A consistent pattern in medical training is hard to ignore: many students enter wanting to work in primary care with underserved groups, yet later choose to pursue specialty careers. I’d like to think these intentions are sincere, but something during training redirects them. That pattern isn’t about greed or moral failure–it’s a signal that we… Read More »
When the world hands you lemons, you learn to make lemonade. In public health, locally sourced is even better. With federal public health guidance in disarray, it can be easy to forget that most public health is, and always has been, local. It is not the federal government that sanitizes water, inspects restaurants, or diagnoses… Read More »
Every year, we pause to recognize the systems, people, and infrastructure that quietly shape the health of our communities. Yet in 2026, that pause feels less like a celebration and more like a call to action. As we approach National Public Health Week (NPHW), the stakes are unusually clear: public health is both more essential… Read More »
With the repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding–the conclusion that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane pose a threat to public health and welfare–the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) embraces climate denial as official policy. It is a particular blow to cancer care. This decision will increase fossil fuel use and the cancer-causing environmental conditions… Read More »
Faced with a federal government that is increasingly authoritarian, repressive, and hostile to public health, we must harness our radical imagination to re-envision our field. Many adults come to view dreaming as juvenile, trivial, escapist, or unproductive. But imagination is the lifeblood of creativity and a tool for seeing beyond our current problems. Our ability… Read More »
Over the past year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been battered by political interference that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Scientists and staff endured mass firings followed by partial rehiring, leaving employees describing themselves as “dead men walking”. In August, 180 shots were fired at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters,… Read More »
As we enter 2026, U.S. vaccine policy is undergoing one of its most dramatic transformations in decades, with profound implications for public health, trust in science, and the well-being of children and communities. These changes come on the heels of our declaration of Health in All Policies as The Medical Care Blog’s theme for 2026,… Read More »
A new year brings a clear choice. In 2026, The Medical Care Blog will focus more directly on how policy decisions shape health. Not just health policy in isolation, but policies across and intersecting between housing, labor, education, transportation, climate, and criminal legal systems. This approach is often called Health in All Policies. The idea… Read More »
For years, analysts warned that the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, which were temporarily extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, masked the true cost trajectory of the individual market. This fall, that warning has become reality. The 2026 open enrollment window (Nov 1 – Jan 15, with a deadline of December 15 for coverage… Read More »
WASHINGTON — Nationwide, states are racing to win their share of a new $50 billion rural health fund. But helping rural hospitals, as originally envisioned, is quickly becoming a quaint idea. Rather, states should submit applications that “rebuild and reshape” how health care is delivered in rural communities, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official Abe Sutton… Read More »
What just happened, and why people are talking about it In late September 2025, FDA announced it would start a process to add language to acetaminophen labels noting a possible association with autism and ADHD when used during pregnancy, and it sent a notice to physicians [pdf] summarizing the concern. The move followed statements from… Read More »
Given the impending evisceration of Medicaid, potential cuts to Medicare, and reductions in medical foreign aid, many ill individuals will face decreased access to supplies, equipment, and staff, necessitating difficult decisions about who receives care and how much treatment they will receive. Those making these decisions will have the uncomfortable choice of refusing treatments. This… Read More »
Imagine being discharged from the hospital, IV bandage still fresh, only to recover on a sidewalk with no shelter, no food, and no doctor to check on you. In the turbulent landscape of American healthcare, medical respite (MR) services have emerged as one of the most promising interventions for people experiencing homelessness. Medical respite programs… Read More »
Amid all the various post-pandemic perspectives on healthcare, the United States has felt the effects of waning vaccination rates through the return of a previously vanquished foe: measles. In the year 2000, measles was declared “eliminated” from the U.S. due to the CDC’s efforts in implementing the MMR/MMRV vaccines. In 2025, we see that measles is… Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rule for the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. And big changes may be coming–including some potential for payments to primary care to increase, and for payments to other specialties to decrease. Though the changes are controversial, they might be just what primary care needs.… Read More »
There has been a constant battle for Medicaid in America – from states slashing Medicaid reimbursements or refusing to expand access, to Congress now threatening to cut and restrict Medicaid funding altogether. The program, which funds 78.4 million of our most vulnerable patients, is a necessity to primary care. Medicaid beneficiaries look like pregnant women… Read More »
The transition to value-based care (VBC) is fundamentally transforming the healthcare landscape, and 2025 is poised to be an inflection point to see whether the promise of VBC can be realized. For healthcare professionals – and especially for ambulatory care practices – embracing the nuances of this dynamic environment is essential not only for delivering… Read More »