The Medical Care Blog is always looking for new contributors! We’re especially interested in people who can commit to writing one blog post per month or every 3 months. We are open to contributors at all stages of career development. Prior blogging experience preferred, but not required. Our posts cover a wide range of topics. Some… Read More »
Julie M. Zito, PhD, a longtime member of the APHA Medical Care Section, a former chair of the Medical Care Section, and stalwart advocate for pharmacy policy, passed away on December 6, 2025. She was a good friend who always “liked” my Facebook posts on progressive issues. Along with Kathy Virgo, she guaranteed the quality… Read More »
Faced with a federal government that is increasingly authoritarian, repressive, and hostile to public health, we must harness our radical imagination to re-envision our field. Many adults come to view dreaming as juvenile, trivial, escapist, or unproductive. But imagination is the lifeblood of creativity and a tool for seeing beyond our current problems. Our ability… Read More »
Over the past year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been battered by political interference that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Scientists and staff endured mass firings followed by partial rehiring, leaving employees describing themselves as “dead men walking”. In August, 180 shots were fired at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters,… Read More »
Burnout among physicians and clinicians has reached alarming levels. Primary care, in particular, sits at the intersection of growing patient complexity, rising administrative burden, and relentless performance pressures tied to quality metrics and value-based care. Health systems increasingly look to team-based care as part of the solution, yet integration often happens without fully understanding how… Read More »
Veterans experiencing housing insecurity face severe health risks. They have high rates of chronic disease, mental health disorders, and substance use. These conditions drive emergency department visits and hospitalizations far above population norms. Homelessness and unstable housing are powerful social determinants of acute care use. Addressing them is essential to improve outcomes and reduce costs.… Read More »
As we enter 2026, U.S. vaccine policy is undergoing one of its most dramatic transformations in decades, with profound implications for public health, trust in science, and the well-being of children and communities. These changes come on the heels of our declaration of Health in All Policies as The Medical Care Blog’s theme for 2026,… Read More »
In our 2025 wrap-up, we recapped last year’s theme of political determinants of health. In this post, we apply that lens to sexual and reproductive health — part of this year’s focus on Health in All Policies. No doubt about it: politics and policy matter to our health As we’ve written here many times before,… Read More »
A new year brings a clear choice. In 2026, The Medical Care Blog will focus more directly on how policy decisions shape health. Not just health policy in isolation, but policies across and intersecting between housing, labor, education, transportation, climate, and criminal legal systems. This approach is often called Health in All Policies. The idea… Read More »
Greetings, dear readers, and welcome to our 2025 wrap-up! In the US, 2025 has been a very challenging year for many in clinical and public health practice and research. With funding cuts, layoffs, and reductions-in-force, many of our readers (and yours truly) had to face the fact that our livelihoods were no longer secure. It… Read More »
(Editor’s note: This post was co-authored by the following leaders: Greg Merritt, Ava Zebrick, Bill Stephen, Cheslie Johnson, Crispin Goytia, Jeffrey Ordway, Kristie Hill, Melissa Bronson, Nadine Zemon, Neely Williams, Shirley Stowe, and Tiffany Jones.) Over the past year, as Patient Partner leaders for PCORnet®, we have been developing a manuscript chronicling the PCORnet journey… Read More »
For years, analysts warned that the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, which were temporarily extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, masked the true cost trajectory of the individual market. This fall, that warning has become reality. The 2026 open enrollment window (Nov 1 – Jan 15, with a deadline of December 15 for coverage… Read More »
Imagine walking into an indoor public health conference and many people are smoking cigarettes. The air is filled with toxic smoke. You might be coughing and likely outraged. It wasn’t long ago that this was the reality of life in public spaces. That is, until public health stepped in and worked to enact smoking bans… Read More »
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace Open Enrollment season starts November 1, 2025 in most states. The premiums insurers charge are increasing. And, with enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of the year, out-of-pocket premiums are expected to increase drastically. Additionally, changes to Marketplace enrollment and eligibility rules in this year’s… Read More »
WASHINGTON — Nationwide, states are racing to win their share of a new $50 billion rural health fund. But helping rural hospitals, as originally envisioned, is quickly becoming a quaint idea. Rather, states should submit applications that “rebuild and reshape” how health care is delivered in rural communities, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official Abe Sutton… Read More »
What just happened, and why people are talking about it In late September 2025, FDA announced it would start a process to add language to acetaminophen labels noting a possible association with autism and ADHD when used during pregnancy, and it sent a notice to physicians [pdf] summarizing the concern. The move followed statements from… Read More »
This article was first published on KFF Health News. It also ran on CNN. It is republished here for free. While plowing a wheat field in rural Washington state in the 1990s, William Wallace spotted a gray plane overhead that he believed was releasing chemicals to make him sick. The rancher began to suspect that all white… Read More »
Interoperability in healthcare is achieved when all providers are connected and able to securely share patient information. While hospitals and physician practices continue to make progress—supported by federal incentives to implement electronic health record (EHR) systems—long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) providers often remain at the margins. LTPAC Providers Include: Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) Nursing homes… Read More »
Chronic diseases—hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease—are leading causes of death globally. In the United States, their burden is especially severe in African American communities. One often overlooked barrier in managing these conditions is medical trust. Without trust in healthcare, access, prevention, treatment, and long-term care are far less effective. Why Trust Matters in Healthcare Trust… Read More »
Prioritization is at the center of affordable and supportive housing decisions. This is because resources such as these are extremely limited, and the needs of those who need housing support are complex. Communities must decide how to fairly and effectively determine who should receive housing opportunities first, and increasingly, those decisions rely on structured, coordinated… Read More »
Given the impending evisceration of Medicaid, potential cuts to Medicare, and reductions in medical foreign aid, many ill individuals will face decreased access to supplies, equipment, and staff, necessitating difficult decisions about who receives care and how much treatment they will receive. Those making these decisions will have the uncomfortable choice of refusing treatments. This… Read More »
Imagine being discharged from the hospital, IV bandage still fresh, only to recover on a sidewalk with no shelter, no food, and no doctor to check on you. In the turbulent landscape of American healthcare, medical respite (MR) services have emerged as one of the most promising interventions for people experiencing homelessness. Medical respite programs… Read More »
In the midst of all of the health disparities in the United States, one seems to always fly under the radar. A stigma already exists surrounding periods, but talking about period poverty only heightens this response. Period poverty is a common issue, both worldwide and in the United States, but is so often overlooked. If… Read More »
Amid all the various post-pandemic perspectives on healthcare, the United States has felt the effects of waning vaccination rates through the return of a previously vanquished foe: measles. In the year 2000, measles was declared “eliminated” from the U.S. due to the CDC’s efforts in implementing the MMR/MMRV vaccines. In 2025, we see that measles is… Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rule for the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. And big changes may be coming–including some potential for payments to primary care to increase, and for payments to other specialties to decrease. Though the changes are controversial, they might be just what primary care needs.… Read More »
If you have been following the debate about Medicaid cuts, you know it’s a giant program, America’s largest in terms of the number of people it covers. But you may be confused about how many people Medicaid actually covers. Is it 71 million Americans, the number most commonly used in The New York Times and… Read More »
If there was ever a time to flex our collective muscles for creative language and communication strategies for health equity, it’s now. The political landscape has shifted dramatically away from equity and social justice. Ensuring that we have adequate messaging tools to address health inequities and the social drivers of health is more important now… Read More »
The Medicaid cuts are dire in the Big Beautiful Bill. Some of the forthcoming changes and cuts are still a couple of years away, but now is the time to prepare. We should remember how important Medicaid is and why, and continue to talk widely about its value and its challenges. We should also understand… Read More »
This post from KFF Health News is republished here in line with The Medical Care Blog’s declaration that our theme for 2025 is ‘the Political Determinants of Health‘. As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he’d fired earlier met… Read More »
NOTE: The deadline has now been extended to August 17th, 2025. It is a time of tremendous unrest in public health. Your stories from the front lines of public health are critical to telling the story of the challenges facing public health today. The Medical Care Blog is committed to elevating your voices on these… Read More »
There has been a constant battle for Medicaid in America – from states slashing Medicaid reimbursements or refusing to expand access, to Congress now threatening to cut and restrict Medicaid funding altogether. The program, which funds 78.4 million of our most vulnerable patients, is a necessity to primary care. Medicaid beneficiaries look like pregnant women… Read More »
The transition to value-based care (VBC) is fundamentally transforming the healthcare landscape, and 2025 is poised to be an inflection point to see whether the promise of VBC can be realized. For healthcare professionals – and especially for ambulatory care practices – embracing the nuances of this dynamic environment is essential not only for delivering… Read More »
For much of modern medicine, clinical decisions leaned on tradition, authority, and experience. Physicians often followed longstanding practices because “that’s how it’s always been done.” But in recent decades, a quiet revolution changed everything: the rise of evidence-based medicine (EBM). EBM has reshaped clinical care. Now, it’s time for that same rigor to permeate public… Read More »
It is official, the cause of COVID-19 was clearly and definitively a lab leak! How do we know? Well, the White House created an official website declaring as much. Topped with an obsequious image of President Trump emerging from pitch darkness (presumably to reveal the truth?), the site looks like something created by the satirical… Read More »
Last month, the American Public Health Association (APHA) released a statement by Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD describing the ways in which Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a “danger to the public’s health” and calling for his resignation. I had missed this. I found it when searching for whether APHA had taken an updated… Read More »
About a month ago (March 27th to be exact), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a sweeping reorganization plan. The government will create a new umbrella agency: the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). Some have hailed this as a bold step toward modernization. In effect, the AHA will absorb and restructure… Read More »
When we talk about chronic illness, the conversation usually centers on medications, treatment plans, or physical symptoms. But for those who live with long-term health conditions, it’s often about so much more than what’s happening in the body. Chronic illness doesn’t just disrupt routines, it affects how people work, plan, connect with others, and, crucially,… Read More »
We are in a tumultuous time of upheaval and reckoning in public health and healthcare. The Trump administration launches daily attacks across sectors that impact health nationally and globally. As public health and healthcare leaders and experts, we are in a unique position to speak out against these injustices. We have deep understanding, experience, and… Read More »
As an epidemiologist and assistant professor dedicated to the education of primary care physicians, I feel compelled to address the alarming measles outbreak currently unfolding in Texas and neighboring states. This situation not only underscores the resurgence of a disease once considered successfully contained but also highlights the detrimental impact of disinformation and recent government… Read More »
This article is from a partnership that includes WABE, NPR, and KFF Health News. It was republished for free. It was selected to run as a part of this year’s theme at The Medical Care Blog, highlighting the Political Determinants of Health. On a sunny weekday in Atlanta, a small crowd of people gathered for a rally… Read More »
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US for women. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in 2025. On top of that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are around 11,500 new cases of cervical cancer, and about… Read More »
The recent budget resolution passed by the House of Representatives proposes significant spending cuts, including approximately $880 billion from programs under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which encompasses Medicaid. This proposal has raised concerns about potential reductions in Medicaid funding, a program that currently provides health coverage to over 72… Read More »
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House sent a clear signal about Medicaid to Republicans across the country: Requiring enrollees to prove they are working, volunteering, or going to school is back on the table. The day after Trump’s inauguration, South Carolina GOP Gov. Henry McMaster asked federal officials to approve a work requirement… Read More »
Last Sunday, standing at the mic with a grammy in hand for best new artist, Chappell Roan finally got the U.S. talking about the uninsured again. Reading from her notebook, she used the moment to call for adequate wages and health care for aspiring artists. She explained, “If my label would have prioritized artists’ health,… Read More »
While training to be a psychometrician I was blessed/cursed more than 50 years ago with a favorable response to a research proposal to improve tools that researchers increasingly used for surveying health outcomes but were rarely evaluated psychometrically. Knowing little about health, I found very useful the WHO’s 1948 definition of it as “a state… Read More »
Despite advances in brain health, rates of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) continue to rise. ADRD is multi-faceted, with many causes. As with all public health issues, a health equity framework is essential to understanding the root causes. Building a complete understanding of ADRD and healthy aging allows us to develop informed policies, practices,… Read More »
A lot has been said about the Project 2025 initiative including some discussion of its implications for public health in the United States. Representing a significant collaboration of more than 100 conservative organizations in the United States, Project 2025 certainly carries weight even if its specific role in the new administration remains uncertain. But what… Read More »
I ask my patients to do a lot of things: reduce stress, move more, and eat healthier. I also encourage them to use phones, cigarettes and other addictive substances less. One thing I don’t often ask them to do is play more, and I think I am missing something important. And maybe I am missing… Read More »
Happy New Year to our readers, and thank you for joining us as we welcome in 2025. Two weeks ago, we took time to review and celebrate our first-ever blog theme: Climate Change and Public Health. We learned a lot during our first year with a theme, and we will take those lessons into 2025.… Read More »
It’s been a rocky year for public health and climate change. We began 2024 with the news that 2023 had been, by far, the hottest year on record. The average temperature had increased so much from the prior year, that one scientist described it as not just breaking records, but a leap-frogging of them. At… Read More »
Hi, My name is Dr. Ben King and I’m the new Chair of the Medical Care section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). I am beyond excited about what the next couple of years have in store for us as a professional organization. I also recognize that we are entering a time of immense… Read More »