Category: children’s health

Trump’s Order on Gender-Affirming Care Escalates Reversal of Trans Rights

The Jan. 28 executive order directs federal regulators to cut insurance coverage for hormonal or surgical treatments that help in young peoples’ gender transitions and cut federal funding for medical professionals or institutions that provide such care. It will likely be challenged in court.

Schools Aren’t as Plugged In as They Should Be to Kids’ Diabetes Tech, Parents Say

With continuous glucose monitors, students with Type 1 diabetes no longer have to visit the school nurse for a finger prick. But some parents say it falls to them to keep an eye on blood sugar levels from home or work — even though they may not be able to quickly reach their child when something’s wrong.

Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping

Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.

Trump’s Return Puts Medicaid on the Chopping Block

Republicans in Washington are working on plans to shrink Medicaid, the nearly $900-billion-a-year government health insurance program that covers 1 in 5 Americans.

Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here’s How To Help Them Cope.

The growing toll of climate-related disasters is a risk to the emotional well-being of young people. An Orange County, California, pediatric emergency doctor wants to add questions about climate change to standard mental health screenings conducted in pediatricians’ offices and other settings where kids seek care.

How Measles, Whooping Cough, and Worse Could Roar Back on RFK Jr.’s Watch

Inoculation campaigns that protect children and adults from dangerous diseases rely on a delicate web of state and federal laws and programs. If senior officials cast doubt on vaccine safety, the whole system might collapse, especially in red states.

A Toddler Got a Nasal Swab Test but Left Before Seeing a Doctor. The Bill was $445.

A mom in Peoria, Illinois, took her 3-year-old to the ER one evening last December. While they were waiting to be seen, the toddler seemed better, so they left without seeing a doctor. Then the bill came.

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

As federal health scientists await an unprecedented takeover by medical skeptics in the second Trump administration, some are said to be preparing résumés or retirement papers.

After Congress Ended Extra Cash Aid for Families, Communities Tackle Child Poverty Alone

The child tax credit passed by Congress at the height of covid has expired, but states and localities are trying to fill the gap with their own programs and funding. In Michigan, Rx Kids already covers every family with a new baby in Flint. Now, other communities aim to follow.

A Quick Return to School and Light Exercise May Help Kids Recover From Concussions

With new research and updated guidelines in Colorado and 15 other states, physicians and educators are asking parents not to wait to return their concussed kids to school.