policy
It may soon be even harder to get mental health care
When Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, the law was supposed to prevent private insurance companies from instituting unequal coverage for mental health and physical health services. But multiple federal reports indicated that the law fell short, as insurance companies routinely exploited loopholes to avoid paying commensurate rates for mental health services.
In 2024, the Biden administration attempted to close those loopholes. Now, the Trump administration seems to be walking back the updates. "I'm not surprised, but I'm disheartened," Deborah Steinberg, a senior health policy attorney at the Legal Action Center, told STAT's O. Rose Broderick. Read more from Rose about the details and what it means for the future of mental health care in the U.S.
courts
'I don't know that': Federal judge flags factual claims in NIH grant termination case
The Trump administration's termination of hundreds of research grants has triggered swift legal responses, including a lawsuit filed by 16 state attorneys general. During a Tuesday hearing in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, Judge William Young took a moment to read through a couple of grant termination letters. Young paused often while reading, remarking "I don't know that" after reading assertions that research based on gender identity is often unscientific, ignores biological reality, has little return on investment, and does nothing to enhance the health of Americans. He made similar comments while reading through a letter claiming that diversity, equity, and inclusion studies often support unlawful discrimination based on race and other characteristics.
"At least my understanding of medical research, and I stand to be corrected, is that it should take account of race and gender. Sickle cell anemia is more prevalent in a particular race. A certain type of cancer affects Ashkenazi Jews more than other people," Young said.
If there's no factual basis for these statements, he added, then it's possible the court could rule the terminations violated federal law because they were arbitrary and capricious. But that remains to be seen. Tuesday's hearing was a procedural hearing to set the schedule for future appearances by lawyers representing both sides in the case. — Jonathan Wosen
first opinion
Can dying people really will their body to live?
Earlier this spring, Pope Francis was so sick with pneumonia that he was hospitalized for more than five weeks. He recovered just long enough to return to the Vatican for one last Easter Sunday Mass. He died the following day, from complications related to a stroke. It's the latest example of a certain, powerful account of a person seemingly postponing their own death for the sake of living one more important day.
This isn't just the stuff of fables. As infectious disease physician Arjun Sharma explains in a new First Opinion essay, researchers have investigated this phenomenon before. Still, it's far from settled science. Read more in Sharma's essay on what could compel a person to survive.
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