A heated television interview has sparked a new debate over medical procedures involving children—and the role government should play in those decisions. The controversy began when Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, appeared on Fox News with host Jesse Watters. Watters asked El-Sayed whether he supports transgender medical procedures for minors. Rather than simply answering the question, El-Sayed argued that parents, doctors, and patients—not

For years, Medicare for All has been presented as a simple promise: Everyone gets health care, and families no longer have to worry about premiums, deductibles and large medical bills. It sounds appealing. But there is an important question Americans—especially seniors and those nearing retirement—should ask: If the government pays the bill, who actually pays the government? That question has taken on new importance after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he does not

A newly released email is raising fresh questions about how federal health officials investigated reports of possible side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. The email, written in May 2021 by Janet Woodcock, who was then acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, was sent to Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins, two of the most powerful figures in the federal health system at the time. Woodcock said she had been hearing from health care professionals about peo

A newly released email is raising questions about whether reports of possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects received enough attention from federal health officials. The email, dated May 27, 2021, was written by Janet Woodcock, who was then leading the Food and Drug Administration. According to the report, Woodcock urged Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, then leaders at the National Institutes of Health, to support research into health problems being reported after CO

Anthony Fauci was once one of the most trusted medical authorities in America. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans heard his advice on television, followed his recommendations, and were told that challenging his conclusions meant challenging science itself. Today, that image looks very different. Fauci’s recent Senate appearance, following the release of portions of his diary, has raised new questions about how much Americans should trust unelected experts whe

If you are 65 or older, there is a good chance prescription drugs are a regular part of your life. And if you have ever stood at a pharmacy counter and wondered why a bottle of medicine costs so much, you are certainly not alone. The high cost of prescription drugs has been debated in Washington for years. Now, the Trump administration is taking a different approach: Make it faster and less expensive to develop and approve new medicines. The idea is simple. If drug companies

For most of my life, I've believed that free markets only work when people know what they're buying. Whether you're shopping for a truck, hiring a contractor, or planning a family vacation, you expect to know the price before you commit. Somehow, health care became the one part of American life where that basic principle disappeared. That's why I welcomed the Trump administration's renewed commitment to enforcing hospital price transparency rules. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy

Minnesota has removed thousands of healthcare providers from its Medicaid program after a federally required review aimed at reducing fraud and improving oversight. The action follows pressure from federal officials, who warned the state that billions of dollars in Medicaid funding could be at risk unless stronger safeguards were put in place. The review focused on providers considered to be at higher risk for billing problems or fraud, including some adult day service progra

For many Americans, the rapid changes in how the medical community approaches gender-related care have been difficult to follow. Now, a new development in Texas is drawing attention from patients, doctors, and policymakers alike. As part of a legal settlement involving Texas Children's Hospital, the hospital has agreed to establish a clinic focused on providing care for people who have chosen to detransition—that is, individuals who previously underwent medical treatments to

Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed legislation making it a felony to traffic abortion-inducing drugs into or within the state, opening a new front in the post-Dobbs fight over mail-order mifepristone even as the U.S. Supreme Court continues to let the pills be shipped during federal litigation. House Bill 1168 takes effect Aug. 12 and carries up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine for anyone who knowingly possesses or delivers the drugs to a person who inte

Fraud in government programs is often treated like an urban legend—something that happens in faraway blue cities run by corrupt political machines. But the truth is more unsettling: Some of the most brazen theft of taxpayer money is happening in places governed by Republicans, right under their noses. Consider Ohio. At one address in Columbus, investigators found 94 different companies registered in the same building. The windows were covered. The offices appeared empty. Yet,

The abortion issue won’t go away, as so many politicians wish it would. It persists because the discussion and debate are about our very existence. What is life? The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which has defined the abortion landscape in the United States since 1973. That landscape defined a right to abortion protected by the U.S. Constitution. Dobbs reversed this, concluding that the Constitution co

When Assistant Secretary of Health Alex Adams led the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, he ended the state’s “orphan tax.” Now he is helping every other state do the same thing. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re gonna keep at this,” said Adams, who leads the Administration of Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services. “I think it’s morally wrong, and we’re gonna use every lever available to us.” When parents die before withdrawing their

Democrats like to say, for a lack of a better term, that Republicans hate sick people. I have cystic fibrosis: a chronic, life-threatening genetic disease, and I’m sick and tired of Democrats lying and fear mongering to people who are already sick and tired. The Affordable Care Act was fundamentally flawed from the start, and was never designed to function without massive, unsustainable subsidies. It ultimately was doomed to fail. The ACA drove up costs, narrowed provider net

Drip, drip, drip. Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, more details are being revealed concerning the failure of federal public health officials to come clean about lingering safety issues with the COVID-19 vaccine. Senate investigators have conclusively proved, for example, that Biden administration officials downplayedopens in a new tab the risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis (heart inflammation) and failed to warn the public. Widespread and dangerous loss of trust in p

Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are declaring a war on microplastics. These tiny bits of plastic, which are less than 5 mm in size, can persist in our environment for hundreds or thousands of years. They may also build up in our bodies, our hearts and our brains, causing untold damage. For the first time, the EPA is adding microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its Contaminant Candidate List for drinking

The Religious Liberty Commission held a hearing at the Museum of the Bible on March 16 to examine religious liberty issues in health care and social services. Across multiple panels, witnesses described professional and legal consequences they said followed decisions to practice their faith. Testimony came from parents, physicians, counselors, and faith leaders who addressed topics including gender ideology, abortion, vaccines, and assisted suicide. Several witnesses said go

Taxpayers’ money once spent on funding abortions could now be permanently safeguarded for pregnancy centers to support women and families. The federal government grants more than $16 billion every year to support families, and soon that could include protecting life. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has reintroduced the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act to protect funding for pregnancy centers and provide critical support for families. “Supporting women means en

Two Republican senators introduced draft legislation to reform child care for low-income families after fraud was uncovered in Minnesota and other blue states. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., are asking stakeholders for feedback on the draft of a bill to amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, a program to help low-income families afford child care. The program has not been reauthorized since 2014. “Every dollar stolen is a dolla

Sixteen years ago, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, thus locking into statutory concrete the dysfunctional status quo that burdens us today. Recall this was Obama’s “signature” legislative achievement. Of course, Obama’s congressional allies knew exactly what they were doing. They conscientiously read and fully grasped the 2,700-page product they were enacting. Right? Well, not to worry, said then-Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “We have to