year. Many Americans find out in January or February that they’re expecting, because in the U.S., August has consistently high birth rates.

A growing body of research shows that prenatal care can make a huge difference to the long-term health of both the parent and baby. This is part of why offers health coverage to pregnant women who meet income requirements and might otherwise go uninsured.

As a result, Medicaid pays for more than 40% of births in the U.S. and an even higher percentage in rural areas, according to KFF. But Medicaid also comes with limitations, and providers may restrict how many Medicaid patients they take, since the payments are than other insurers’.

Here are three things to know about signing up for Medicaid when pregnant.

1. Pregnancy Makes You a Priority

To sign up for government health care, you have to meet a number of requirements that vary widely by state. Most importantly, your income has to be below a certain threshold. In several states, most adults cannot qualify, regardless of income, if they’re not disabled or the parent of a child.

But the math is different for pregnancy. In Tennessee, for example, the eligibility cutoff in pregnancy is the income threshold for some other residents. So if you didn’t qualify for Medicaid previously and are now pregnant, it’s worth double-checking your state’s requirements.

2. Getting Covered Can Be Surprisingly Easy

To apply, you’ll likely proof of income, your Social Security number, and proof of residency. Brooks, an Illinois resident, told HealthQ that she found the sign-up process surprisingly easy. She learned about Medicaid from the provider at her initial prenatal visit.

“They asked if I had insurance. I didn’t know anything at the time,” she said. The nonprofit clinic gave her some phone numbers for the state Medicaid agency. She called and went to an in-person appointment to complete her application. She walked out of the office with coverage. In , pregnancy results in “presumptive eligibility,” which provides immediate coverage — even without confirmation of the pregnancy — while the application goes through the approval process.

3. Coverage Can Go Beyond Standard Medical Care

Medicaid provides all prenatal care at no out-of-pocket cost and usually a of postpartum care. That’s what happened to Brooks: Her appointments, medications, and delivery were free.

States cover dental, vision, and mental health care to varying degrees. Ashley Farrell, who lost her job when she was pregnant and applied to Medicaid in Georgia, said she received “rewards for going to your appointments,” including . Benefits vary by state.

People and Policy

Some maternal health advocates about how Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect pregnancy coverage. Though it’s unclear when or how, states might scale back eligibility or offerings for expectant mothers.

Katherine Ruppelt at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer — approachable guides to an unapproachable health care system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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“Definitivamente me asusté”, dijo Brooks, de 23 años, quien no tenía seguro de salud. “Pensé: OK… estoy embarazada, ¿y ahora qué hago?”.

Hasta ese momento no había pensado mucho en el tema de la atención médica, pero eso cambió cuando supo que su hija estaba en camino.

Brooks recibió la noticia el invierno pasado. La mezcla de alegría, ansiedad y emoción que sintió refleja lo que muchas personas experimentan al enterarse de que serán madres o padres, especialmente en esta época del año. En el país, es frecuente que los embarazos se descubran en enero o febrero, ya que agosto es uno de los meses con mayor cantidad de nacimientos.

Cada vez hay más investigaciones que muestran que el cuidado prenatal puede tener un impacto muy importante en la salud tanto de la embarazada como del bebé, con efectos a largo plazo.

Por eso, ofrecen cobertura médica a las mujeres embarazadas que cumplen con ciertos requisitos de ingresos y que, de otro modo, podrían quedarse sin seguro.

Como resultado, Medicaid cubre más del 40% de los partos y un porcentaje aún mayor en zonas rurales, según KFF. Sin embargo, el programa también tiene limitaciones: algunos proveedores limitan la cantidad de pacientes que atienden a través de Medicaid porque sus Ìýpagos son que los de otros seguros médicos.

A continuación, tres cosas que debes saber sobre cómo inscribirte en Medicaid si estás embarazada:

1. El embarazo te da prioridad

Para afiliarse al seguro médico del gobierno hay que cumplir con una serie de requisitos, que varían mucho según el estado. El más importante es el nivel de ingresos, que debe estar por debajo de cierto límite. En varios estados, la mayoría de las personas adultas no pueden calificar, sin que importe el dinero que ganan, a menos que tengan una discapacidad o sean madres o padres de un menor.

Pero el cálculo cambia si estás embarazada. En Tennessee, por ejemplo, el umbral de ingresos para ser elegible para Medicaid durante el embarazo es de alto que el que rige para otros grupos. Así que, si antes no calificabas y ahora estás embarazada, vale la pena que revises nuevamente los requisitos de tu estado.

2. Obtener cobertura puede ser más fácil de lo que parece

Para solicitar Medicaid, probablemente de tus ingresos, tu número de Seguro Social y tu lugar de residencia.

Brooks, quien vive en Illinois, contó a HealthQ que el proceso para inscribirse fue más fácil de lo que esperaba. Se enteró sobre Medicaid durante su primera consulta prenatal.

“Me preguntaron si tenía seguro médico. En ese momento yo no sabía nada”, dijo. En la clínica comunitaria sin fines de lucro donde se atendió le dieron los números de teléfono de la agencia estatal de Medicaid. Llamó, fue a una cita en persona y completó su solicitud. Salió de la oficina con cobertura médica.

En , el embarazo da lugar a lo que se llama “elegibilidad presunta”, lo que significa que se otorga cobertura médica inmediata —incluso sin confirmación del embarazo— mientras se procesa la solicitud oficial.

3. La cobertura va más allá de la atención médica básica

Medicaid cubre todo el cuidado prenatal sin ningún costo para la paciente y, en general, también incluye de atención posparto. Así fue en el caso de Brooks: las consultas, los medicamentos y el parto fueron gratuitos.

Los estados también cubren, en distinta medida, atención dental, de la vista y de salud mental. Ashley Farrell, quien perdió su empleo cuando estaba embarazada y solicitó Medicaid en Georgia, dijo que recibió “recompensas por asistir a las consultas médicas”, como .

Los beneficios varían en cada estado.

Personas y políticas públicas

Algunos defensores de la salud materna por cómo los recortes a Medicaid promovidos por la ley conocida como One Big Beautiful Bill Act podrían afectar la cobertura para las embarazadas.

Aunque aún no está claro cuándo o cómo ocurrirán los cambios, es posible que los estados pongan más requisitos para acceder al programa o limiten los beneficios para quienes esperan un bebé.

Katherine Ruppelt, de Nashville Public Radio, colaboró con este artículo.

HealthQ es una serie sobre salud de los reporteros Cara Anthony y Blake Farmer. Son guías accesibles dentro de un sistema de salud que no lo es tanto. Es una colaboración entre Nashville Public Radio y Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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It’s feeding time for the animals on this property outside Nashville, Tennessee. An albino raccoon named Cricket reaches through the wires of its cage to grab an animal cracker, an appetizer treat right before the evening meal.

“Cricket is blind,” said Robert Sory, who is trying to open a nonprofit animal sanctuary along with his wife, Emily. “A lot of our animals come to us with issues.”

The menagerie in Thompson’s Station includes Russian foxes, African porcupines, emus, bobcats, and some well-fed goats.

The Sorys are passionate about their pets and seem to put the animals’ needs before their own.

Both Robert and Emily started 2026 without health insurance.

Robert had been covered through a marketplace plan subsidized through the Affordable Care Act. His share of the monthly premiums was $0. When he looked up the rates for 2026, he saw that a barebones “bronze”-level plan would cost him at least $70 a month. He decided to forgo coverage altogether.

“When you don’t have any income coming in, it doesn’t matter how cheap it is,” he said. “It’s not affordable.”

Dumping Coverage

Marketplace plans from the Affordable Care Act no longer feel very affordable to many people, because Congress did not extend a package of enhanced subsidies that expired at the end of 2025. Last week, the House did pass legislation to extend theÌýexpired subsidies, and negotiations have moved to the Senate. Without a deal, an estimated will go without coverage this year.

But even without a health plan, people will still need medical care. Many, like the Sorys, have been thinking through their plan B to maintain their health.

The Sorys both lost jobs in November, within days of each other. Robert worked as a farmhand. Emily worked at a staffing firm and lost her insurance along with her position.

“It’s a horrible, horrible market right now. Really tough,” she said.

The first time she had to pay out-of-pocket for her three monthly prescriptions, the cost was $184.

“To equate that to kind of how we think about it, you’re talking about 350 pounds of food for these animals,” Robert said. He pointed to his bobcats, who eat only meat.

Workarounds for the Newly Uninsured

To keep kibble in the food bowls, the Sorys are prepping for an uninsured future. They see the same psychiatrist and met with him to make a plan. He was willing to work with them by charging $125 per visit. They’ll have to go every three months to keep their prescriptions current.

And if other medical problems emerge? They’re hoping for the best.

“I’m not somebody who gets sick super often, thank God,” Robert said. “And if I do, generally I go to an emergency room where they’re going to bill me later.” Robert said he would arrange a repayment plan for bills like that.

Emily has costly health conditions and has already taken on substantial medical debt. “It’s just sitting there, and I’ve racked up money,” she said. “But I’ve had to go to the doctor.”

Donated Drugs and Sliding Scales

Hospitals and clinics are of newly uninsured patients. They’re also concerned that people won’t know about alternative ways to get medical care.

“We don’t have marketing dollars, so you’re not going to see big billboards or radio ads,” said , CEO of in Nashville. It’s one of the country’s 1,400 federally qualified health centers, also called FQHCs.

FQHCs are by the federal government. Although they do not usually offer free care, their fees tend to be lower or on a sliding scale.

Uninsured people who get care receive a bill, Beard said, “but the bill will be based on their ability to pay.”

FQHCs often have on-site pharmacies, and some offer prescription medications free of charge through a partnership with the , a Nashville-based nonprofit.

Many hospital pharmacies also partner with the nonprofit, which has donated by pharmaceutical companies to 277 sites in 38 states. must make the medicine available free of charge to people without insurance who have annual incomes below 300% of the federal poverty limit.

The organization primarily sources medications for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental health. Demand is expected to outstrip supply in the new year, according to .

“We’re projecting and engaging with our manufacturers and asking them, ‘Are you willing to help support, for this future status that we are anticipating?’” he said. “By and large,” he said, pharmaceutical companies have said they’re willing to step up.

“It’s a continuous conversation that we’re having,” Cornwell said.

A Medicaid ‘Gap’ in 10 States

Hospitals will also have to find a way to care for more patients who cannot pay. Industry groups such as the have been vocal about the threat to hospitals’ financial health and have urged Congress to extend the enhanced subsidies, which take the form of tax credits.

The impact might be most acute in states like Tennessee that have not expanded Medicaid to cover people who work but do not have job-based insurance and cannot afford it on their own.

Ten states have chosen not to expand Medicaid to uninsured, low-income adults — an optional provision of the ACA that is mainly paid for by federal funds.

This Medicaid “gap” is , at the high end of the spectrum, by as much as 65% in Mississippi and by 50% in South Carolina, according to the Urban Institute.

As Emily Sory pets a Russian fox, she admits she is keenly aware that she will soon become part of this growing population. After all, her last job involved health care staffing. Her mother is a nurse.

“I understand the system. And I get it’s people like me that don’t pay their bill are why it suffers. And I feel bad,” she said. “But at the same time, I don’t have the money to pay it.”

This article is from a partnership that includesÌý,Ìý, and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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Parents in Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio, and Georgia are their districts to revive strict rules on nits and live lice. They blame recent outbreaks on the from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that allow students with live lice to remain in class. Before the start of this school year, the Hernando County School District, north of Tampa, Florida, acted to reinstate a policy abandoned in 2022.

“It’s a reinfestation, over and over and over,” said Shannon Rodriguez, who chairs the Hernando school board. In July, she told fellow board members that she’s seen the vicious cycle among families. “What do you do as a parent? Put them back in school with the same kid or kids that are in the classroom who have it? It’s just a never-ending battle.”

Public health officials consider lice a nuisance, not a health threat. Outside of small studies, data collection is scarce. With very little data on infestations, it’s hard to know whether more inclusive policies have anything to do with isolated outbreaks.

The of annual infestations in the U.S. are broad and unreliable since so many cases go unreported. The CDC puts the number between 6 million and 12 million, affecting mostly preschoolers and elementary-age children.

“It really is about education because there are so many myths and so many misunderstandings about lice out there,” said of the chapter in Tennessee. “This isn’t a topic that most people talk about.”

NASN and the American Academy of Pediatrics have supported since at least 2002. But the recommendations were taken more seriously after the covid-19 pandemic affirmed the importance of face-to-face schooling.

“I think that people are starting to realize the value of in-person school and that really anything that takes them out of that should be scrutinized,” pediatrician of told NPR and Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News. “Head lice is not a valid reason to keep a kid out of school or be dismissed from school.”

Nolt co-authored the issued by the AAP in 2022, which incorporated new research but largely echoed prior recommendations. It discourages widespread lice checks in schools, as published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal found that lice are frequently misidentified, which leads to unnecessary treatment and isolation of lice-free children.

It takes four to six weeks for lice to go from nits to a full-blown infestation. Only then would a child be seen head-scratching uncontrollably, caused by an allergic reaction to the parasites’ saliva.

“Kicking them out on a Wednesday when they’ve been having it for the past four to six weeks is not going to do anything. But it’s going to take that kid out of school and shame that kid and shame that family,” Nolt said. “I just think that’s not acceptable.”

Inclusion is the priority, even if it may inconvenience others or sow financial costs. Over-the-counter remedies, such as creams, gels, or shampoos, can add up. Professional treatment, which often involves manually picking out lice and nits, can run into the per person. And sometimes lice hits an entire household.Ìý

This summer, a preschool outside Nashville, Tennessee, endured its biggest outbreak yet. Roughly a third of the kids at the ended up with lice.

Owner knew the latest recommendations were to play it cool. So she kept everyone in school, and they faced the dreaded four-letter word together. And then she .

“It’s not as bad as you think it is,” Bryson said. “I mean, yes, we had quite a few kids with it, and it went to parents and siblings. But it’s manageable.”

Among the affected families was Stephanie Buck, who also teaches at the day care. Lice ran through her household, requiring pricey treatments to rid them all of the infestation.

Buck said she’s torn about the best approach to combat lice, balancing the shame and stigma with the practical matter of containing an outbreak.

“Because my daughter was really embarrassed when she found out that she was the first one who got checked and she had it,” Buck said. “It’s hard. You want to protect your babies’ hearts, but you also want to keep them from getting lice.”

This article is from a partnership with and .

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

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This story can be republished for free (details).