��ýҕ�l

All Coverage

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

Abortion Pill Politics

Episode 445

May 7, 2026

A federal court’s decision to restrict availability of the abortion pill mifepristone has launched abortion back into the national spotlight. It’s also raised new questions about the job security of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Andrew Jones, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month.”
Listen Now
That Discount at the Pharmacy Counter May Pack Hidden Costs

The new TrumpRx program relies partly on connecting consumers with discount coupons offered by drugmakers. For insured patients, though, using a coupon can prove dicey.

By Rachel Spears

May 7, 2026
Trump Promised Cheaper Drugs. Some Prices Dropped. Many Others Shot Up.

For all of President Donald Trump’s showmanship, the share of Americans his policies will likely help remains slim, even if some patients do come out ahead.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Arthur Allen

May 7, 2026
A New Medicare Option for Weight Loss Drugs: What Older Americans Should Know

It may soon get easier for millions of people with Medicare to get discounted GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

By Jackie Fortiér

May 6, 2026
Trump’s Drug Strategy Aims To Bolster Addiction Services — Despite Gutting of Government Support

The White House’s strategy for tackling the drug and addiction crisis, released this week, sets lofty public health goals but highlights deep inconsistencies with the administration’s own funding cuts and other policies.

By Aneri Pattani

May 6, 2026
An Arm and a Leg

The Supreme Court Case That Could Slow Generic Drugs

Season 15, Episode 6

May 5, 2026

In “Hikma v. Amarin,” the Supreme Court’s decision could affect how quickly generic versions of brand-name medicines come to market.
Listen Now
States Eye Aid To Prop Up Distressed Hospitals Amid Federal Medicaid Cuts

Hundreds of hospitals nationwide are bracing for Medicaid cuts as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some state lawmakers are eyeing loans and other forms of financial aid to distressed hospitals in rural and urban areas, as healthcare providers warn of cuts to critical services and scramble for funding.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

May 5, 2026
HHS’ Healthy Food Agenda Puts Hospitals on Notice About Patients’ Meals

The backlash was immediate after the Trump administration served notice that hospitals and nursing homes should limit sugary drinks and dietary supplements in favor of what the Department of Health and Human Services terms “real food.”

By Stephanie Armour

May 4, 2026
Guns, Race, and Profit

She Survived 2 Shootings. Research Helps Explain Why Her Pain Persists Years Later.

Witnessing a shooting, hearing gunfire, losing someone, or living in a violent area can leave people with chronic pain and stress long afterward.

By Alma Beauvais, The Trace

May 4, 2026
��ýҕ�l Health News On Air

Journalists Share Latest on Baby Formula Safety, Estrogen Patches, and Postcancer Costs

��ýҕ�l Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

May 2, 2026
The Week in Brief

Prevention Efforts Increasingly See Suicide Through a Broader Lens

Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.

By Aneri Pattani

May 1, 2026
Gavin Newsom, Early Champion of Single-Payer, Moderates in the Face of Fiscal Limits

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who campaigned on single-payer, has called healthcare a human right. In practice, however, the potential presidential candidate emphasizes safety net services, from expanding coverage to immigrants to constructing behavioral health supports, often for those experiencing homelessness.

By Angela Hart

May 1, 2026
Delays in Visa Program Threaten Placement of Hundreds of Doctors in Underserved Areas

A federal agency has dramatically slowed its review of visa waiver applications that allow international physicians completing U.S. training programs to stay in the country to work in underserved areas. The delay may send hundreds of doctors back to their home countries.

By Arielle Zionts

May 1, 2026
What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

The Peculiar Politics of Hospitals

Episode 444

April 30, 2026

Democrats and Republicans on a House panel that oversees Medicare had strong words about high hospital pricing at a hearing this week, but it remains unclear whether reality will match the rhetoric when it comes to reining in those prices. Meanwhile, a study found the 988 suicide prevention hotline reduced suicides significantly in its first two years. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Listen Now
When Natural Disasters Strike, Another Crisis Hits Those Recovering From Opioid Addiction

Using Hurricane Helene as a teachable moment, a group of doctors outlined concrete steps that lawmakers can take to reverse a crisis in getting substance use medications during natural disasters.

By Andrew Jones

April 30, 2026
States Rush To Figure Out How To Enforce Trump’s Medicaid Work Requirements

A KFF survey of state Medicaid officials offers insight into lingering uncertainty and differing plans for work requirement implementation as the Jan. 1 deadline approaches.

By Rachel Spears

April 30, 2026
ELEVEN MINUTES

Saving Lives by Changing Lives: The Next Frontier in Suicide Prevention

Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It’s a tragic and entrenched problem. A new approach to prevention shifts the focus from stopping harm in moments of crisis to upstream policies that give people reasons to live.

By Aneri Pattani

April 29, 2026
Trump’s Medicaid Work Mandate Debuting in Nebraska to Much Dismay

On May 1, the state will become the first to require people on the government health program to fulfill a work requirement or lose their coverage under a new rule that was a key part of congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

By Phil Galewitz

April 29, 2026
An Urgent Care Treated Her Allergic Reaction. An ER Monitored Her — For $6,700.

A bug bite and an allergic reaction ultimately sent a North Carolina woman to the emergency room, where she had a couple of brief chats with a doctor and a dose of medicine. Now she questions why the charges were so high.

By Andrew Jones

April 28, 2026
Rural Health Payout

Big Companies Position Themselves for Payday From $50B Federal Rural Health Fund

A $50 billion federal fund is supposed to modernize rural health with electronic health records, AI, telehealth, and more. But community clinics and rural health advocates fear that the contractors administering the money for states will bite off a big chunk before it reaches rural patients.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

April 28, 2026

Morning Briefing

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 • 9:00 a.m. ET

Read all news summaries

Noticias en español

Incertidumbre política y recortes amenazan entrega de comidas de Medicaid que ayudan con la salud y el presupuesto

By Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR

Sept. 22, 2026
Tres medicamentos comunes que adultos mayores podrían estar usando en exceso

By Paula Span

Sept. 21, 2026
California estudia medidas de protección contra el calor en las cárceles. Pero no alcanzan estándares de espacios laborales

By Erin Rode, Capital & Main

Sept. 20, 2026
Sobreviviente de cáncer esperaba trabajar, pero le sacaron su cobertura de Medicaid por discapacidad

By Katheryn Houghton

Sept. 15, 2026
Una generación de niños sufre mientras Trump desestabiliza a familias inmigrantes

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Sept. 14, 2026