A higher-than-expected first Medicare bill can be a surprise for many people. This often happens because the bill covers more than just one month’s premium or includes additional surcharges or penalties.

It’s important to keep in mind that how much you pay for Medicare overall will depend on how much you earned two years before you sign up....Read more

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(Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.)

©2026 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)

©2026 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Q. Do small skin cancers that are not melanoma still need to be removed, or is it safe to just watch them and leave them alone?

A. It’s true that melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, because it can spread throughout the body. You definitely need to have any melanoma removed, to try to excise it before it spreads. Two other ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My father always loved to sing and would make up silly songs for us when we were kids, and then for his grandkids. He’s now been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Should we incorporate music into his care? How would it be most helpful?

ANSWER: Music certainly can play a role in your father’s care, since music memories are ...Read more

Ebola, a deadly virus, is spreading rapidly through parts of central Africa. By the time the outbreak was confirmed in mid-May, hundreds of potential cases had been identified, suggesting the strain had been circulating for months undetected. Although the U.S.’s retreat from global health initiatives isn’t directly to blame for this crisis, ...Read more

When Congress allowed COVID-era subsidies for health insurance to expire, California used its own funds to offset the hike in Obamacare premium costs for residents with low incomes.

But the reach has been limited.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom negotiates his last budget with the legislature, the Democrat wants to offer financial help to more than 1 in ...Read more

The Affordable Care Act seems to always be in a policy tug-of-war as its backers and critics spar over how it should work and who can qualify for coverage. This year is no different, with the Trump administration embracing standards it says will reduce fraud as well as steps that could further erode national enrollment.

Wide-ranging ACA changes...Read more

The Trump administration has issued final rules on how states should ensure that millions of Medicaid enrollees prove they’re working or completing other activities, such as job training, volunteering, or being enrolled in an educational program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the rules on June 1. That deadline was set ...Read more

SALT LAKE CITY — Ben Dowse hadn't expected to treat measles when he became a doctor, but there he was, examining a newborn exposed to the virus in the womb. The infected mother had given birth just hours earlier. The hospital had alerted Dowse to the case before delivery, and he'd braced himself for the worst.

Dowse wore a full-body ...Read more

Patients receiving a type of vitamin D lived longer after chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer in a small study run by researchers with the Salk Institute.

Among 36 patients with previously untreated pancreatic cancer that had metastasized or spread, those taking a type of vitamin D called paricalcitol experienced a significant survival boost one...Read more

BOSTON — As the state investigates a possible cancer cluster at a high school, many Herald readers have asked whatever happened with the potential tumor cluster at a local hospital.

Seven current and former nurses in Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s fifth floor maternity wing were diagnosed with brain tumors, the Herald reported last year.

The ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The first case of the measles this year has been reported in Connecticut.

The case involves an unvaccinated adult in Hartford County who tested positive over the weekend, according to Brittany Schaefer, spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health.

The Connecticut resident had left the country “recently” and ...Read more

Jason Miller watched his monthly health insurance premiums quadruple to $374 from $80 for a silver-level plan when the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits ran out in December.

“That’s just not functionally doable,” the married father of four children said about the increase.

Worse, he said, “the coverage you’re paying for is...Read more

Late in her pregnancy in the fall of 2025, Jacqueline, a Guatemalan immigrant living in North Florida, began planning for labor alone.

After her husband was detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she stopped leaving her home except when absolutely necessary. Even routine prenatal visits felt risky, she told the ...Read more

Children with more exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs, had lower forearm density by age 12 and could face greater fracture risk, researchers found, with girls apparently more vulnerable than boys.

“Adolescence is a key period for building strong bones, and achieving optimal bone mass during this time can reduce lifelong ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- In late April, Joshua Good got a call from a parent at Ephrata Mennonite School: Two of their children had been diagnosed with measles.

Good, who heads the private religious school in Lancaster County, knew he had to act quickly to prevent further spread of the highly contagious disease. But he was not particularly surprised ...Read more

The looming impact of federal Medicaid cuts has reignited a long-simmering, costly battle between California’s medical industry and one of its largest health worker unions.

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, with approximately 120,000 members, has put forward two ballot initiatives to cap the pay of medical executives and require community ...Read more

Having healthy meals at school, during breaks and at childcare/after-school programs sets kids up for success so they can learn, grow and stay active. Healthy meals are an important tool to help children learn, just as much as textbooks and technology. Research shows that school meals are positive influences in kids' health as they ensure that ...Read more

Having a baby in the United States is about to get more complicated.

Under new billing codes that take effect in January, doctors who manage maternity care will start charging à la carte for visits and services related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. It's an about-face from recent years, when doctors have often received a single...Read more