Your New Therapist: Chatty, Leaky, and Hardly Human
With high demand for mental health care, a wave of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are being marketed as therapy apps — with little evidence they work and few regulations.
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States Change Custody Laws To Keep Children of Detained Immigrants Out of Foster Care
As President Donald Trump’s heightened immigration enforcement continues across the country, some states are updating temporary guardianship laws to keep the children of detained and deported immigrants out of state custody.
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Illustration by Oona Zenda -
How To Make a High-Deductible Health Plan Work for You
Lower premiums often mean higher costs when you get sick and need care. Among the ways to plan ahead and soften the financial hit: health savings accounts, which act like a medical piggy bank.
By Jackie Fortiér Ilustrations by Oona Zenda -
To Avoid Care Disruptions, Know When the Clock Runs Out on Your Prior Authorization
A Massachusetts woman knew the medicine her doctor prescribed required preauthorization, but she didn’t realize the approval had an expiration date. It took nearly three weeks of phone calls and paperwork to get her prescription refilled.
By Sarah Boden Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
Health Care Heartaches: Your Winning Health Policy Valentines
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News shares our favorite reader-submitted health policy valentines. One struck us in the heart and inspired an original cartoon.
By ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News Staff Illustration by Oona Zenda -
‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees
Some hospitals are registering patients detained by federal immigration officers under pseudonyms and prohibiting staff from contacting family members. Attorneys and health care workers say the practices facilitate rights violations and create ethical concerns. Hospitals say they’re trying to protect patients.
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Native Americans Are Dying From Pregnancy. They Want a Voice To Stop the Trend.
Native American women face higher rates of death than other demographics. In response, Native Americans have been working with state and federal officials to boost tribal participation and leadership in maternal mortality review committees to better track and address pregnancy-related deaths.
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez Illustration by Oona Zenda -
To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You and HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things
It’s been more than 10 years since the FDA first approved an HIV prevention drug. Today, people who could benefit from preexposure prophylaxis often struggle to access the lifesaving medicine or run into doctors without the education or empathy to offer affirming care. And those lapses can produce billing headaches.
By Zach Dyer Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
What the Air You Breathe May Be Doing to Your Brain
Studies increasingly find links between higher concentrations of certain pollutants and the prevalence of dementia.
By Paula Span Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health
Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly upended outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.
By Amy Maxmen Illustration by Oona Zenda -
A Bite, a Bill, and a Bureaucratic Chill in Winning Halloween Haikus
This year’s most spirited Halloween haikus were inspired by tick migration, Medicaid work requirements, and rising copays.
By ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News Staff Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What?
Patients sometimes find themselves scrambling for affordable care when a contract dispute causes a hospital — and most of the doctors and other clinicians who work there — to be dropped from an insurance network. Here are six things to know if that happens to you.
By Bram Sable-Smith Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
An Age-Old Fear Grows More Common: ‘I’m Going To Die Alone’
As families fracture, people are living longer and are more likely to find themselves without close relatives or friends at the end of their lives.
By Judith Graham Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Summon Your Spookiest Halloween Health Care Haikus
Submissions are open for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News’ seventh annual Halloween haiku competition. Conjure your most chilling verses — if you dare.
By ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News Staff Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
Try This When Your Doctor Says ‘Yes’ to a Preventive Test but Insurance Says ‘No’
A joint project of NPR and ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News, Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky questions, and we may tap a policy sleuth to puzzle them out. Here is what to do if your preventive care gets denied.
By Jackie Fortiér Illustrations by Oona Zenda -
Republicans Call Medicaid Rife With Fraudsters. This Man Sees No Choice but To Break the Rules.
Congressional Republicans successfully pushed to add hurdles to qualify for Medicaid by saying they would eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. This is the story of a Montana man who explains why he said he is breaking the rules to keep his health insurance and his job.
By Katheryn Houghton Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.
As state officials anticipate Medicaid funding cuts that could strip resources for those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, an army of unpaid caregivers waits in the wings: children. At least 5.4 million kids are estimated to be caring for family members at home, a number likely to rise if Medicaid cuts hit professional home-based services.
By Leah Fabel Illustration by Oona Zenda -
American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration
Canada has seen a surge of American doctors seeking to move north in the months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
By Brett Kelman Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Picture of Health
Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away
More Californians are getting mental health or substance use disorder treatment online or over the phone than in person, according to a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News analysis of UCLA’s latest California Health Interview Survey. But the telehealth experience isn’t always positive.
By Phillip Reese Illustration by Oona Zenda -
Watch: How the FDA Opens the Door to Risky Chemicals in America’s Food Supply
To a great extent, the FDA leaves it to food companies to determine whether their ingredients and additives are safe. Some chemicals and additives are tied to health risks while others are absent from product labels. Watch this video explainer to learn more.
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