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Thereās a term for reducing unnecessary or harmful drugs: ādeprescribing.ā Especially as patients age, experts say, itās important to regularly review the medications theyāre taking.
Steep jumps in health insurance premiums and deductibles are top of mind for many voters heading into midterm elections. Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how rising costs may shape competitive races. She also distills plans from candidates on both sides of the aisle to bring costs down.
A new rule from the Justice Department upends a 25-year-old interpretation of federal disability law. Advocates fear it could result in cuts to services that help many disabled Americans live at home instead of in institutions.
The government will cap how much graduate students may borrow in federal loans. The new policy could leave many at the mercy of private lenders with higher interest rates. The borrowing limits will affect students pursuing expensive healthcare careers, and some worry they may impede efforts to diversify the healthcare workforce.
A work requirement is coming to Medicaid. Sam Whitehead tells WAMUās āHealth Hubā how to keep your coverage ā and whoās exempt from the new rule.
Squeezed between their young children and aging parents, the sandwich generation is juggling a lot. Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discusses embracing her identity as a caregiver and which resources are available to Washington, D.C., residents caring for family members.
Big cuts to healthcare programs in the 2025 GOP budget law are creating an affordability crunch for many Americans: Higher health insurance premiums. Confusion about who Medicaid will cover under the new rules. Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explains how the changes could leave nearly 2 million children uninsured.
As immigration authorities carry out President Donald Trumpās promise to conduct whatās billed as the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, several states are passing laws to protect the children of detained immigrants. Guardianship can become complicated when no family or friends are available to take temporary custody.
The Trump administration is seeking unprecedented access to medical records of federal workers and retirees, and their families. The data could be used to implement cost-saving measures, but it would also give the administration access to reams of personal information. Legal experts and insurers say the pursuit is overbroad.
As artificial intelligence embeds itself into health care, some physicians and patient advocates worry it could be used by insurance companies to refuse payment for care. Maryland passed one law banning AI from acting alone on a denial. Meanwhile, Virginiaās then-governor vetoed that stateās attempt at regulating AI in health insurance.
2026 has been a challenging year to buy health insurance. Contributing factors include changes to the Medicaid program and hikes to the cost of Obamacare plans. But doctors and researchers say there are ways people without insurance can find affordable care.
PrEP has been available for more than a decade, but billing mistakes, lack of awareness, and lingering stigma keep many people from getting the lifesaving HIV prevention medication.
Sweeps of encampments scatter homeless people, as medications are tossed and street medicine providers scramble to reconnect with their patients. Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses the aftermath on the Jan. 28 edition of WAMUās āHealth Hub.ā
In 2026, U.S. cancer registries that receive federal funding will be required by the Trump administration to classify patientsā sex as only male, female, or not stated/unknown.
National traffic deaths are higher than they were a decade ago, despite safety initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels. But recently that trajectory has changed in Washington, D.C., itself.
The Trump administration has taken another step to weaken protections for Americans with medical debt, issuing rules that undercut state efforts to keep these debts off consumersā credit reports.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMUās āHealth Hubā to discuss how the government shutdown is affecting food benefits and the help many Americans get to offset their health insurance premiums.
Environmental and economic concerns prompt some people to explore obsequies options beyond metal caskets and cremation.
The White House and congressional Republicans have made historic changes to the federal anti-hunger program SNAP. They say the changes will boost healthy eating for low-income Americans. Some nutrition experts arenāt so sure.
Confusion over federal immunization policy could have major implications for how families with private insurance and Medicaid pay for routine vaccinations. Some doctors are encouraging parents not to wait and get their children shots as soon as they are eligible.
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