The Quiet Collapse of America’s Reproductive Health Safety Net

In late October, Maine Family Planning announced three rural clinics in northern Maine would close by month’s end. These primary care and reproductive health clinics served about 800 patients, many uninsured or on Medicaid. “People don’t realize how much these clinics hold together the local health system until they’re gone,” said George Hill, the group’s…

Read More

A Comprehensive Examination of Primary Care Disparities in California: Navigating the Abyss

By SUHANA MISHRA Residing in the often overlooked San Joaquin Valley, I’ve personally felt the impact of the shortage of primary care physicians. My family struggled to access basic medical attention for common illnesses like the flu. Getting local doctor appointments wasn’t just difficult—it often meant resorting to urgent care or driving long distances for…

Read More

2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey

The 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey came out last week. Here are some key findings: Premium costs The average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2025 are $9,325 for single coverage and $26,993 for family coverage. Over the last year, the average single premium increased by 5% and the average family premium increased by…

Read More

Halo, Heresy, and Health Care

By KIM BELLARD If you are of a certain age – say, mine, that is to say, a Baby Boomer – last week’s announcement that Microsoft was going to release a new version of Halo on Sony’s PlayStation console may have passed you by. So what, you might have said? If, on the other hand,…

Read More

So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What?

Last winter, Amber Wingler started getting a series of increasingly urgent messages from the local hospital in Columbia, Missouri, letting her know her family’s health care might soon be upended. MU Health Care, where most of her family’s doctors work, was mired in a contract dispute with Wingler’s health insurer, Anthem. The existing contract was…

Read More

Médicos, callados mientras Florida busca terminar con décadas de mandatos de vacunación infantil

SARASOTA, Florida — Florida planea eliminar casi medio siglo de vacunas infantiles obligatorias contra enfermedades que han causado muertes y dejado secuelas en millones de niños. Muchos críticos, incluidos profesionales de salud, temen hablar públicamente en contra de esta decisión. Con el apoyo del gobernador republicano Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ladapo, cirujano general del estado, anunció…

Read More

Trump Team Takes Aim at State Laws Shielding Consumers’ Credit Scores From Medical Debt

The Trump administration took another step Tuesday to weaken protections for Americans with medical debt, issuing new guidance that threatens ongoing state efforts to keep that debt off consumers’ credit reports. More than a dozen states, including Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, New York, and most of New England, have enacted laws in recent…

Read More