The federal government is capping the amount graduate students can borrow. The Department of Education says the new rules are designed to help curb student debt and pressure schools to lower tuition. But some loan experts fear those good intentions could leave many at the mercy of private lenders with higher interest rates. Saddling healthcare graduate students with pricier debt burdens can narrow their career choices.

吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Lauren Sausser joined WAMU’s Health Hub on July 22 to explain how the loan caps could make healthcare provider shortages worse or compromise the diversity of the workforce. Plus, she discusses how some states are pushing back against the new rules.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

Can’t see the audio player? Visit kffhealthnews.org to listen.

Too sick to work? You may have to prove it. Next year, Medicaid recipients will have to start showing documentation such as a doctor’s note to avoid a new work requirement. 吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Sam Whitehead broke down the rule and exceptions on WAMU’s Health Hub on July 1.

Study, work, or volunteer: That’s what many people will have to do to keep their Medicaid starting next year, according to new rules issued by the Trump administration. But consumer advocates worry the new requirements will catch many recipients flat-footed.

吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Sam Whitehead joined WAMU’s Health Hub on July 1 to explain who will be affected, who can get an exemption, and what enrollees can start doing now to prepare.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

Can’t see the audio player? Visit kffhealthnews.org to listen.

Being a family caregiver is hard work. On June 17, 吃瓜不打烊 Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony joined WAMU’s Health Hub to discuss her experience with parenting while also caring for aging parents. Listen in as she shares tips for other members of the “sandwich generation.”

Are you juggling the responsibilities of raising children and having aging parents?

Navigating that role can come with new responsibilities, stressors, and unexpected expenses, but claiming the caregiver identity can help. Researchers have found that people who identify as caregivers are more likely to use support services and feel a sense of community with others.

吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Cara Anthony joined WAMU’s Health Hub on June 17 to share her experiences as a parent with aging parents.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

Privacy between doctors and patients is . But the Trump administration is, in effect, trying to peek into the exam room. The Office of Personnel Management is seeking unredacted federal worker health data from insurers. The unusual request, which would give the government detailed personal and health information, alarmed health policy and legal experts, lawmakers, and insurance executives.

吃瓜不打烊 Washington health policy reporter Amanda Seitz appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on April 29 to discuss why the government’s request has many worried about how this personal information would be handled.

Maia Rosenfeld contributed to this report.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

LISTEN: Quashing innovation or risking a patient’s health? Lauren Sausser told WAMU’s Health Hub on April 15 why the White House and some states are at odds over how to regulate AI in health care.

Speed, efficiency, and lower costs. Those are the traits artificial intelligence supporters celebrate. But the same qualities worry physicians who fear the technology could lead to insurance denials with humans left out of the loop.

With scant federal regulation, states are left to shape the rules on AI in health care. For residents in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, a divide is playing out on opposite sides of the Potomac River. Maryland and Virginia have taken very different approaches to regulating AI in health insurance.

吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Lauren Sausser joined WAMU’s Health Hub on April 15 to explain why where you live may determine how much of a role AI plays in your coverage.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

Listen: More than 2 million Americans could benefit from PrEP, but only about a quarter of them are getting the HIV prevention medication. On Feb. 4, during WAMU’s “Health Hub,” 吃瓜不打烊 reporter Zach Dyer shared tips for overcoming common hurdles to care.

Billing mistakes. Stigma. Doctors who aren’t keeping up with the latest research. Those are just some of the hurdles that for many Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 2 million Americans could benefit from a treatment known as PrEP, but only a quarter of them are getting a form of the drug. Zach Dyer appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Feb. 4 to share tips patients can use to avoid those pitfalls and find a doctor who knows more about PrEP.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

LISTEN: In this audio portrait of homeless people displaced by the Trump administration’s crackdown on encampments in the nation’s capital, 吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Angela Hart tells of residents living outside this winter and their search for medical care and shelter.

January’s extreme cold has put a spotlight on the conditions homeless people face. They get sicker and die younger than housed people, often because health problems go untreated. The Trump administration’s removal of homeless tent encampments in Washington, D.C., has made it more difficult for health workers to reach that vulnerable population this winter.

吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Angela Hart takes WAMU “Health Hub” listeners to Washington’s streets to hear how homeless people are juggling their health and shelter after the Trump administration’s crackdown.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

LISTEN: “People get better care when we know who they are.” That belief is at the heart of why scientists and LGBTQ+ health advocates oppose a new rule that makes it harder to collect data on trans patients with cancer. 吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Dec. 10 about the change from the Trump administration.

In 2026, the Trump administration will require U.S. cancer registries that receive federal funding to classify patients’ sex as male, female 鈥� or not stated/unknown. That last category is for when a “patient’s sex is documented as other than male or female (e.g., non-binary, transsexual), and there is no additional information about sex assigned at birth,” the new standard says.

LGBTQ+ health advocates say that move in effect erases transgender and other patients from the data. They say the data collection change is the latest move by the Trump administration that restricts health care resources for LGBTQ+ people.

吃瓜不打烊 correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Dec. 10 to explain why LGBTQ+ health advocates worry this change could hurt public health and the care patients receive.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

LISTEN: Distracted. Reckless. Drunk. Americans’ driving has gotten since the covid pandemic. Chaseedaw Giles appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 26 to share her reporting on that deadly trend.

Traffic deaths have climbed nationwide over the past decade. In some major cities, traffic deaths have . But this year, Washington, D.C., has recorded a in these kinds of deaths. Chaseedaw Giles, audience engagement editor with 吃瓜不打烊, appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 26 to share her reporting on the ways design and better enforcement can contribute to safer streets.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .

LISTEN: Bad credit can keep you from getting a job, a car loan, or an apartment to rent. For many Americans, health care debt is to blame. 吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Noam N. Levey appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 12 to explain why new federal guidelines on health care debt and credit reports worry some consumer protection advocates.

More than 100 million Americans are estimated to have health care debt. In response, more than a dozen states have instituted laws to keep these unpaid bills off consumer credit reports.

The Trump administration has been chipping away at these protections.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, headed by President Donald Trump’s budget director, issued new guidance that challenges state laws, saying only the federal government can decide what can go in a credit report. Consumer advocates say that move could undercut state-level protections and worsen the financial strain on Americans burdened by medical bills.

吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Noam N. Levey appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on Nov. 12 to explain why state laws like these could be especially important in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, set to kick millions off Medicaid, and the potential lapsing of enhanced tax credits for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

This article first appeared on 吃瓜不打烊 and is republished here under a .