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Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask California Legislature for another $2.8 billion to cover Medi-Cal cost overruns
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Days after telling lawmakers that he took out a $3.4 billion loan to pay for Medi-Cal costs through March, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office said Monday that he’s asking the state Legislature to approve another $2.8 billion in extra funding for the health care program for low-income Californians through the end of the ...Read more

Washington state schools see declines statewide in measles vaccination rates
SEATTLE — Measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico have led to nearly 300 cases and two deaths, raising public health concerns. Isolated cases have also been reported in a number of states, including Washington. Public Health — Seattle & King County last month confirmed a case of measles in an infant who had traveled abroad.
The cases come...Read more

Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents
Since 2022, Colorado and 10 other states have passed voter initiatives to protect or expand abortion access. Yet, seven of these states, including Colorado, require people under the age of 18 to get consent from or notify a parent prior to receiving abortion services.
In January 2025, my colleagues and I published research using in-...Read more
Fewer deaths, new substances and evolving treatments in Philly’s opioid epidemic − 4 essential reads
In Philadelphia, fatal overdoses are the No. 3 cause of death after heart disease and cancer. That’s been the case each year since 2016, except in 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 deaths outpaced overdose deaths. The vast majority of fatal overdoses in Philly involve the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Data on overdose deaths in Philly in ...Read more

Immigrant families scramble as state health insurance for some noncitizens faces the axe in Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's budget plan
Despite being born with malformed limbs and later giving birth to four children, Francisca avoided going to the doctor as much as possible for about two decades.
The 58-year-old Southwest Side resident lacked health insurance, so when she got sick or was in pain she often relied on home remedies. When she had a toothache, she wouldn’t go to ...Read more

Some CT scans deliver too much radiation, researchers say. Regulators want to know more
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, has spent well over a decade researching the disquieting risk that one of modern medicine’s most valuable tools, computerized tomography scans, can sometimes cause cancer.
Smith-Bindman and like-minded colleagues have long pushed for federal ...Read more

Immigrant families scramble as state health insurance for some noncitizens faces the axe in Gov. JB Pritzker's budget plan
Despite being born with malformed limbs and later giving birth to four children, Francisca avoided going to the doctor as much as possible for about two decades.
The 58-year-old Southwest Side resident lacked health insurance, so when she got sick or was in pain she often relied on home remedies. When she had a toothache, she wouldn’t go to ...Read more

The Ozempic workout? How gyms and trainers are catering to a new group of exercisers
LOS ANGELES — It's 10 a.m. on a Friday at SURFCORE Fitness, a boutique gym in Mid-City, and a 52-year-old woman is following an exercise circuit as her trainer watches on. The fashion consultant, who is squeezing in a session before work, lifts relatively light weights while doing simple movements to build strength: goblet squats with a 6-...Read more

More steps, less sitting may lower risk of death in older female cancer survivors
Moving more and sitting less every day may lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes for older women with a history of cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that benefits maxed out at 5,000 to 6,000 steps per day and one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. But even walking fewer steps or ...Read more

The most likely Medicaid cuts would hit rural areas the hardest
Working-age adults who live in small towns and rural areas are more likely to be covered by Medicaid than their counterparts in cities, creating a dilemma for Republicans looking to make deep cuts to the health care program.
About 72 million people— nearly 1 in 5 people in the United States — are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides health ...Read more

Progressives seek health privacy protections in California, but Newsom could balk
When patients walked into Planned Parenthood clinics, a consumer data company sold their precise locations to anti-abortion groups for targeted ads.
When patients picked up prescriptions for testosterone replacement therapy, law enforcement retrieved their names and addresses without a warrant.
And when a father was arrested by immigration ...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: Building blocks for healthy self-esteem in kids
Self-esteem, or the way we view ourselves, plays a central role in a child's motivation and achievements in school, social relationships and their ability to bounce back from setbacks.
A child's self-esteem is shaped by their own thoughts and feelings about their ability to achieve in ways that would allow them to become their ideal self. It is...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Are colon and rectal cancers treated differently?
Colorectal cancer is a term that combines both colon and rectal cancers. The colon and rectum are two different parts of the lower digestive tract. These different cancers also mean different approaches to treatment that may involve the use of radiation and chemotherapy in addition to surgery.
When it comes to treating cancer, experience ...Read more

Did you get the measles vaccine in the past? Do you need another shot? How to check
MIAMI — There’s a growing measles outbreak in the country and public health experts say vaccination is the best way to reduce the spread.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and brain swelling.
So far, more than 300 measles cases have been reported in the U.S. within the first ...Read more

2 house cats infected with bird flu in New York City, health officials say
NEW YORK — Two cats in different households in New York City were infected with bird flu, the city’s health department announced.
Officials did not disclose the cats’ conditions and are still investigating how they contracted the virus, but urged pet owners not to let their felines roam outdoors or feed them raw food or raw milk — ...Read more

Bird flu mutation associated with increased disease severity found in 2 cats
LOS ANGELES — A genetic mutation of the H5N1 bird flu virus — a mutation associated with increased infectiousness and disease severity — has been found in two cats, in what scientists say is another indication of the risks posed by the virus.
The fact that the cats have the mutation “is a continued example of how this virus is evolving ...Read more

Oakland County sees Michigan's first measles case of 2025
DETROIT — Oakland County confirmed Michigan's first measles case of 2025 on Friday, county executive spokesman Bill Mullan said.
The case is associated with recent international travel and there are possible exposures, Mullan said. No additional information was available Friday afternoon.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ...Read more

California borrows $3.4 billion for Medicaid overrun as Congress eyes steep cuts
California’s Medicaid program has borrowed $3.4 billion from the state’s general fund — and will likely need even more — to cover ballooning health expenses for 15 million residents with low incomes and disabilities.
The state Department of Finance disclosed the loan to lawmakers in a letter late Wednesday, noting funds were needed to ...Read more

Measles vaccine rates among Philly-area kindergarteners drop below 'community immunity' threshold
Measles vaccination rates among kindergarten students in the Philadelphia region have been declining since the COVID-19 pandemic, and are now below the so-called herd or community immunity rate needed to keep the highly contagious virus from spreading.
Medical experts say that 95% of a community must be vaccinated against measles to keep the ...Read more

Cost of undocumented immigrants' health care in California is billions over estimates, pressuring Democrats to consider cuts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a $330 million budget cut last month to scale back an expansion of health care coverage for undocumented adult immigrants in his state, where a state audit found that services for certain age groups exceeded estimates by more than 280%.
California soon may face the same financial ...Read more
Popular Stories
- The Ozempic workout? How gyms and trainers are catering to a new group of exercisers
- More steps, less sitting may lower risk of death in older female cancer survivors
- Ask the Pediatrician: Building blocks for healthy self-esteem in kids
- Bird flu mutation associated with increased disease severity found in 2 cats
- A decades-long quest to quell inflammation