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

RFK Jr.’s Very Bad Week

Episode 437

March 12, 2026

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA's vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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Two photos shown side by side: On the left, a young boy has a bloody gauze in his mouth. On the right, a hand holds an extracted tooth.

More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.

Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the covid-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.

By Farrell Brenner and Angela Y. Zhang

March 10, 2026

A collage showing the faces of Sylvia Chou, Marc Ernstoff, Alexa Romberg in the top row. The bottom row shows Daniel Dulebohn, Jennifer Troyer, and Philip Stewart.

The People — And Research — Lost in the NIH Exodus

Government data shows the National Institutes of Health lost about 4,400 people — more than 20% of its staff — as the Trump administration slashed the federal workforce. Hear from six scientists on why they walked out the door and the work they left behind.

By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton

March 6, 2026

A woman in a yellow cardigan sits in front of a window, staring out

Six Federal Scientists Run Out by Trump Talk About the Work Left Undone

Cancer treatments, disease outbreaks, addiction science: Scientists say an exodus from the National Institutes of Health will harm the nation's ability to respond to illness.

By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton

March 6, 2026

Two men sort racks of clothes in a Goodwill store.

Trump’s Cuts to Medicaid Threaten Services That Help Disabled People Live at Home

Iowa patient advocates say that in the face of federal Medicaid cuts, the state is quietly reducing in-home services that help people avoid being institutionalized. National groups are bracing for similar cuts elsewhere.

By Tony Leys

March 5, 2026

Rural Health Payout

Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans

Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.

By Arielle Zionts and Sarah Jane Tribble

March 4, 2026

A photo from the back seat of a car, two men in the front and passenger seat driving

Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are in Crisis

Mobile crisis units are trained to respond to emergency calls when people are experiencing delusions or hallucinations. But unlike police departments, which are generally funded by local taxpayers, mobile crisis teams don’t have a single, reliable funding source. As a result, some are closing down, despite successful operations and local support.

By Aaron Bolton, MTPR

March 4, 2026

A man and woman seated at a table with papers, bills, receipts, and a calculator in front of them

Bill of the Month

Even Patients Are Shocked by the Prices Their Insurers Will Pay — And It Costs All of Us

Health care prices are on the rise, and patients are flummoxed that even insurance companies aren’t doing more to control costs.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

March 3, 2026

An older mother and father sit on a bed beside a smiling woman, laying down. The woman is living with a disability.

Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts

Idaho is positioning to slash Medicaid funding as state lawmakers grapple with the effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last year. On the table are in-home care services.

By Bram Sable-Smith

March 2, 2026

A view of an immigrant detention center California City, California, surrounded by the landscape of the Mojave Desert.

Democrats Decry Meager Medical Care for Detainees in Funding Fight

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. It’s adding to the political backlash against the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies.

By Stephanie Armour

Feb. 25, 2026

Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before

As the number of cases grows to about 1,000 in the Carolinas, health care workers who’ve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.

By Andrew Jones

Feb. 24, 2026

An aerial view of the gilded dome atop the Colorado Capitol in Denver. The city of Denver is seen behind it.

Diagnosis: Debt

State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt

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.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

Feb. 20, 2026

Aerial view of buildings in a city with foothills and mountains in the background

Priced Out

Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care

The state recently became the third to offer a public option health plan through its Affordable Care Act marketplace. But researchers said it’s unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping changes at the federal level.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Feb. 19, 2026

A photo illustration of the Wyoming State Capitol in black and white, with a green arrow pointing up across it.

Rural Health Payout

Wyoming Wants To Make Its Five-Year Federal Rural Health Funding Last ‘Forever’

State officials believe they’ve found a way to extend the life of federal Rural Health Transformation Program money Wyoming is receiving as part of last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — by investing most of it.

By Arielle Zionts

Feb. 18, 2026

An illustration of various multi-color squares with dots and lines.

Deadly Denials

Red and Blue States Alike Want To Limit AI in Insurance. Trump Wants To Limit the States.

A revolt is afoot in both red and blue states against the use of artificial intelligence in health insurance determinations — and against efforts led by President Donald Trump to tie states’ hands.

By Darius Tahir and Lauren Sausser

Feb. 18, 2026

An American flag blows in the wind next to a barbed-wire fence in front of a landscape of grasslands

Priced Out

End of Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies Puts Tribal Health Lifeline at Risk

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.

By Katheryn Houghton and Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Feb. 11, 2026

A photo of a woman sitting in a chair from the shoulders down. She is taking her blood pressure.

Priced Out

Obamacare Sign-Ups Drop, but the Extent Won’t Be Clear for Months

Experts say Affordable Care Act sign-up data won’t be clear until people who were enrolled have paid — or haven't paid — their new, often much higher, premiums.

By Julie Appleby

Feb. 10, 2026

An exterior shot of the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency room entrance.

With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients

The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is forcing hospitals and states to consider alerting immigrant patients that information from emergency medical coverage applications could be used in efforts to remove them from the country.

By Phil Galewitz and Amanda Seitz

Feb. 6, 2026

‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees

Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practices facilitate rights violations and create ethical concerns. Hospitals say they’re trying to protect patients.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Jan. 30, 2026

Two gloved hands hold a sample tray in a lab.

Trump Policies at Odds With Emerging Understanding of Covid’s Long-Term Harm

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.

By Stephanie Armour

Jan. 27, 2026

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��ýҕ�l Health News tells the stories of Colorado, Montana, and the rest of the region.

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�������ýҕ�l Health News tells the stories of Colorado, Montana, and the rest of the region.

��ýҕ�l Health News tells the stories of Colorado, Montana, and the rest of the region.