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What the Health? From ϳԹ News: GOP Mulls More Health Cuts

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Despite public opposition to the cuts they made to federal health programs in 2025, Republicans reportedly are considering more cuts to help pay for the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ minors. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join ϳԹ News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews ϳԹ News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the last two “Bill of the Month” stories.

State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors

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North Carolina rolled out a $3.1 billion insurance plan for kids in foster care, but many doctors did not accept patients on the plan. The state is one of several experimenting with a model that has left kids’ guardians scrambling to find health care providers.

US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines

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This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles’ comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contain the virus. “That we’re even talking about this is nuts,” one virologist said.

After Man’s Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization

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After Eric Tennant died, his widow vowed to speak out against West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency, which had denied cancer treatment recommended by Tennant’s doctor. Her efforts paid off. In March, West Virginia’s governor signed a bill to protect some patients from harm tied to prior authorization.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act Darkens Outlook for Government-Backed Clinics

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About 17,000 federally funded health clinics stand to collectively lose $32 billion under GOP-backed fiscal policies in the next five years — just as more uninsured patients will rely on them for low-cost care.

Trump’s Hunt for Undocumented Medicaid Enrollees Yields Few Violators

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Federal health officials have ordered states to reverify the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees. After seven months, findings from five states show the reviews have uncovered few immigrants without legal status who are improperly receiving benefits.

States Pay Deloitte, Others Millions To Comply With Trump Law To Cut Medicaid Rolls

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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will add red tape and restrictions for those seeking Medicaid and SNAP benefits. And the costs to update computer systems that determine eligibility for those programs will be steep.

Inside the High-Stakes Corporate Fight Over Feeding Preterm Babies

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Behind their warm-and-fuzzy marketing, infant formula industry giants Abbott, maker of Similac products, and Mead Johnson, maker of the Enfamil line, have turned neonatal intensive care units into arenas of brutal competition.

She Owed Her Insurer a Nickel, So It Canceled Her Coverage

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When medical bills started rolling in, a teacher’s aide in Florida wondered why her insurance suddenly wasn’t covering them. The answer? She owed a balance of 5 cents, so her insurer canceled her policy.

What the Health? From ϳԹ News: A Headless CDC

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The Trump administration faces the challenge of naming a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who can both satisfy the Make America Healthy Again movement and get confirmed by the Senate. Meanwhile, a new Senate bill to rescind the approval of the abortion pill mifepristone is again elevating the abortion debate, which some Republicans would prefer to stay on the back burner until after the midterms. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join ϳԹ News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown University Law Center’s Katie Keith about the state of the Affordable Care Act on its 16th anniversary.

CDC’s Acting Chief Promises a Return to Stability in a Tumultuous Moment

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Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health and interim leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the CDC staff, “I know that it has been such a difficult year.”

Demoralized CDC Workforce Reels From Year of Firings, Funding Cuts, and a Shooting

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Thousands of employees are gone and last summer’s shooting resonates still at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters and among the large public health community in Atlanta.

‘They Tricked Me’: A Father Was Chained After He Went to ICE To Reunite With His Kids

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The administration has largely converted the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement into an arm of immigration enforcement, detaining children longer while helping immigration officers arrest their parents or other family members. One father was chained when he went to an ICE office to discuss being reunited with his son and daughter.

Even With Dental Insurance, You Still Could Face a Large Bill

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Costs keep many Americans, even those with insurance, from getting dental care. Understanding how dental insurance works and leaning into preventive care can help keep dental problems — and bills — manageable.

Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare

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Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off care or considering dropping health insurance coverage until Medicare picks up the bill.

Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota

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The Trump administration’s unprecedented actions targeting Medicaid funding in Minnesota are part of what could become a playbook as officials turn pressure toward California, Florida, Maine, and New York.