Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Specialized LLMs can outperform traditional methods in forecasting postoperative risks

Millions of Americans undergo surgery each year. After surgery, preventing complications like pneumonia, blood clots and infections can be the difference between a successful recovery and a prolonged, painful hospital stay – or worse.

4 Mar 2025

Breastfeeding for six months may spur beneficial gut bacteria linked to lower childhood blood pressure

Nursing for at least six months may spur beneficial gut bacteria connected to better heart health years later.

4 Mar 2025

Omalizumab outperforms oral immunotherapy in treating multi-food allergy

A clinical trial has found that the medication omalizumab, marketed as Xolair, treated multi-food allergy more effectively than oral immunotherapy (OIT) in people with allergic reactions to very small amounts of common food allergens.

2 Mar 2025

Employee burnout leads to significant financial losses for companies

Employee burnout is likely costing companies millions of dollars each year, ranging from approximately $4,000 to $21,000 per employee in the U.S., according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

28 Feb 2025

New brain map reveals insights into multiple sclerosis development

NIH study reveals key players underlying disease onset and repair.

27 Feb 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': House GOP plan targets Medicaid

The House GOP's budget proposal, which narrowly passed on Tuesday, likely would result in major cuts to Medicaid, the health program primarily for those with low incomes or who are disabled, to help pay for tax cuts.

27 Feb 2025

Republicans once wanted government out of health care. Trump voters see it differently.

Like many Americans who voted for Donald Trump, Jason Rouse hopes the president's return will mean lower prices for gas, groceries, and other essentials.

27 Feb 2025

Cooling treatment shows no benefits for preterm infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Lowering the body temperature of preterm infants (born at 33 to 35 weeks of pregnancy) with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)-a type of brain damage caused by oxygen loss-offers no benefits over standard care, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Feb 2025

With RFK Jr. in charge, supplement makers see chance to cash in

Last fall, before being named the senior U.S. health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration would liberate Americans from the FDA's "aggressive suppression" of vitamins, dietary supplements, and other substances — ending the federal agency's "war on public health," as he put it.

25 Feb 2025

Opioid cash grab: As federal funding dries up, states turn to settlement money

At a recent Nevada legislative committee hearing, lawmakers faced off with members of the governor's administration over how to fill gaping holes in the state's upcoming budget.

25 Feb 2025

Trump froze out project 2025 in his campaign. Now its blueprint is his health care playbook.

Few voters likely expected President Donald Trump in the first weeks of his administration to slash billions of dollars from the nation's premier federal cancer research agency.

24 Feb 2025

Texas measles outbreak nears 100 cases, raising concerns about undetected spread

Some private schools have shut down because of a rapidly escalating measles outbreak in West Texas. Local health departments are overstretched, pausing other important work as they race to limit the spread of this highly contagious virus.

21 Feb 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Medicaid in the crosshairs, maybe

The future of the Medicaid health insurance program for those with low incomes is in doubt, as Congress works on a budget plan calling for major cuts while President Donald Trump both promises to support that plan as well as to protect the program.

20 Feb 2025

Scientists uncover hidden genetic causes of congenital heart disease

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have identified novel genetic interactions that may contribute to congenital heart disease (CHD), a common birth defect.

20 Feb 2025

Small amounts of exercise linked to lower dementia risk in older adults

A little movement could help prevent dementia, even for frail older adults, suggests a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

20 Feb 2025

Staffing reductions in U.S. health agencies threaten public health

Staffing reductions across U.S. federal health agencies-including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-pose a significant threat to public health, according to the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

19 Feb 2025