17 Apr, 2026
WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a delicate task ahead of him as he heads to Capitol Hill to testify about the fiscal 2027 budget request: Stick…
For most of my life, my family has been advocating for therapies to help my twin brother. While the recent approval of a new drug should give us reason to…
First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust,…
The past few weeks have been nothing but discouraging for those of us who helped create the Make America Healthy Again movement, including a silly executive order on glyphosate that…
Ahead of Monday’s NCAA men’s basketball final, much of the news coverage focused on two overlapping dynamics: what bets to make, and how the rise of sports betting is causing…

STAT readers on nutrition education, 340B, and more

First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust, good-faith discussion about issues raised in First Opinion essays, STAT publishes selected Letters to the Editor received in response to them. You can submit a […]

19 mins read

What does UnitedHealth Group’s massive AI push mean for patients?

From a scan of its job openings, it would be easy to mistake UnitedHealth Group for Silicon Valley’s latest artificial intelligence juggernaut. Hundreds of postings seek applicants with expertise in data science and artificial intelligence, part of a sweeping campaign to embed AI in the company’s core business operations. Already, UnitedHealth employs 22,000 software engineers […]

3 mins read

FDA briefs lawmakers on food safety priorities

WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration officials briefed senators on the agency’s plans for food policy for 2026, according to a person familiar with the meeting. The agency plans to focus on infant formula safety, updating food labels, defining ultra-processed foods, expanding inspections of food processing plants, and bolstering seafood safety programs, according to a […]

2 mins read