Your New Therapist: Chatty, Leaky, and Hardly Human
With high demand for mental health care, a wave of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are being marketed as therapy apps ā with little evidence they work and few regulations.
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With high demand for mental health care, a wave of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are being marketed as therapy apps ā with little evidence they work and few regulations.
Starting next year, about 18.5 million adults will be subject to new Medicaid work rules in 42 states and Washington, D.C. Applicants must show theyāve been working for at least a month before receiving benefits. Some Republican-controlled states want to triple the required work period.
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measlesā comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contain the virus. āThat weāre even talking about this is nuts,ā one virologist said.
After Eric Tennant died, his widow vowed to speak out against West Virginiaās Public Employees Insurance Agency, which had denied cancer treatment recommended by Tennantās doctor. Her efforts paid off. In March, West Virginiaās governor signed a bill to protect some patients from harm tied to prior authorization.
Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the āRussian, Armenian mafiaā in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.
The worldās largest professional psychiatry organization is preparing for the day when biological indicators can help diagnose and treat mental illness.
A growing body of evidence indicates that immigrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement face medical consequences because of serious gaps in basic health care services. Itās adding to the political backlash against the Trump administrationās aggressive deportation policies.
As the number of cases grows to about 1,000 in the Carolinas, health care workers whoāve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.
At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.
A revolt is afoot in both red and blue states against the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance determinations ā and against efforts led by President Donald Trump to tie statesā hands.
Tribal insurance programs give Native Americans access to affordable health care when the Indian Health Service falls short. Those plans are threatened by the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Studies increasingly offer insights into the health risks and burdens faced by people who have had covid infections. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has narrowed covid vaccine recommendations and cut research.
Two Trump administration regulatory rollbacks affect nursing home staffing and home care workers, and a new AI experiment in Medicare has alarmed eldercare advocates and congressional Democrats.
Measles is at a 30-year high in the U.S., but technicalities may stave off the loss of the nationās measles elimination status.
Native American women face higher rates of death than other demographics. In response, Native Americans have been working with state and federal officials to boost tribal participation and leadership in maternal mortality review committees to better track and address pregnancy-related deaths.
Every state will receive at least $100 million annually from the federal Rural Health Transformation fund, but some scored millions more based on how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services judged the āqualityā of their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing "Make America Healthy Again" initiatives.
Programs like Jamboree Housing Corp. have leveraged Medi-Cal funding to offer residents access to social services that experts say are key to keeping them off the streets. California intends to keep it that way, despite federal cuts.
A proposed abortion ban in South Carolina would have allowed the criminal prosecution of women who obtain the procedure. Itās unlikely to become law, but this bill and other proposals across the country show how some conservative lawmakers are embracing increasingly punitive abortion restrictions.
A session of a vaccine panel dominated by skeptics was chaotically at odds with past practices of the CDC, which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has described as a ācesspool of corruption.ā His crew voted to end a 34-year recommendation to vaccinate newborns against hepatitis B.
Scientists are conducting genetic analyses to see if the measles outbreak that started in Texas is still spreading from state to state. Itās a contentious question, because the findings may determine whether America loses its measles-free status.
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