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The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.
Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.
In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors 鈥 whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage 鈥 have gone quiet on the health consequences.
A proposed work requirement would make Medicaid expansion enrollees prove they鈥檙e working or meet other criteria. Most already work, but millions are expected to lose coverage if the provision passes, many from red tape. A Missouri mother who cares for her disabled son would probably be subject to the rule.
Republicans claim 4.8 million Americans on Medicaid who could work choose not to. The GOP鈥檚 work-requirement legislation could sweep up disabled people who say they鈥檙e unable to hold jobs.
Artificial intelligence products with lifelike voices are being marketed to schedule or cancel medical visits, refill prescriptions, and help triage patients. Soon, many patients might initiate contact with the health system by speaking not with a human but with AI.
One thing experts agree on: The damage from the funding cuts will be varied and immense.
About half of states have broadened Medicaid, the state-federal low-income health care program, to pay for social services such as housing and nutritional support. The Trump administration, however, views these experiments as distractions from the core mission to provide health care.
Republicans, on the hunt for spending cuts, are eyeing a special kind of Medicaid tax that nearly every state uses to boost funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers.
This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage 鈥 the country鈥檚 only active Medicaid work requirement program 鈥 as other states and Congress consider similar programs.
Attitudes about a debunked link between measles vaccines and autism haven鈥檛 budged that much. But there鈥檚 a sharp partisan divide over whether the vaccine is safe.
Republicans are pushing to implement requirements that Medicaid recipients work in order to obtain or retain coverage. Some states try to help enrollees find jobs. But states lack the data to show whether they鈥檙e effective.
The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.
A bill proposed by kratom industry advocates is prompting consideration 鈥 and some concern 鈥 in the Montana Legislature.
Congressional Republicans are pushing plans that could make deep cuts to Medicaid to finance President Donald Trump鈥檚 tax cuts and other priorities. At stake is coverage for millions of low-income Americans, as well as a huge revenue source for hospitals 鈥 and every state.
As Republicans consider adding work requirements to Medicaid, Georgia and Arkansas 鈥 two states with experience running such programs 鈥 want to scale back the key parts supporters have argued encourage employment and personal responsibility.
In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
Frustrated by spiraling drug costs, California lawmakers want to increase oversight of pharmaceutical industry intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers. It鈥檚 unclear whether they can persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to get on board.
Controversy over raw milk reflects the push-pull the Trump administration faces in rolling back regulations and offering consumers more choices. For now, the CDC still recommends against consuming raw milk and the FDA bans its interstate sale.
The number of new and returning enrollees using healthcare.gov 鈥 the federal marketplace that serves 31 states 鈥 is well below last year鈥檚 as of early December. Also, a Biden administration push to give 鈥淒reamers鈥 access to Obamacare coverage and subsidies is facing court challenges.
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