Health

WASHINGTON — “If I believe in just one thing, it is the ability of human beings to adapt, learn and get better,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told attendees at a Brookings Institution event this week as he detailed his mental... Read More

Right-to-repair advocates are abuzz with what they see as a monumental year for the movement. In 2023, nearly 30 states introduced right-to-repair legislation, according to U.S. PIRG, with New York passing the nation’s first law of this kind, Minnesota creating what supporters call “the broadest right-to-repair law”... Read More

With COVID-19 public health measures largely in the rearview mirror, many countries are refocusing on pre-pandemic commitments to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. This health-for-all goal is founded on equity and the right for everyone to access the services... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration renewed controversy with insurers Tuesday by proposing a regulation that would require health insurance plans to prove they are covering mental health costs at the same level as any other health care. Insurers say it... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A half-century ago, the nation's top health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust. The inaction since — fueled by denials and lobbying from coal... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill introduced in both the House and Senate this week aims to establish a working group tasked with combating hunger and malnutrition among senior citizens and adults with disabilities. The Senior Nutrition Task Force Act is... Read More

LOS ANGELES — The actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila launched a new initiative Thursday intended to simplify the federal grant application process to support mental health programs and safe learning environments in schools. The couple’s goal in creating... Read More

Every so often, we get a question from a reader that begs for further investigation.  Such was the case recently when a loyal reader of our weekly health newsletter noted that a story we ran on research related to maternal... Read More

STANFORD, Calif. — Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned as president of Stanford University on Wednesday after an independent review of his research found significant flaws in studies and laboratories he supervised. The review by a special committee of the university’s Board of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will convene next week to markup a new health care bill that would invest $20 billion over the next five years in community health centers and the recruitment and retention... Read More

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia’s attorney general sued 25 chemical companies this week in a lawsuit that adds to a widening array of claims over the production and sale of materials that contain PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House Energy and Commerce Committee met Wednesday to markup 15 health-related bills, reviewing and reauthorizing programs dealing with everything from the future of telehealth to a registry for firefighters dealing with cancer to treatment services for sickle... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — People around the world are living longer, healthier lives than they were just half a century ago. Climate change threatens to undo that progress. Across the planet, animals — and the diseases they carry — are... Read More

WASHINGTON — As long swaths of smoke from Canada’s wildfires made a second pass over the eastern seaboard this week, workforce advocates were again calling for urgent action to be taken to protect the nation’s workers from the growing effects... Read More

NEW YORK — A newly formed nonprofit says it will independently assess emerging digital health technologies in a bid to help patients, insurers and health care providers wade through the scores of products coming into the market. For most consumers,... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Another experimental Alzheimer’s drug can modestly slow patients’ inevitable worsening — by about four to seven months, researchers reported Monday. Eli Lilly and Co. is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of donanemab. If cleared, it would... Read More

WASHINGTON — In the face of escalating global food insecurity, the work of the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development has been challenged by increased conflicts, forced migrations and the lack of sufficient investment. “If hunger were a single country,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription in the United States.  The agency’s approval of the over-the-counter medication this morning is a first, and is seen as... Read More

GENEVA, Switzerland — Ongoing outbreaks of a particularly virulent strain of avian influenza have devastated animal populations on five continents and could pose a risk to humans, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The WHO issued its “situation analysis” in... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With his state already broiling after days of intense heat, and with more in the forecast, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday launched what he called the nation’s first statewide multi-ethnic awareness and education campaign to keep Californians... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House unveiled a new plan Tuesday it believes will dramatically slow if not eliminate the growing threat posed by fentanyl laced with xylazine, a potent drug cocktail that has led to a surge in overdose deaths... Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Legislature convenes Tuesday in a special session focused exclusively on abortion restrictions, where Republican lawmakers will work to push through a new ban on abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. The day will be a... Read More

WASHINGTON — The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Saturday that a Tennessee law banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care for minors could go into effect immediately. The 2-1 decision is considered groundbreaking because it marks the first time... Read More

WASHINGTON — Colorado, Louisiana and Washington state are sharing in a total $25 million in federal funding to field test a new model for incentivizing fruit and vegetable purchases among participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As part of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave its first approval to a drug that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. In a press release the agency said its full approval of lecanemab, known by the brand... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday rolled out a new set of initiatives to reduce health care costs: a crackdown on scam insurance plans, new guidance to prevent surprise medical bills and an effort to reduce medical debt... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Groups hoping to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution delivered nearly double the number of signatures needed to place an amendment on the fall statewide ballot, aiming to signal sweeping widespread support for an issue that still faces... Read More

SEATTLE — The number of U.S. women who died within a year after pregnancy more than doubled between 1999 and 2019, with the highest death rate being experienced by Black and Native American women, according to researchers at the University... Read More

ATLANTA (AP) — Parents of four transgender children have filed a lawsuit challenging a Georgia law set to take effect Saturday that bans most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people under 18, their lawyers said. The lawsuit, which the... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — A group of Democratic senators is asking the nation's consumer finance watchdog to take action against medical credit cards such as CareCredit, saying use of these cards can result in patients paying much more for their... Read More