To get these headlines delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for our weekly health news roundup.
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program needs more transparency, groups say
Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News, Aug. 27
A $50 billion federal program aimed at improving rural health care lacks the transparency needed to prevent fraud, identify what is working, and ensure it is delivering on its promise to transform the system. Much of the program’s transparency has been left up to state governments, and the level of detail that has been made public varies. Transparency “is really important to help protect the integrity of the program, ensure funds are reaching the communities they’re meant to serve,” said Maya Sandalow, director of health policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center. Several nonprofits, media outlets, and businesses have created their own efforts to make it easier for the public to track how the program is working.
Hospitals pursue deals to ensure survival as Trump’s Medicaid cuts loom
Daniel Payne, STAT, Sept. 8
Rural hospitals across the country are exploring the possibility of merging with larger health systems as they prepare for a projected shortfall in federal funding stemming from the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid. It could change the landscape of providers and the balance of power in the U.S. health system and make care more expensive and harder to access if larger health systems choose to offer some services in fewer locations. On the other hand, care could also become more expensive and harder to reach if hospitals shut down entirely. Some parts of the country may not have a larger health system in the area that is ready to step in.
Large employers drop health benefits as costs rise
Caitlin Owens, Axios, Sept. 4
Some of the country’s largest employers are scaling back benefits as they face yet another year of increasing health care costs. Disney recently made headlines by deciding to drop coverage for working spouses with access to their own coverage next year. It’s one example of cuts attributed to rising costs. Recent projections found that these increases are not going away anytime soon, and costs will likely be passed onto employees through plan design changes, or by requiring them to cover a greater share of premium costs.
Ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled. It’s worse in states with abortion bans.
Andrea Suozzo and Agnel Philip, ProPublica, Sept. 9
The number of women who have died after an ectopic pregnancy has spiked in recent years. These deaths occur in the first trimester. With prompt and appropriate medical care, maternal health experts say, women should not die. However, an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data found that almost 200 women with the condition died from 2020 to 2025, compared with about 100 in the previous six years. While the uptick occurred nationwide, the climb has been much steeper in states that banned abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Hartford is among the worst cities in the US for people with asthma, group says
Sujata Srinivasan, Connecticut Public Radio, Sept. 1
Hartford ranks among the worst cities in the U.S. for people with asthma, according to a new report. Hartford placed eighth out of 100 cities nationally. “People shouldn’t be able to breathe by their zip code, but unfortunately, that’s kind of what’s happening in Connecticut,” said Kenneth Mendez, the association’s president and CEO. Mendez said poverty was a key driver of these negative outcomes, with about 1 in 4 Hartford residents living in poverty. Lower-income residents have higher rates of asthma and less access to care.