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KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare and Medicaid!

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid. Sixty years later, the programs represent a fifth of the federal budget and provide coverage to nearly 1 in 4 Americans.

21 Aug 2025

COVID-19 vaccine successes boosted hesitancy - can trust and equity restore immunization?

Researchers show that countries with higher initial COVID-19 vaccine acceptance also achieved stronger booster uptake, but trust and access remain decisive. The commentary warns that vaccine successes also fueled hesitancy, demanding structural reforms, clear communication, and proactive strategies to protect immunization.

21 Aug 2025

Less education associated with faster aging and health inequality

A new study by USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology researchers shows that Americans with less education are aging faster than their peers with more schooling, and the gap has grown over the last 30 years.

21 Aug 2025

Combination treatment approach shows promise for hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer

A new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has found that adding the targeted therapy everolimus to standard carboplatin chemotherapy extends the time before disease progression in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive and hard-to-treat forms of breast cancer.

21 Aug 2025

Extreme weather events put children’s brains and mental health at risk, researchers warn

Extreme weather events are increasingly recognized as adverse childhood experiences (E-ACEs) that disrupt brain development, stress regulation, and long-term health. Researchers warn that children, especially in low- and middle-income countries, face lifelong mental and physical health risks without urgent resilience-building interventions.

19 Aug 2025

How listening can transform the patient experience and the healthcare system

When you visit a doctor, you expect them to listen. But in today's fast-paced health care system, real listening - the kind that makes you feel seen, heard and understood - can be the first thing to go.

19 Aug 2025

Youth mental health crisis leads to prolonged emergency room stays

America's youth mental health crisis has escalated to the point that thousands of children primarily suffering from suicide-related behaviors and depression are stuck in hospital emergency rooms for three days or more, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University.

18 Aug 2025

Scientists urge shift in medicine to target the biology of aging

The most recent issue of Journal of the American Medical Association includes a landmark review highlighting innovative strategies to slow the biological aging process, an emerging approach with significant potential to prevent or delay multiple chronic diseases at once, one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine today.

18 Aug 2025

Detecting diabetes risk by analyzing household data

New research to be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (September 15-19, 2025) shows that early detection of individuals at risk for diabetes is possible by analyzing the electronic records of people living within the same household for risk factors. The study is led by Dr Tainayah Thomas, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, and colleagues.

18 Aug 2025

New 2025 guidelines focus on early intervention and lifestyle to manage high blood pressure

Preventing and managing high blood pressure with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as following a heart-healthy diet including reducing salt intake, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and managing stress—combined with early treatment with medication to lower blood pressure if necessary—are recommended to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new clinical guideline published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journals Circulation and Hypertension, and in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

14 Aug 2025

Prenatal acetaminophen linked to higher risk of autism and ADHD

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children.

14 Aug 2025

Mount Sinai receives major grant for new initiative dedicated to reducing cancer care disparities

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a $4.08 million grant to establish the Cancer Health Research Center at Mount Sinai, a new initiative dedicated to reducing cancer-related health inequities across New York City.

12 Aug 2025

New Canadian guideline highlights expanded role of obesity medications

"Pharmacotherapy can help people living with obesity improve overall health, not just lose weight," says Dr. Sue D. Pedersen, MD, endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist in Calgary, and lead author of this guideline. "The goal of obesity medications is to improve metabolic, mechanical, and/or mental health, and improve quality of life, incorporating treatment goals that are important to each individual patient."

11 Aug 2025

Brain’s energy control map offers blueprint for next-gen weight loss therapies

Scientists map how the brain integrates hormonal and neural signals from the body to control appetite, energy use, and reward pathways, revealing targets for next-generation anti-obesity drugs. This review highlights the interplay between neuroendocrine circuits, neuroplasticity, and pharmacotherapy for durable, non-aversive weight loss.

11 Aug 2025

New web-based tool helps fight lung cancer mortality and advance treatment

Experts have created a customizable, web-based tool that provides state and local leaders with tailored resources to reduce lung cancer mortality rates and advance treatment.

11 Aug 2025

Prediabetes mortality link strongest in 20–54 age group

In a large US study, prediabetes was linked to higher mortality risk in younger adults aged 20–54, but not in older groups, after adjusting for demographics, lifestyle, and comorbidities. Targeted prevention strategies could help reduce early deaths in working-age populations.

11 Aug 2025

Early clinical trial supports MASL as a targeted oral cancer treatment

Rowan University and Sentrimed, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing safer, orally dosed oncology therapies, today announced results from a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded clinical trial evaluating MASL in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

8 Aug 2025

WHO expands global network of trusted medical product regulators

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (MHLW/PMDA) of Japan, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a status granted to national authorities that meet the highest international regulatory standards for medical products.

8 Aug 2025

New network launched to tackle malaria in African school children

A new network aims to improve malaria prevention among school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa.

7 Aug 2025

Eating French fries raises type 2 diabetes risk, major study finds

A large, multi-decade cohort study found that frequent French fry consumption raises type 2 diabetes risk, while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes do not. Swapping any type of potato for whole grains, but not white rice, lowers diabetes risk.

6 Aug 2025