Mental health

“Jacob Sweidan has seen his patients through the federal immigration raids of the 1990s, a sitting governor’s call to abolish birthright citizenship, and the highly publicized workplace crackdowns and family separation policies of President Donald Trump’s first term.

“Colorado is hoping a just-under-the-wire application to the federal government will help soften the blow of Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the recently signed tax and spending measure.

"A growing number of Americans find themselves living in "health care deserts," areas lacking in the specific infrastructure and services needed to ensure timely access to medicine and care, new data suggests. According to new research from health care and prescription price-comparison website GoodRx, 81 percent of U.S. counties—home to more than 120 million Americans—fall under this definition in some way. This includes those which lack proper access to either pharmacies, primary care, hospital beds, trauma centers or community health centers." Read more at Newsweek.

“The layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services slashed the staffs of major federal aging, disability and anti-poverty programs, leaving the future of those programs uncertain.

“For nonprofits, the freeze is mostly over. The worry is just beginning.

“As my colleague Edwin Park has explained, capping federal Medicaid payments to states will likely be a key objective for the incoming administration. To lay the groundwork for this radical cost shift, the administration and its allies can be expected to argue that the Medicaid program is riddled with fraud. A leading proponent is Brian Blase, head of the Paragon Health Institute, who is not a fan of Medicaid.