Spotty insurance coverage for GLP-1 drugs gets worse Insurance coverage of blockbuster obesity drugs has been spotty at best over the years, and it looks like things are getting worse, not better. Plans are dropping coverage or restricting it further. Sydney Lupkin
Special rural health funding not enough to keep some health facilities open The Big Beautiful Bill Act sets aside special funding for rural health care, but the strings attached make it hard for them to continue some services, like dialysis. Arielle Zionts
You can order your own bloodwork now. Interpreting the results is another story Firms like Function Health and Oura market regular blood tests to people wanting to take their health into their own hands. The process often raises more questions for patients than it can answer. Kate Cunningham
How to make a high-deductible health plan and HSA work for you If you chose a cheaper health plan, you may be stuck with some hefty medical bills until you meet your deductible. Here's how to get the most out of your plan and health savings account. Jackie Fortiér
Rural hospitals are figuring our how to restructure after Medicaid cuts States are rolling out plans to distribute their share of a $50 billion fund that Congress set up to shore up rural health care. In some states, the money may force rural hospitals to cut services. Arielle Zionts
Groups work to give people living in rural areas with Parkinson's access to care Many people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease live in rural areas where it can be tough to access services they need, but dedicated individuals are working to make it easier. Bek Shackelford
The Trump administration's fix for the crisis in rural healthcare? AI nurses and more NPR's Don Gonyea speaks to health researcher Mark Holmes about the Rural Health Transformation Program and the Trump administration's call to use AI to improve care across the country. Don Gonyea
What Colorado is doing about vaccine policy After RFK Jr. began overhauling the CDC, Colorado has taken vaccine policy into its own hands. It's going to follow the scientific recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. John Daley
A strike by therapists spotlights a growing concern: AI replacing human providers This week, more than 2,000 mental health care workers at Kaiser Permanente, in northern California went on a 24-hour-strike. A major reason is disagreement between Kaiser and therapists over the future role of AI in mental health care. Rhitu Chatterjee
New data-sharing rules for Medicaid cause fears among patients who are immigrants When Medicaid began sharing personal data with federal immigration authorities last year, it upended decades of explicit promises to patients. Now, even eligible immigrants fear enrolling. Alexandra Olgin