Production of cheaper alternatives to name brand obesity drugs will stop on Wednesday Large-scale compounding facilities have to stop making tirzepatide, the main ingredient in blockbuster obesity drug Zepbound, Wednesday. Sydney Lupkin
Tips to lower your medical bill Just because a medical bill arrives in the mail doesn't mean you have to pay that exact price. NPR's Life Kit has tips to eliminate, reduce or negotiate a medical bill. Marielle Segarra
As the VA plans more cuts, mental health care workers already feeling the impacts Officials at the VA say they plan to cut tens of thousands more jobs. Providers there say cutting any jobs will compromise health care. Mental health workers say they're already feeling these impacts. Katia Riddle
Missouri faces the prospect of Medicaid cuts The prospect of Medicaid cuts by Congress are sending a chill through Republican and Democratic-led states, where millions of people could lose medical coverage or states might have to cut other services. Jason Rosenbaum
Funding cuts may undermine efforts to connect rural patients and specialists remotely One rural Iowa hospital is trying to remotely connect its patients with more specialists from around the state. But cuts to federal funds might disrupt efforts like that. Yuki Noguchi
Fearing deportation, immigrants are missing appointments at Seattle-area clinics Providers at Seattle area-clinics that serve immigrant communities say that ever since President Trump returned to office, many more patients than usual have been missing appointments. Eilís O'Neill
DOGE sets its sights on Medicare and Medicaid The Department of Government Efficiency, has focused in on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. What could DOGE's efforts mean to the tens of millions of Americans who rely on them? Elena Burnett
A website sold patients obesity drugs at affordable rates. Now they're paying the price Patients who bought stockpiles of alternative GLP-1 drugs online aren't sure what to do with them after learning that the compounding pharmacy that made them didn't have the right license. Sydney Lupkin
Washington's hospital system is financially 'fragile' despite improvements For the first time in four years, financial losses at hospitals across Washington state are slowing down. Noel Gasca
Patients are getting prescriptions to socialize to fight an epidemic of lonlineness Loneliness is at epidemic levels across the U.S. and is correlated with higher risks of many chronic diseases. Some doctors and therapists are writing their patients prescriptions for socializing. Katia Riddle