WASHINGTON — Policy analysts, Democrats, and Republicans dissatisfied with the deal agree: Federal health programs have dodged a budgetary bullet in the Washington showdown over raising the nation’s debt ceiling.

A compromise bill, approved late Thursday by the Senate, includes some trims and caps on health spending for the next two years. ...Read more

Health care advocates are sounding the alarm over how Florida is handling last month’s end of emergency Medicaid, which they warn could force thousands of eligible children to lose medical coverage because their parents don’t know they must reapply to the federal program.

One reason they don’t know, according to advocates, is that Florida...Read more

ATLANTA — A new report from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shed some new light on the health habits of Americans. According to the report, 8.2% of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 taking prescription medications reported not taking their drugs as prescribed in order to cut costs – adding up to 9.2 ...Read more

Those with type 2 diabetes who are planning out their exercise schedule should consider getting in a workout after lunch, according to a new study from Boston researchers.

Type 2 diabetes patients who were physically active in the afternoon saw greater improvements in blood sugar levels than those who were most active at other times of day, the...Read more

When Rose Al Abosy began weighing which obstetrics and gynecology residencies to apply to, she spoke to advisers, considered programs’ academics and evaluated how state laws would affect her ability to train in providing abortions.

The Boston University Medical School graduate narrowed down the options to 80 programs in states that had not ...Read more

A little-known respiratory virus is grabbing the limelight from COVID-19 and RSV after cases surged earlier this year, spurring companies to prepare their vaccines for a waiting market.

About one in five U.S. lung patients who were tested in March for the illness, called human metapneumovirus, or hMPV, showed signs of the disease, according to ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Two Idaho families are suing to block a law that makes it a crime to provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

House Bill 71, passed by the Legislature this year and signed into law by Idaho Gov. Brad Little, makes it a felony for physicians to provide transition-related surgeries and medication, such as puberty ...Read more

In the past five years, several new drugs have been brought to market that could lead to a profound, if not revolutionary, change in how health care providers – and the public – view weight loss.

Three drugs in particular – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – have shown remarkable effects on weight loss ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I'm training for my first long-distance race, and I want to be safe on my runs. Unfortunately, due to where I live, the weather is often a challenge. On other days, I'm finding I cannot get in my miles until after dusk. I'm wondering if you have any advice for staying injury-free in cold, rainy or dark conditions?

ANSWER: ...Read more

A hemangioma, also known as a strawberry birthmark, is a bright red birthmark that shows up in the first or second week of life. It looks like a rubbery bump and is made up of extra blood vessels in the skin.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Megha Tollefson, a Mayo Clinic pediatric dermatologist, explains what caregivers should know if their ...Read more

Delores Lowery remembers vividly the day in 2016 when she was working in a weaving plant near her home in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and the world around her seemed to go dim.

She turned to her co-workers. “And I asked, I said, ‘Why y’all got it so dark in here? They said, ‘Delores, it’s not dark in here.’ I said, ‘Yes, it is....Read more

Millions of Americans in the past few years have run into this experience: filing a health care insurance claim that once might have been paid immediately but instead is just as quickly denied. If the experience and the insurer’s explanation often seem arbitrary and absurd, that might be because companies appear increasingly likely to employ ...Read more

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this virus?” is a frequent response I hear from parents upon learning their newborn is infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Although more than half of the U.S. population will be infected with CMV by the age of 40 and the disease is common worldwide, few people have ever heard of it.

CMV ...Read more

There’s no denying the irresistible pistachio. Its smooth beige shell reveals a peak of the green goodness within.

The folklore

Native to the Middle East, including what is now Turkey, Iran and Syria, pistachios were considered royalty and an aphrodisiac, and Chinese legend says they bring good luck to those who hear the shells pop open ...Read more

Millions of people take a multivitamin each day. Some believe it’s a sort of insurance in case their diet is missing some essential nutrient. Others believe it will ward off disease by boosting immunity, improving brain health, or regulating metabolism. It's easy to see where these ideas come from: ads tout wide-ranging health benefits, even ...Read more

Summer is the season of flip flops, swimsuits, and lots of traditions that revolve around...food! Here’s how to sidestep seven classic calorie bombs, and seriously upgrade your health.

1. Trade ice cream for frozen treats.

Switching to frozen yogurt shaves off some calories, but a pint can still cost you 800 calories!

The swap: Whip up a ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I swim for exercise and relaxation. I try to get in the pool about three times a week. Recently, I have begun to have episodes where it feels like water is still in my ear. Then my ear becomes red and painful. A friend suggested I might have swimmer’s ear. Is this something that is easy to treat? Do I need to stop swimming?

...Read more

Catherine Reitzel’s multiple sclerosis medication costs nearly $100,000 a year. Kris Garcia relies on a drug for a blood-clotting disorder that runs $10,000 for a three-day supply. And Mariana Marquez-Farmer would likely die within days without her monthly $300 vial of insulin.

At best, a Colorado panel of medical and pharmacy experts seeking...Read more

Want to lose weight? It's really just basic math. Burn more calories than you take in. The best way to do that is by eating a healthy diet — reducing your calorie intake — and being physically active, which increases the number of calories burned.

While it appears to be simple, many people find it challenging to effectively lose weight and ...Read more