22 May, 2026
Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on…
WASHINGTON — A group of Senate Democrats is proposing that Medicare cover in-home care, which would create the first new benefit in the program since the Part D retail drug…
The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to vaccine policy over the past year justified by invocations of patients’ “personal autonomy.” In January, Department of Health and Human Services head…
Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Shelley Wood and Eric Topol. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast”…
Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on…

AI is exacerbating Americans’ distrust in health care

After OpenAI and Anthropic launched dedicated health care initiatives in January, a study published in February found that OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health had a 50% error rate, incorrectly recommending that care be delayed in emergency test cases half the time.  That error rate, which was not identified before the app was rolled out, is a symptom of a broader problem: the rapid adoption of AI systems by health […]

7 mins read

Medicare considering automatic Medicare Advantage enrollment

Tara Bannow covers hospitals, providers, and insurers. You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70. President Trump’s Medicare director said Thursday his team is considering a policy that would automatically enroll Medicare beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage plans, a controversial idea that was touted in the conservative Project 2025 policy blueprint.  Chris Klomp said the Centers […]

2 mins read

How a 340B successor might arise from the drug price negotiations

The 340B drug discount program requires manufacturers to sell drugs to safety-net hospitals at deep discounts, so they can reinvest the savings into care for low-income and uninsured patients. Despite its original intent, recent meteoric growth in this program has attracted considerable attention from various sectors. The Trump administration is currently on its second attempt […]

8 mins read

Federally qualified health centers face existential crisis

Twenty years ago, when I started working with federally qualified health centers, I once performed a walkthrough and shadowed a routine medical exam. English was not this patient’s first language, and a translator was readily available and assigned immediately to ease communication. During the intake process, the patient mentioned an unstable housing environment, food insecurity, […]

9 mins read

GOP Sen. Johnson investigating FDA rare disease drug rejections

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he is investigating the Food and Drug Administration’s rejections of rare disease treatments. The Wisconsin Republican is requesting denial letters, called complete response letters, that the FDA sent to makers of rare disease treatments for conditions including ataxia and Sanfilippo syndrome. He said he’s heard that some of the […]

2 mins read