Health Policy

Financial cuts, archaic information systems, and disconnects between state and federal agencies hampered the public health response, a top Michigan official says.

Federal Medicaid work rules could strip coverage for thousands of NYC enrollees, especially in 3 congressional districts reaching parts of the Bronx, upper Manhattan, and Queens.

The new federal rule threatens widespread funding, including NYC health department and community groups

Dr. Alister Martin’s unconventional CV, ranging from ER doctor to civic innovation startup founder, offers clues for why Mayor Zohran Mamdani tapped him as NYC’s top health official.

The decision affecting a hantavirus cruise ship passenger raises new questions about federal quarantine powers and whether less restrictive alternatives are being properly considered.

This is the second baby formula recall in seven months related to infant botulism. Advocates say the cases raise questions about product safety and federal oversight.

Public health experts say secrecy around federal quarantine decisions can undermine trust in the government.

The CDC can only order quarantines for specific diseases put on a list by presidential executive order. A public health law expert told Healthbeat that federal officials’ novel approach — arguing that hantavirus is a type of severe acute respiratory syndrome — risks a legal challenge.

Internal records show how the South Carolina outbreak started with just four households, then spread through networks of unvaccinated people.

It has all the ingredients of a thriller movie and brings back memories of the beginnings of Covid. But the risk to the global population is low.

Access to essential medications is at risk. Babies are dying because parents are refusing the vitamin K shot. And homicide and suicide are now the leading causes of death in pregnant women.

The strategy's broad goals are widely supported by public health researchers, addiction treatment clinicians, and recovery advocates. But accomplishing such goals will be difficult in the face of the administration’s funding cuts and layoffs.

The new laws would make more doggy bags available publicly, create composting at dog parks, and more.

Rates of some childhood immunizations in New York City are starting to lag. A City Council plan tasks the health department and schools with educating parents about the importance and safety of the shots.

While the early data are impressive, making psychedelic therapy available at scale requires the government to ensure safety and efficacy the way we do for other medications.

About 40% of Hispanic adults lack insurance in the state, contributing to limited access to care and a 48th-place national ranking.

Concerned by a history of backlogs, the city council is looking to cut red tape for the health department, which will have to do background checks on new providers.

Funding for the U.S. aid program has dropped about 30%. As one expert put it, ‘We're building up problems for the future.’

Headlines focused instead on doubt. The idea that vaccine skepticism is now the default is itself a public health threat.

The loss of enrollment will send shock waves through the state’s health care industry. The sector was expected to lose more than $3.5 billion this year as a result of the expiring ACA subsidies, as uninsured patients forgo care or show up in emergency rooms but can’t pay.