CDC funding for HIV prevention shifted from providers to states under Trump
Nonprofits fighting HIV used get direct funding from the CDC. Now that money is going to state health departments that may have other priorities.
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An early start to flu season moves up vaccination timing
This year's flu season is unusual. It started early and in the West, instead of the South. A new variant with a mutation that helps the virus evade immunity may be playing a role.
What happened during Christa Pike's failed execution
Catherine Sweeney was in the witness room when Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30. An attempted execution in May had also failed. Here's what Sweeney saw and heard.
Wildfire smoke affects animals in unique ways. Scientists are trying to understand it
The new field of "smoke ecology" examines how wildfire smoke perturbs wild places and animals — and what might be done to prevent its worst mayhem.
From floating saunas to clinical trials: How heat might help mental health
While scientists have a decent understanding of how sauna and other forms of heat exposure exercises our cardiovascular system, they know relatively little about its impact on mental health.
Republicans and Democrats find a unifying target: Pharmacy benefit managers
Republicans and Democrats, both patients and politicians, seem united in their disdain for the healthcare companies known as pharmacy benefit managers. Tennessee and Arkansas are regulating them now.
What does marathon training do to your body? A reporter becomes the test subject
Before running the New York City Marathon, NPR's Elissa Nadworny gets a bone scan, blood work and a treadmill test to settle a question from Mom: Is this bad for my body?
4 ways to battle performance anxiety, according to a confidence coach
Worried about stumbling before a high-stakes event, like a race or a job interview? Psychologist Cindra Kamphoff offers creative strategies to overcome the jitters and build confidence in the moment.
October 1 ushered in a new era in U.S. foreign aid. What's the plan? Will it work?
The America First strategy asks for a Memorandum of Understanding as a condition for healthcare and development aid. It's been praised for promoting self-reliance but criticized for its conditions.
Heat-related deaths in Phoenix rise, after two years of decline
Metro Phoenix has so far seen twice as many heat deaths as this time last year. Authorities are trying to understand why and how to intervene.
As of Oct. 1, refugees lose access to Medicaid across the country
Starting Oct. 1, refugees and asylum seekers are losing access to Medicaid across the country because of H.R. 1, the Trump administration's major budget bill Republicans passed in summer 2025.
'It's a nightmare.' Former refugee, professor on Trump's new Medicaid policy
Starting Oct. 1, many immigrants who are here legally lose their Medicaid coverage because of the Republican budget bill passed last year.
A new California law bans child marriage. What's the global outlook on the practice?
The governor of California has signed into law a ban on child marriage. What is the status of other efforts to ban the practice? And do bans prove effective?
Trump administration reverses stance on integration of people with disabilities
Disability rights advocates are angered by the latest reversal but are rallying behind proposed legislation and working with states to strengthen protections for community integration.
After failed execution, health workers say Tennessee's method flouts medical ethics
After a botched lethal injection in May, dozens of Tennessee medical professionals told the governor that healthcare professionals shouldn't help with executions, no matter the method.
Travel plans? Here's what to know as measles exposures reach trains and games
Measles is traveling, with outbreaks in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, and exposures on transportation and in sports. What should you know before getting on a plane or train?
Drugs are widely used to sedate dementia patients. Her sons wanted to keep her off them
Potent sedating medications are often used on agitated people with dementia in long-term care facilities despite federal efforts to discourage them. A clash over whether to drug a Michigan woman illuminates the wrenching decisions families and guardians face.
What's behind HHS claims that gender-affirming care 'may' radicalize
The report is the agency's latest effort to chip away at trust in established health care models for transgender people. Critics say it frames transgender identity as illegitimate or even dangerous.
They were promised protection. Instead, these kids with disabilities died in foster care
Disabled kids make up the largest group in foster care. They have the worst outcomes. They stay in foster care longest. They're the most likely to die.
Montana starts enforcing Medicaid work requirements on Oct 1. Patients are confused
In most states, people with Medicaid coverage will have to prove they're working, volunteering or studying, starting Jan. 1. But Montana is starting that early, and it's sowing confusion and anxiety.
Rural voters support MAHA movement, but feel little impact, poll finds
A new poll from KFF-AP shows that rural voters support the Make America Healthy Again movement, but they don't think it's had a positive impact on their lives.
This startup wants to prove gene-editing embryos is safe for making healthy babies
Origin Genomics aims to prove that the potential benefits of its technology for editing disease-causing genes in human embryos outweigh the risks.
This year's MacArthur Fellows include researchers who fuse science and justice
The MacArthur Foundation has just announced its latest batch of 20 fellows. Among the recipients of the $800,000 "no-strings-attached" fellowships are researchers who were recognized for their work at the intersection of science and justice.
Tennessee's failed execution ignites a medical ethics debate
After a botched lethal injection in May, dozens of Tennessee medical professionals told the governor that healthcare professionals shouldn't help with executions, ever. No matter the method.
5 tips for parents worried about their kids' screen time and online safety
Parental monitoring can help protect kids from the harms of social media and excess screen time. Screen time boundaries plus early and open conversations about online habits can make kids less vulnerable.
Photos: This may be the most inspirational night school on Earth
Many thousands of boys and men in Lesotho take up the vital profession of herding but have to give up their education. A small network of schools on a shoestring budget is teaching them the ABCs.
From professor to patient: One man's journey on the frontier of lung cancer treatment
Lung cancer is still the top cancer killer, but new developments are shifting what the future might hold for patients.
Why this island paradise has the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemic
In mid-September, Fiji's government declared a national emergency because of a startling rise in HIV infections. The country's crystal meth epidemic is a strong contributing factor.
The U.S. has more thalidomide survivors than the government admits
In the 1950s and 1960s, doctors gave the drug thalidomide to pregnant patients without telling them — and without FDA approval. Now those patients' children want recognition.
Meal deliveries can save money and improve health. Will they survive Medicaid cuts?
Some states deliver meals to Medicaid patients that address their dietary needs. Evidence shows it aids recovery and saves healthcare costs, but federal budget cuts may lead some states to cancel it.
There's a global pandemic treaty that's signed -- and in 'limbo.' What's the holdup?
The treaty aims to help the countries of the world prepare for — and defeat — any future pandemic. Why hasn't it gone into effect?
Mom! Mom! MOM! 3 ways to stay calm in stressful parenting moments
Parenthood can be overwhelming. A therapist and mom of three shares techniques to help calibrate your emotions — so you can show up better for yourself and your family.
Congress passed $100 million for teen pregnancy prevention. Most of it is untouched
With days left to go in the 2026 fiscal year, lawmakers push the health department to spend the money Congress allocated to prevent teen pregnancy. An NPR exclusive.
$100 million in teen pregnancy prevention funds remain unused. What happened?
President Trump's FDA commissioner nom, Dr. Heidi Overton, faces Senators' questions
Dr. Heidi Overton has been nominated to be the new FDA commissioner. The Senate HELP committee pressed her on vaccines, mifepristone, food safety and whether she can tell the president he's wrong.
How to limit rat numbers? Train humans
No matter how much poison you put out, rats continue to thrive. So D.C.'s Rat Rangers are trying education (of people, not the rats). They take residents into back alleys to illuminate the problem.