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In RFK Jr.’s upside-down world of vaccines, panel votes to end hepatitis B shot at birth

Recent weeks have brought good news about vaccines, with studies indicating that flu vaccination reduces heart disease, shingles vaccines can prevent or slow dementia, and a single human papilloma virus shot protects a girl from cervical cancer for the rest of her life.

5 Dec 2025

Restrictive state abortion laws may affect frontline care in obstetric emergencies

Although the United States does not guarantee health care as a right, federal law mandates that hospitals cannot deny anyone lifesaving emergency care.

5 Dec 2025

Diabetes drugs linked to slower frailty progression in older adults

A new study shows that older adults with type 2 diabetes who start treatment with sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors-such as empagliflozin (Jardiance) and dapagliflozin (Farxiga)-or glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists-such as semaglutide (Ozempic) and liraglutide (Victoza)-experience slower progression of frailty over one year compared with those starting other diabetes medications.

3 Dec 2025

Trump wants Americans to make more babies. Critics say his policies won’t help raise them.

Maddy Olcott plans to start a career once she graduates from college. But the junior at the State University of New York-Purchase College is so far not planning to start a family — even with the Trump administration dangling inducements like thousand-dollar "baby bonuses" or cheaper infertility drugs.

3 Dec 2025

Hospital payment caps linked to savings and stable care in Oregon

As health care costs continue to soar across the U.S., a growing number of states are setting limits on how much hospitals can charge.

2 Dec 2025

They need a ventilator to stay alive. Getting one can be a nightmare.

On vacation in Mexico last year, Michael DiPlacido passed out twice while scuba diving and again in his hotel. Back in St. Louis, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, an incurable disease that often requires mechanical ventilation.

2 Dec 2025

Feds promised ‘radical transparency’ but are withholding rural health fund applications

Medication-delivering drones and telehealth at local libraries are among the ideas state leaders revealed in November for spending their share of a $50 billion federal rural health program.

2 Dec 2025

Higher continuity of care linked with fewer acute preventable hospitalizations

Continuity of care has been linked with fewer hospitalizations. This study examined whether better continuity is helpful for acute, potentially preventable hospitalizations that might be avoided with regular care.

24 Nov 2025

Nationwide study maps epilepsy incidence rates among older adults in the United States

A first-of-its-kind nationwide study has mapped epilepsy incidence rates among older adults in the United States and identified key social and environmental factors associated with the neurological condition.

20 Nov 2025

Study highlights growing reliance on head CTs and inequities in access

A new study shows large increases in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans of the head in emergency departments across the United States from 2007 to 2022.

20 Nov 2025

Postoperative geriatric syndromes signal high vulnerability and poor outcomes in older adults

Older adults who develop a new geriatric syndrome - such as dehydration, delirium, or malnutrition - after major surgery face a dramatically higher risk of poor outcomes, including more complications, fewer days spent at home, and a significantly increased likelihood of dying within a year, according to findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

20 Nov 2025

Ticked off over preauthorization: Walk-in patient avoided Lyme disease but not a surprise bill

Leah Kovitch was pulling invasive plants in the meadow near her home one weekend in late April when a tick latched onto her leg.

18 Nov 2025

Analysis reveals overutilization of imaging in Bell's palsy

This study analyzes how imaging is used to diagnose and manage Bell's palsy, a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face, usually temporarily.

14 Nov 2025

What The Health? From KFF Health News: The government is open

The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, after a handful of House and Senate Democrats joined most Republicans in approving legislation that funds the government through January. Despite Democrats' demands, the package did not include an extension of the expanded tax credits that help most Affordable Care Act enrollees afford their plans — meaning most people with ACA plans are slated to pay much more toward their premiums next year.

13 Nov 2025

Study reveals challenges in accessing wheelchairs through Medicare-listed suppliers

Published today in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a University of Minnesota Medical School research team found that access to wheelchairs through Medicare-listed suppliers is inconsistent and often challenging.

12 Nov 2025

What the air you breathe may be doing to your brain

For years, the two patients had come to the Penn Memory Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where doctors and researchers follow people with cognitive impairment as they age, as well as a group with normal cognition.

12 Nov 2025

AI repurposes routine CT scans to detect hidden bone loss

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest, abdomen, and spine, taken originally to detect problems such as kidney stones or growths on the lungs, can be repurposed through artificial intelligence (AI) to catch signs of bone loss, a new study shows.

11 Nov 2025

Health care costs jump to the fore as candidates jockey to be California governor

California's gubernatorial election is a year away, and the field of primary candidates is still taking shape. But one persistent issue has already emerged as a leading concern: the cost of health care.

10 Nov 2025

Diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide show real-world heart benefits

In a large real-world analysis across three U.S. healthcare databases, semaglutide and tirzepatide showed cardiovascular benefits consistent with randomized trials. Semaglutide lowered heart attack and stroke risk versus sitagliptin, while tirzepatide performed comparably to dulaglutide and semaglutide over one year.

10 Nov 2025

Texas' transitional dialysis program led to significant decline in utilization of emergency dialysis

The cost of emergency dialysis is estimated to be 8-times that of in-center dialysis. A new study reveals that a transitional dialysis program piloted in Travis County (Austin, TX) resulted in a significant decrease in emergency department visits and hospital admissions for emergency dialysis by providing a pathway for outpatient dialysis in uninsured patients.

10 Nov 2025

Medicare News and Research

In RFK Jr.’s upside-down world of vaccines, panel votes to end hepatitis B shot at birth

Restrictive state abortion laws may affect frontline care in obstetric emergencies

Diabetes drugs linked to slower frailty progression in older adults

Trump wants Americans to make more babies. Critics say his policies won’t help raise them.

Hospital payment caps linked to savings and stable care in Oregon

They need a ventilator to stay alive. Getting one can be a nightmare.

Feds promised ‘radical transparency’ but are withholding rural health fund applications

Higher continuity of care linked with fewer acute preventable hospitalizations

Nationwide study maps epilepsy incidence rates among older adults in the United States

Study highlights growing reliance on head CTs and inequities in access

Postoperative geriatric syndromes signal high vulnerability and poor outcomes in older adults

Ticked off over preauthorization: Walk-in patient avoided Lyme disease but not a surprise bill

Analysis reveals overutilization of imaging in Bell's palsy

What The Health? From KFF Health News: The government is open

Study reveals challenges in accessing wheelchairs through Medicare-listed suppliers

What the air you breathe may be doing to your brain

AI repurposes routine CT scans to detect hidden bone loss

Health care costs jump to the fore as candidates jockey to be California governor

Diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide show real-world heart benefits

Texas' transitional dialysis program led to significant decline in utilization of emergency dialysis

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