Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a legislation Tuesday to halt any future cuts to Medicaid hospital funding, two weeks after voting for the slashes as part of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill."
The big picture: Hawley has emerged as a key player pushing back on a major Medicaid overhaul, which would include nearly $1 trillion in rollbacks over the next 10 years.
According to data from Renaissance Capital, there have been just four biotech IPOs this year that have raised over $50 million — down from 10 in the same period last year. Venture bets are slowing too.
Aluminum exposure from childhood vaccines doesn't lead to increased risk of autoimmune, allergic or neurodevelopmental disorders, Danish researchers wrote in a study published Monday.
Why it matters: The findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine debunk a common claim by the Make America Healthy Again movement about the toxic effects of childhood vaccines.
Use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss rose sharply in kids and adolescents after the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2023 recommended offering medications along with lifestyle adjustments such as healthier eating and exercise.
Why it matters: The findings from a review of more than 310,000 patients' health records add fuel to the debate over what age is too young for Wegovy and other GLP-1s.
Doctors could see up to a 3.8% increase to their Medicare payments next year under a Trump administration proposal released Monday.
The big picture: Physicians have seentheir fees decline for years, with Congress usually stepping in at the last minute to avert scheduled cuts or make them whole.
Many medical school students will feel a financial squeeze from President Trump's tax-and-spending bill due to a new $200,000 cap on student loan borrowing and the cancellation of a federal program that helps defray their living expenses during school.
Why it matters: The country is projected to face a shortage of 187,130 doctors by 2037.
Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise or likely rising across half of the U.S. including much of the south as well as the West Coast, according to a weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: The data suggests another summer of illness could be in the offing as people get more people lose protection from vaccination, natural immunity wanes and the virus keeps mutating.
The new Medicaid work rules in President Trump's tax-and-spending law put states on a tight timetable for setting up systems to notify millions of recipients about the requirements — and to track if they're complying.
Why it matters: Previous efforts to set work rules in Georgia and Arkansas showed it could be a messy and expensive process that generally relies on outside vendors to set up the necessary infrastructure.
