Health

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Western Governors’ Association meeting Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble)

Trump administration says lower prices for 15 Medicare drugs will save taxpayers billions

The negotiation program is mandated by law and began under the Biden administration.
Dylan Aristy Mota, 12, of New York City, who has lupus, plays a game of Gaga Ball with fellow campers at the Frost Valley YMCA sleepaway camp in Claryville, N.Y., Wednesday, July 30, 2025. The camp partnered with Children’s Hospital at Montefiore so kids with autoimmune diseases could attend for the first time. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Kids get diseases like lupus, too. As researchers hunt better treatments, this camp brings joy

Autoimmune diseases are more rare in kids but they do happen.
Stephen Dexter holds a container of ByHeart baby formula, which was recently recalled by ByHeart, in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey)

ByHeart baby formula from all lots may be contaminated with botulism bacteria, tests show

At least 31 babies in 15 states have been sickened in the outbreak.
Miguel Laboy smokes cannabis, Oct. 3, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

They relied on marijuana to get through the day. But then days felt impossible without it

Experts warn that the risks of heavy, daily use remain underrecognized.
(Dreamstime/TNS) (DREAMSTIME/TNS)

Higher gun ownership rates lead to more gun homicides of pregnant women, new study says

Homicide is a leading cause of maternal death, with firearms involved in most killings.
Megan Feller arranges bouquets for a Halloween party at her apartment in Edina, Minn. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

More people are addicted to marijuana, but fewer of them are seeking help, experts say

Despite the rise in use, seeking treatment for cannabis use disorder has become less common.
gratitude symbols

Thanksgiving: Here are some tips to stay grateful every day

Here's how much positive psychology is gaining momentum in the U.S.
A pharmacy advertises COVID-19 testing and a vaccine on Sept. 4, 2025, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Conflicting advice on COVID shots likely to ding already low vaccine rates, experts warn

About 1 in 4 American adults got a COVID vaccine during the 2024-25 virus season.
(Dreamstime/TNS) (Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS)

Hot pants for good health: Scientists try heat therapy to lower blood pressure

Nearly 120 million American adults have high blood pressure.
City of Hope and UCI Health will open the  doors on two hospitals in Irvine in early December, with Hoag following next year with a major expansion in the city. (Photos by SCNG)

Hospital openings in Irvine mean lots of new hiring in region

City of Hope and UCI Health-Irvine will open their doors in early December, with Hoag...
Kris Edwards and his cat, Rex, in the garden of the home he bought with his wife, Erika“ Tilly” Edwards, only four days before her death. (Chaseedaw Giles/KFF Health News/TNS)

‘They don’t return home’: Cities across US fail to curb traffic deaths

Despite safety initiatives, U.S. traffic deaths are higher than they were a decade ago.
A haze covers Philadelphia City Hall, caused by smoke from Canada’s wildfires, on June 7, 2023. (JOE LAMBERTI/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS)

What the air you breathe may be doing to your brain

Studies increasingly find links between higher concentrations of certain pollutants and the prevalence of dementia.
FILE – This April 1, 2025 photo shows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention building in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, file)

Flu activity is low, but experts worry about a new strain and vaccination rates

Some scientists and medical professionals are more worried about disappointing vaccination rates.
FILE – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

RFK Jr. says he personally directed CDC’s new guidance on vaccines and autism

Many current and former staffers at the agency were surprised to see new published guidance.
Cereal bars promoting fiber sit on a shelf at a Kroger grocery store, in Ann Arbor, Mich., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin)

Fiber is something most people could use more of. But experts advise caution with ‘fibermaxxing’

Fiber-heavy foods like fruit, vegetables and whole grains are better than packaged foods.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., arrives on stage at the inaugural Make America Healthy Again summit at the Waldorf Astoria, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

MAHA idealism meets political reality as RFK Jr. attempts to wrangle a growing movement

Some Kennedy supporters have questioned why he and other government leaders have appeared willing to...
Christy Morrill, 72, who lost decades of memories to autoimmune encephalitis, holds up a viewfinder with a slide film of himself as a college student, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at his home in San Carlos, Calif. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

What happens when your immune system hijacks your brain

The brain inflammation can cause confusion, memory loss, even psychosis.
President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald’s Impact Summit

Trump and Republicans once more face a tough political fight over Obama-era health law

Trump is once more targeting Obama’s signature health care law.
FILE – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

CDC website changed to contradict scientific conclusion that vaccines don’t cause autism

The update has outraged public health and autism experts.
FILE – A woman walks down a trail as fog looms at Montie Beach Park in Houston, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. (Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

Can’t take hormone therapy for menopause? There are other options

Lifestyle changes, medications without hormones and other strategies can help.
Annette M. Walker, president of City of Hope Orange County, center holding scissors, joins Robert Stone, chief executive officer of City of Hope, left, and Dr. Edward S. Kim, physician-in-chief & senior vice president of City of Hope Orange Coiunty, right, with other dignitaries as they cut a ceremonial ribbon opening City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, CA, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A ribbon cutting full of ‘hope’ welcomes Orange County’s first cancer specialty hospital

When it opens its doors to patients on Dec. 1, City of Hope will be...
Fall foliage colors the scene near the Community Church, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Sugar Hill, N.H., a rural area where the closure of a community health center is leaving residents without nearby medical care. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

What to know about the impacts Medicaid cuts are having on rural health care

Officials warn that more rural hospitals could close, affecting access to health care.
During one of his regular tennis games, Jim Washington of Charlotte, North Carolina, experienced excruciating hip pain. “I figured I’d done something to injure myself,” Washington says. “But I’d been playing tennis all my life, and this pain was different from anything I’d ever felt before.” He underwent X-rays that revealed a lesion on his spine. An oncologist then identified a cancerous tumor. A subsequent biopsy and blood tests confirmed he had multiple myeloma. Since then, his treatment has been successful, and he’s stayed active by golfing. (A.M. Stewart for KFF Health News/TNS)

Better treatments buoy multiple-myeloma patients, bound by research cuts and racial disparities

Black survivors of multiple myeloma say the latest developments in treatment give them hope.
Kate Avnaim, 17, a patient at Rady Children’s Hospital in Mission Viejo, is greeted by the hospital’s resident dog, Haines, on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. “Her eyes are so pretty. Seriously,” Avnaim said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rady Children’s Hospital pup is just what the doctor ordered

The specially trained 2-year-old black Labrador with a touch of golden retriever is the first...
Kathy Ford, 77, a lupus patient who has lived with the condition for more than 30 years, pauses from her home in Dixon, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Stanford researchers link lupus to common virus in ‘breakthrough’ study

More than a million Americans suffer with lupus. Researchers think they've finally found the cause.
Andrea Steinbrenner receives an IV infusion at Pure Alchemy Wellness, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Chula Vista, Calif. (AP Photo/Javier Arciga)

A closer look at the unapproved peptide injections promoted by influencers and celebrities

Many of the products sold online haven't been studied in humans and aren’t FDA approved.
FILE – National Institute of Health researchers test patient samples in Bethesda, Md., on Nov. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Federica Narancio, File)

NIH funding cuts have affected over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments, a new report says

Funding lapsed for 383 studies testing treatments for conditions like cancer, heart disease and brain...
Novo Nordisk President and CEO Mike Doustdar speaks during an event about drug prices with President Donald Trump, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Novo cuts Wegovy prices, but doctors still see cost challenges for patients

The drugmaker said it has started selling higher doses of the injectable treatment for $349...
Arjun Padua, 4, runs along a freshly painted mural during the opening of its new Irvine health center on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Called the first all-electric hospital in the United States, the building is designed to lower carbon emissions by moving away from natural gas. The event featured tours of the 144-bed facility, a yoga class, food trucks and face painters.  on Nov. 15, 2025. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)

UCI invites community to tour new Irvine hospital before it opens for business

Visitors toured the rooms and some of the specialty areas and met the staff members...
FILE – The name and logo of Sarepta Therapeutics is displayed on the company’s headquarters, Monday, July 28, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FDA adds strongest warning to Sarepta gene therapy linked to 2 patient deaths

Sarepta Therapeutics' Elevidys will carry the FDA's strongest warning label about the risks of liver...
Dr. William Ambler, a translational research scholar who studies how biological sex affects the risk of autoimmune diseases, looks at cells under a microscope in the lab where he works at the National Institutes of Health

Researchers try bold new approach in a race to better treat autoimmune diseases

The new approaches are highly experimental and largely restricted to patients out of other options.
Andrea Steinbrenner receives an IV infusion at Pure Alchemy Wellness

The trend of unproven peptides is spreading through influencers and RFK Jr. allies

The peptides being promoted by influencers, celebrities and wellness gurus are different: Many have never...
Stephen and Yurany Dexter hold their 4-month-old daughter, who was recently hospitalized for botulism, at their home in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey)

Families of two babies sickened by infantile botulism sue ByHeart over recalled formula

New York-based ByHeart recalled all of its formula nationwide on Tuesday.
If you decide to stick with your familiar doctors even though they’ re out-of-network, consider asking about getting a cash discount and about the hospital’ s financial assistance program. (Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS)

So your insurance dropped your doctor. Now what?

Here are six things to know if that happens to you.
This October 2024 image provided by Novartis shows GanLum, a new anti-malaria treatment, at a manufacturing facility in Slovenia. (Novartis via AP)

2 new malaria treatments announced as drug resistance grows

The new treatments could complement existing efforts like mosquito nets and vaccines.
FILE – This 1966 microscope photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli, the organism responsible for causing the disease tuberculosis. (Elizabeth S. Mingioli/CDC via AP, File)

Global tuberculosis diagnoses rise to a record, but deaths fall, WHO reports

Officials see the increase as an indication that screening and treatment are improving.
A reusable water bottle is washed in New York on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

Yes, you do need to clean your water bottle. Here’s why and how

Experts say reusable bottles get grubby no matter what liquid they’re filled with.
(Dreamstime/TNS) (DREAMSTIME/TNS)

Is COVID during pregnancy linked to autism? What a new study shows, and what it doesn’t

Researchers examine how growth and learning are subtly shaped among children whose mothers had COVID...
Dr. William Adelman is a pediatrician and medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County Primary Care Network. (Courtesy of CHOC)

CHOC doctor: Finding a trusted pediatrician starts with a check list

Dr. William Adelman is a pediatrician and medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Orange...
South African Medical Research Council head Prof Glenda Grey administers a cholera vaccine to Shadrack Makutu, a participant in the clinical trials for the vaccine developed by Biovac at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/ Alfonso Nqunjana)

Biovac starts trials on South Africa’s first domestically developed cholera vaccine

Cholera remains a significant issue in Africa, with outbreaks often linked to poor water access.
FILE – People exercise at a park in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Calisthenics are making a comeback. Is body weight enough to get a good workout?

Experts say calisthenics can improve everything from muscle strength to aerobic conditioning.
This undated image provided by ByHeart shows ByHeart formula products.(ByHeart via AP)

ByHeart recalls all baby formula sold nationwide as infant botulism outbreak grows

Parents and caregivers who have the formula in their homes should immediately stop using it.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference in West Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/TNS)

At The Hollow in Florida, the ‘medical freedom’ movement finds its base camp

MAGA and MAHA are happily married in Florida.
FILE – A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is pictured at International Community Health Services, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, file)

Canada loses measles elimination status after ongoing outbreaks

Canada has logged 5,138 measles cases this year and two deaths.
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary speaks during an event about drug prices with President Donald Trump, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The FDA removes a long-standing warning from hormone-based menopause drugs

The change is a break from more than 20 years of FDA policy.
Children ride their bicycles to school during a parent-led bike ride titled “Bike Bus” Sept. 15, 2025, in Montclair, N.J. (Andrew Hawkins/Montclair Bike Bus via AP)

From a few to more than 350, children and parents ride together to school as a ‘bike bus’

Organizers hope the movement encourages elected officials to invest in safer biking infrastructure.
A sign marks the location of a Planned Parenthood clinic on Sept. 25, 2025, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images North America/TNS)

The quiet collapse of America’s reproductive health safety net

Cutting federal funding for reproductive health services “isn’t saving money. It’s wasting it.”
(Dreamstime/TNS)

Many fear federal loan caps will deter aspiring doctors and worsen MD shortage

Whether the new federal loan policy will push down tuition costs remains to be seen.
FILE – The label for a bottle of melatonin pills is seen in New York on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

A study questions melatonin use and heart health but don’t lose sleep over it

Don’t lose sleep over headlines linking melatonin to heart failure.
Christina Shareel wears the Got The Dot mascot costume during the grand opening of OneLegacy’s new donor recovery center in Azusa on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. The facility will triple OneLegacy’s recovery capacity for organs intended for transplant. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Organ donors: Why California has one of the lowest registration percentages

Although 90% of U.S. adults support organ donation, only 60% are actually signed up as...
Rosalind Pichardo, founder of Operation Save Our City, demonstrates how to administer Naloxone nasal spray to reverse an opioid overdose during a Naloxone demonstration at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Washington, D.C.. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America/TNS)

The ‘hard, slow work’ of reducing overdose deaths is having an effect

Illicit drug overdoses and the deaths they cause are trending down this year.
Local governments have received hundreds of millions of dollars from the opioid settlements to support addiction treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts. Their spending decisions in 2024 were sometimes surprising and even controversial. In this file photo, police officers walk through a city park on June 14, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Getty Images)

From Narcan to gun silencers, opioid settlement cash pays law enforcement tabs

Some places used settlement funds to maintain basic first responder services.
Stephen Loyd

Sock hops and concerts: How some places spent opioid settlement cash

States, counties, and cities are receiving millions in opioid settlement money to address the addiction...
Ruth Wilson, who has lupus, leaves her monthly lupus-focused IV treatment at UMass Memorial Medical Center, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Worcester, Mass. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Disease of 1,000 faces shows how science is tackling immunity’s dark side

It's one of medicine's biggest mysteries — why sometimes our immune system attacks our own...
FILE – Boxes for the medications Wegovy and Zepbound are arranged for a photograph in California, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/JoNel Aleccia, File)

Trump unveils deal to expand coverage and lower costs on obesity drugs

Access to the drugs has been a consistent problem because of spotty insurance coverage.
An Emergency Room nurse tends to a patient at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital on August 18, 2021, in Houston. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/TNS)

Racial health disparities could widen as states grapple with Trump cuts, experts warn

Many of the programs trying to address health disparities are being rolled back.
Colorado residents fill out cards and share their stories for content to send to congressional representatives

Congressional stalemate creates chaos for Obamacare shoppers

Consumers need to be more informed than ever to navigate their health coverage choices.
President Donald Trump listens to Medicare and Medicaid Administrator nominee Mehmet Oz speak during an announcement in the Oval Office

Trump’s HHS orders state Medicaid programs to help find undocumented immigrants

Five states reported they’ve received more than 170,000 names collectively.
FILE – A patient receives a Botox injection at a clinic in Arlington, Va., on June 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FDA warns websites selling unapproved Botox for cosmetic purposes

The action comes after reports of serious side effects with some of the product.
A new clinical trial launched by Scripps Research will investigate using tirzepatide, a popular diabetes and weight loss drug made by Eli Lilly, to treat long COVID. This drug is marketed under the trade name Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro, pictured in the injectable pen form, for treating type 2 diabetes.

Can a weight loss and diabetes drug treat long COVID?

New Scripps Research trial will explore the effects of Lilly's GLP-1 drug on reducing the...
FILE – In this April 25, 2013, file photo former Vice President Dick Cheney participates in the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. In an interview Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, Cheney said Republicans need to look to a new generation of leaders as the party deals with poor approval ratings following a 16-day partial-government shutdown. He said Republicans need to have “first-class” candidates and look to its strategy and a new generation. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

What to know about Dick Cheney’s heart trouble and eventual transplant

Cheney had his first heart attack at the unusually young age of 37.
peach-stickers-listing

New listeria recall: California-grown peaches

The recalled peaches were sold at stores including Trader Joe's, Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Walmart...
This photo provided by Tiny Health in October 2025 shows the company’s swab for their gut health test. (Tiny Health via AP)

Gut microbiome tests are everywhere. Should you get one?

Doctors say the technology is getting ahead of medical knowledge.
FILE – A healthcare worker prepares a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine sales tumble after government guidance on the shots narrows

The fall COVID-19 vaccine season is starting slowly for Pfizer.
FILE – Surgeons at NYU Langone Health prepare to transplant a pig’s kidney into a brain-dead man in New York on July 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum, File)

First clinical trial of pig kidney transplants gets underway

It's the latest step in the quest for animal-to-human transplants.
Kitty Grutzmacher had contended with poor hearing for a decade, but the problem had worsened over the past year. (Amaviael/Dreamstime/TNS)

When a hearing aid isn’t enough

More older adults have turned to cochlear implants after Medicare expanded eligibility for the devices.
FILE – The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FDA’s top drug regulator resigns after federal officials probe ‘serious concerns’

A federal spokesperson said Dr. George Tidmarsh left the agency after federal lawyers began looking...
The MGM Springfield casino is located in the south end of Springfield, Massachusetts. ((Karen Brown/New England Public Media)/KFF HEALTH NEWS/TNS)

As sports betting explodes, states try to set limits to stop gambling addiction

Addiction researchers and policymakers say it’s time to take bolder steps to combat gambling disorders.
Melissa Schultz exhales smoke during the grand opening of Cirrus Social Club, a cannabis lounge in Denver, April 18, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt/Special to The Denver Post)

‘Colorado sober’ movement ditches alcohol for cannabis, psychedelics. Is it for real?

Self-described Colorado sober people see it as healthier alternative to drinking, praise wellness benefits.
FILE – A child shows off her teeth after a dental exam in Concord, N.H., Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, file)

FDA restricts use of kids’ fluoride supplements citing emerging health risks

Previously, the products have been prescribed for children as young as six months.
FILE – Virginia Davidson of Bridgton, Maine, paddles her kayak on Moose Pond, Oct. 13, 2021, in Bridgton, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Your latest prescription is to get outside

Time in nature can lower blood pressure and reduce at least the perception of stress.
FILE – The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FDA says drug makers have recalled a blood pressure medicine tainted with a cancer-causing chemical

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and Amerisource Health Services issued voluntary nationwide recalls of various strengths of...
FILE – This photo shows Novo Nordisk headquarters in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, on Feb. 5, 2025. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

Obesity, diabetes treatments fuel Eli Lilly growth and spark bidding war

The market for obesity and diabetes treatments remains scorching hot, funneling billions in sales to...
More than 15 million people 55 or older don’ t have a spouse or biological children; nearly 2 million have no family members at all. (Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS)

An age-old fear grows more common: ‘I’m going to die alone’

Who will be there for these solo agers as their lives draw to a close?
Bill Swick sits on the chair at his home in Minooka, Ill., Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Patients go without needed treatment after the government shutdown disrupts a telehealth program

The shutdown, now in its fifth week, halted funding for Medicare's telehealth program, leaving many...
(Dreamstime/TNS) (Suchada Toemkraisri/Dreamstime/Kaiser Health News/TNS)

A ticking clock: How states are preparing for a last-minute Obamacare deal

Unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval could cloud this year’s open enrollment season, which begins in most...
Packaging for AbbVie's biologic drug, Humira

Federal health officials push effort to spur cheaper biotech drugs

The FDA said it has released guidance to simplify studies for biologic drugs and cut...
FILE – Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

What to know as the annual sign-up window for health insurance arrives

Many insurance shoppers will be facing the biggest premium hikes they’ve seen in years.
A pharmacy advertises COVID -19 testing and a vaccine on Sept. 4, 2025, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Despite the hoopla, vaccines should be in reach this cough-and-cold season

Many states are ensuring that people can get vaccines if they want them.
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz speaks during an event on Health Technology in the East Room of the White House as U.S. President Donald Trump and Acting Administrator of the United States Department of Government Efficiency Amy Gleason listen on July 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Officials show little proof that new tech will help Medicaid enrollees meet work rules

The Trump administration says it’s developing a digital tool to help people prove they’re meeting...
Tylenol packages are seen in a pharmacy in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2025.  (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Texas sues Tylenol makers, arguing they hid autism risks

Scientists say that link is not proven.
FILE – Clockmakers Rich Finn, left, and Tom Erb adjust the time zone controllers on a series of clocks that’ll be installed at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., at the Electric Time Company, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Medfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Here’s what happens to your body when clocks ‘fall back’ an hour

It's time for most of America to move clocks back on Sunday.
Insurance giant Cigna is headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS)

Cigna will end drug rebates in many private health plans

The change will initially apply to about 2 million of Cigna’s fully insured members.
FILE – Protesters stand in the Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda during a march supporting overturning Wisconsin’s near total ban on abortion, Jan. 22, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, file)

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause

Abortion funding has been under attack across the U.S., particularly for Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Diapers for federal employees who are not being paid are collected on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)

What if diapers were free for the parents who need them most?

Half of families with young kids struggle to afford all the diapers they need.
FILE – Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford visitor Sheila Garcia, 3, wears before visiting a patient at the hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., Oct. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

During cold and flu season, the youngest kids really are the germiest

A recent study of schoolchildren finds that the youngest students harbor the most germs.
Author, researcher and Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner has revolutionized how we approach health and longevity in America. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS)

Mastering the Blue Zone way of life has never been easier

A Blue Zone lifestyle is more than eating well.
A woman walks into the Community Healthcare Network’s Long Island City Health Center in Queens, N.Y., this month. This community health center is one of more than 1,300 across the country that serve patients regardless of their background or ability to pay. (Shalina Chatlani/Stateline/TNS)

The nation’s community health centers face money troubles

Half of community health centers have fewer than 90 days of cash on hand.
Betting odds for Super Bowl LIX are displayed on monitors

How do you know if you have a gambling problem?

If you experience mood changes, you may be showing warning signs of a gambling addiction.
Mass General Brigham researchers found that just 4,000 steps one or two days a week for older women was associated with lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease. (Herald file photo)

How many steps do you need? Researchers found 4,000 steps led to benefits for older group

‘We could reduce mortality and cardiovascular disease risk across the country.’
(Vitali Michkou/Dreamstime/TNS) (Vitali Michkou/Dreamstime/TNS)

Private Medicare, Medicaid plans exaggerate in-network mental health options, watchdogs say

In some cases, investigators found providers had never had contracts with plans they were listed...
A new conspiracy theory states that airplane vapor trails, or contrails, are really“ chemtrails” containing toxic substances that poison people and the terrain. (Jakub Wojtowicz/Dreamstime.com/TNS)

‘Chemtrail’ theories warn of health dangers from contrails. The idea takes wing at Kennedy’s HHS

Social media has given wing to the chemtrails concept and other fringe ideas involving public...
About 1 in 5 men over age 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining years. (DREAMSTIME/TNS)

Why brittle bones aren’t just a woman’s problem

About 1 in 5 men over age 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.
A child receives a standard immunization.

Shutdown leaves gaps in states’ health data as respiratory illness season begins

Without the CDC, states must rely on ‘DIY’ disease surveillance.
FILE – A healthcare worker prepares a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system's response.
Ashlee and Erik Dahlberg hold a photo of their late son, Liam, in their home in Lowell, Ind., on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century

It's part of a campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law.
Angela Smith, of Fredericksburg, listens at the Freedom Fight for Vaccine Choice at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 25, 2023

Who benefits from the MAHA anti-science push?

MAHA is fueled by a web of well-funded national groups led by people who’ve profited.
FILE – Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

What Americans think about rising health care costs, according to a new poll

A poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
Daylight saving time ends soon.(DEBBY  LOWE – GETTY IMAGES)

When does daylight saving time end this year? Turn the clocks back soon

Eastern Daylight Time resumes in less than 3 weeks and any clocks not connected to...
FILE – An arrangement of peanuts is seen Feb. 20, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Advice to feed babies peanuts early and often helped thousands of kids avoid allergies

The approach has helped 60,000 children avoid food allergies.
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