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

Limiting time spent watching television to no more than one hour each day may lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and other blood vessel diseases, even among people with a high genetic risk for Type 2 diabetes, new research finds.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, is one of the first to investigate how ...Read more

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear denounced the Republican-led effort to ban Medicaid from funding gender-affirming care for transgender Kentuckians and to undo his executive order restricting the practice of “conversion therapy” on LGBTQ people.

The governor called the practice “equivalent of torture” in comments shared ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A conservative legal group representing Pennsylvania school districts and parents has sued Pennsylvania over rules barring discrimination based on gender identity — arguing the state illegally expanded the definition of sex.

In a lawsuit filed last week in Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court, the plaintiffs — including a ...Read more

Kirk Vartan pays more than $2,000 a month for a high-deductible health insurance plan from Blue Shield on Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. He could have selected a cheaper plan from a different provider, but he wanted one that includes his wife’s doctor.

“It’s for the two of us, and we’re not sick,” ...Read more

I struggled with a sensitive stomach decades before reducing inflammation became the buzzy way to improve one’s health.

I believed I was simply prone to gastrointestinal upset. It got significantly worse after the birth of my second child. The recurrent pain got to a point that it forced me to pay attention and figure out what was going on ...Read more

It’s been a few days since we sprung forward, yet you’re still hitting snooze like it’s your full-time job. If you’ve been feeling sluggish, unfocused or just a little off, you’re not alone.

The shift to daylight saving time does more than steal an hour of sleep — it messes with your health.

How one hour throws everything off

Your...Read more

Researchers racing to develop bird flu vaccines for humans have turned to a cutting-edge technology that enabled the rapid development of lifesaving covid shots.

There’s a catch: The mRNA technology faces growing doubts among Republicans, including people around President Donald Trump.

Legislation aimed to ban or limit mRNA vaccines was ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 90,000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney in the U.S. Unfortunately, less than a third of those waiting for a kidney transplant can expect to get one this year. This comes as rates of chronic kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure, continue to climb across the globe. But there is a way to help. ...Read more

Scientists are sounding alarms about a genetic mutation that was recently identified in four dairy cow herds, nearly one year after H5N1 bird flu was first reported in Texas dairy cattle.

The change is one that researchers have dreaded finding because it is associated with increased mammal-to-mammal transmission and disease severity.

“That ...Read more

Q: What is coconut water, and are there benefits to drinking it?

A: Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young, green coconuts. Unlike coconut milk, which is made by blending coconut meat with water, coconut water is a natural beverage low in calories, fat-free, and rich in electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, and sodium.

One of coconut...Read more

If you’re one of the 51% of Americans with life insurance coverage, you might consider borrowing against your policy if you need quick access to cash. If you’re eligible, a life insurance policy loan might be right for you.

​Borrowing against your life insurance policy differs significantly from traditional unsecured loans. Typically, ...Read more

True, inflammation sounds painful and potentially dangerous. But before we dive into the topic of smoothies for inflammation-fighting, it’s important to note that not all inflammation is bad. “Inflammation is a necessary process that helps your body defend itself and heal,” explains Jenna Werner, R.D., creator of Happy Strong Healthy in ...Read more

As the adage goes, the eyes are the windows to the soul. So what does it mean to wish yours were a different color?

Apparently enough people share this desire to create a bustling market for color-changing eye drops, which are making the rounds through social media and online retailers.

Personalizing eye color might sound tempting, especially ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am a 64-year-old woman, happily married for over 30 years. My husband and I have always had a healthy sex life. However, a few years ago, I began experiencing pain during intercourse. My doctor said I am postmenopausal and in excellent health otherwise. The pain makes me want to avoid intimacy. Is pain during sex a normal ...Read more

BOLIGEE, Ala. — Green lights flickered on the wireless router in Barbara Williams’ kitchen. Just one bar lit up — a weak signal connecting her to the world beyond her home in the Alabama Black Belt.

Next to the router sat medications, vitamin D pills, and Williams’ blood glucose monitor kit.

“I haven’t used that thing in a month or...Read more

Teenagers who have trouble falling or staying asleep and sleep less than their peers may be five times more likely to have seriously high blood pressure, according to a new preliminary study.

Even those without insomnia who slept less than 7.7 hours had a nearly threefold higher risk for elevated blood pressure than their better-rested ...Read more

A year ago, a new head of Social Security set out to stop the agency from financially devastating many of the people it was meant to help.

The agency had long made it a practice to reduce or halt benefit checks to recoup billions of dollars in payments it sent recipients but later said they never should have received.

Martin O’Malley, then ...Read more

Joseph Shea, who sells athletic wear in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, wonders and worries about the food he eats.

The chemical ingredients with mystifying names. The references on product labels to unspecified natural or artificial flavors. The junk food that fits his budget but feels addictive and makes him feel unwell.

Shea, one of 1,310 ...Read more