Why it matters: This case represents theremaining significant legal avenue for abortion rights advocates to overturn Georgia's anti-abortion law, which is in effect and has been snarled in federal and state courts since 2019.
The Food and Drug Administration is eyeing policy changes that could make drugmakers conduct more stringent trials to win fast-track approvals of cancer drugs.
Why it matters: The agency's accelerated approval process has drawn fire for the way it allows manufacturers to launch products based on preliminary evidence and charge high prices before they complete trials.
The biggest public health insurance programs have become increasingly privatized over the last decade, even while politicians sparred over whether government-run health care should be expanded to cover more Americans.
Why it matters: Although privately run Medicare and Medicaid plans are still highly regulated and funded by the government, the commercialization has complicated efforts to rein in medical spending and unleashed fierce partisan fights like the ongoing one over Medicare Advantage.
As some states try to regulate children's social media use and TikTok emerges as a geopolitical chew toy, a new clearinghouse has emerged for mediating between tech companies and those concerned about their products' impact on kids: the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Why it matters: Young people live their lives on social media, and it's not going away — so parents and pediatricians need to learn to recognize when it becomes a problem, says pediatrician Michael Rich, the lab's founder.
While politicians in some states are working to limit gender-affirming care for transgender young people, Washington state's legislature is going in the opposite direction.
What's happening: This year, Washington lawmakers are trying to protect transgender patients — as well as doctors who practice here — from the reach of other states' laws that restrict gender-affirming health care for minors.
A Pennsylvania program that incorporates addiction treatment into emergency care for opioid use disorder could help limit the high risk of death patients who overdose face after they're discharged, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum.
The big picture: Emergency departments are increasingly encountering nonfatal opioid overdoses as theaddiction crisis worsens, but it's still rare for EDs to offer treatment like buprenorphine despite its ability to reduce overdose deaths and stabilize withdrawal.
22 Democratic lieutenant governors are forming a coalition built around protecting abortion access in their states that will likely involve crafting model executive orders and legislation.
Driving the news: The Reproductive Freedom Coalition — led by Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz — comes as a federal judge in Texas weighs a case that could end nationwide access to one of the most commonly used abortion pills in the U.S.
The COVID-driven labor shortage that's plagued health systems appears to be done, with new hiring reflecting a shift to more outpatient settings, according to an Altarum analysis.
Why it matters: Burnout and attrition from the pandemic created significant shortages of doctors, nurses and other health workers, hindering the return to normal and driving up medical costs by forcing health systems to rely on contract labor.
Social media companies are increasingly being blamed for historically high rates of depression, suicidality and other mental health issues in youths. And now, states and local governments are increasingly pursuing legislation and legal action.
