Vanessa Barahona received a call this past spring from Angelica at Kern Family Health Care in Bakersfield, California, telling her it was time to renew her coverage under Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid.

Angelica helped Barahona, 41, schedule an appointment to complete her paperwork in person at Kern Family's offices before she ...Read more

LONDON — At King’s College Hospital in the south of London, anyone who has blood drawn in the emergency department is automatically tested for hepatitis B and C.

Posters throughout the facility inform patients that the screening is routine, part of a new approach helping find and treat thousands of people who might otherwise never know they...Read more

Around the end of last year, Ronmel Rangel, 63, began to feel a familiar discomfort in his lower abdomen. Twenty-five years earlier, while living in his native Venezuela, he had undergone surgery to repair a hernia on the right side of his groin.

Now, the same pain had returned — on the left.

This time, Rangel was in the U.S. and lacked ...Read more

DETROIT — Cyclosporiasis cases continue to rise in Michigan, with cases now up to 12,218 as of Wednesday, an 8.8% increase over Monday's case count.

The new cases come as the outbreak of the parasitic illness that causes explosive diarrhea has widened nationally from nine states to 15. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added ...Read more

Philadelphians who live near industrial land and major roads – those who live in the Port Richmond and Bridesburg neighborhoods along I-95, or the Delaware River port-industrial corridor, for example – face worse air pollution and are more likely to have asthma than residents who live farther from those sites.

Philly neighborhoods...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have two sons, ages 5 and 11. My eldest is always excited to start school and have new adventures. My younger son will begin kindergarten this year. Although he went to child care part-time, my younger son has begun to express concern about being away from me all day and is showing increased anxiety as we talk about school. ...Read more

Q: What is umami?

A: Umami is the fifth flavor (in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter), discovered in Japan over 100 years ago. The term, umami, meaning “delicious,” encompasses a flavor profile of savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. This complex flavor experience helps to deepen or complete flavors and aromas and improve ...Read more

After a year of using a GLP-1 medication to lose weight, Abby was ecstatic to have shed more than 100 pounds. But she grew uneasy as she approached her target, wondering what happens when you stop a GLP-1 drug and how she could maintain her stellar results.

Research suggests Abby’s concern about rebound weight gain is well founded. People who...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My father frequently experiences heartburn, but sometimes I worry that what feels like heartburn to him could be a heart attack. How can you tell the difference, and when should someone seek emergency care?

ANSWER: Many people worry that heartburn-like symptoms could be a heart attack — and that concern is understandable. ...Read more

More than 900 people in Washtenaw County, Michigan, have been sickened with cyclosporiasis since mid-June. Linda Kim, a public health nurse, has called more than 100 of them. Almost everyone has said the same thing: It’s excruciating, and one of the worst illnesses they’ve experienced.

But on a Wednesday in July, she called one man who said...Read more

Amanda DeSimone-Shabrack relies on a home healthcare aide to help her high-needs autistic 12-year-old son. Virginia’s Medicaid program covers the assistance, enabling her to work as both an education technology specialist and a professor, run errands, and keep Mason in the home.

That could change. In June, the Department of Justice issued a ...Read more

The Trump administration credits its fraud control efforts for the disappearance of millions of people from Obamacare rolls rather than a sharp rise in premiums — a claim disputed by policy experts that glosses over the reality that many more Americans now find themselves without health insurance.

Enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans fell ...Read more

One of America’s most competitive gubernatorial races could settle a heated argument over whether private insurance companies should run Medicaid.

The race is in Iowa, whose Medicaid program has been plagued with controversy since 2016, when the state hired national insurance companies to manage billions of dollars’ worth of benefits.

That...Read more

BOSTON — Massachusetts is setting out to lower health care costs with steps like investing more state resources in primary care, supporting nursing recruitment, and standardizing out-of-network service rates Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday.

“We know that healthcare costs are burdening people, families, employers, budgets at the state, ...Read more

Phil Collins faced death two years ago, and has lived to tell the tale.

The Grammy-winning singer recalled to the Times of London how his "kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing" when he was was hospitalized in Switzerland in April 2024 because of alcohol abuse. At the time, Collins' five children — including "Emily in Paris" ...Read more

Michigan health authorities were in touch with Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., about a parasitic outbreak in early July, weeks before the company officially alerted consumers.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services held a call with Yum on July 2 to discuss cyclospora, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg ...Read more

Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday on social media that Aug. 3 has “no legal impact” on his options if a Kentucky U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant this year.

His statement comes amid rampant online speculation that Aug. 3 marks the deadline for holding a special election to complete the term of Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has been absent since his ...Read more

Cyclospora cases in Missouri have nearly doubled for the second consecutive week, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The gastrointestinal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that’s caused havoc on thousands of people’s stomachs nationwide, with the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention Control ...Read more

Those who believe government can provide health insurance better than the free market need to look at Vermont.

For years, Vermont has geared its health-care policy toward creating a single-payer system. Perhaps that’s not a surprise given that the state keeps re-electing Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ardent socialist. As it turns out, it’s easier...Read more