CVS requires prescription for covid shots in Pa. amid federal vaccine turmoil
CVS is requiring prescriptions for covid-19 shots in Pennsylvania because of delays on a federal panel that recommends vaccines. The new requirement reflects uncertainty over the nation’s vaccine policy under the Trump administration. Such turmoil has led several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers to explore whether they can put more power in...
‘Sticker shock’ coming for Pennie users as health insurance premiums soar
The Health Insurance Marketplace is set to get more expensive for most Pennsylvanians who rely on it. Monthly premiums could rise by 300% for some residents who use the state’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchange, Pennie, to secure coverage. The average enrollee faces a possible 82% increase. All...
Trump plans a hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher prices and shortages
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has plastered tariffs on products from almost every country on earth. He’s targeted specific imports including autos, steel and aluminum. But he isn’t done yet. Trump has promised to impose hefty import taxes on pharmaceuticals, a category of products he’s largely spared in his trade...
Ex-CDC official warns of ‘undoing of vaccination’ under Kennedy policiesVideo
A former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Sunday that he can “only see harm coming” under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis resigned last Wednesday in the wake of the White House’s firing of the agency’s director, Susan...
From diagnosis to dumbbells: How weightlifting is helping cancer patients
Breast cancer couldn’t stop Dianne Miller from becoming the strongest she has ever been. In fact, the devastating disease is what drove her to pump some iron. After a lumpectomy for Stage 1 cancer in 2023, the 68-year-old from Ligonier didn’t require chemotherapy but opted into a weightlifting study offered...
Medical experts sound alarm over CDC turmoil
Political maneuvering has overtaken disease as the greatest threat to national and global health, three public health experts told TribLive. The experts, Drs. Amesh Adalja, Paul Offit and Syra Madad, are among those sounding alarms after the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired by...
UPMC made $349 million by halfway point of 2025
UPMC earned $349 million in the first half of 2025, a massive improvement after having lost almost as much money by the same point last year. The provider side of UPMC generated $243 million in operating income, compared to $106 million for its insurance business, according to a financial report...
Pittsburgh VA restarts town hall tour, including stop in Jeannette
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System has revived a town hall tour in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio after abruptly canceling it last month. The tour has four stops where veterans can get information on their benefits, enroll in coverage and hear directly from leadership at the Pittsburgh VA: •...
CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than a month on the job; other agency leaders resign
NEW YORK — The director of the nation’s top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service...
CDC dramatically scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections
Federal health officials have dramatically scaled back a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the U.S. for three decades. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, has cut required monitoring to just two pathogens that cause infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
FDA approves updated Pfizer covid shots but limits access for some kids and adults
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators approved updated covid-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use...
UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses bask in union win, await contract talks
Dozens of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital nurses celebrated Tuesday afternoon near the Oakland medical facility after securing a union over the weekend. Ballots counted late Saturday showed nurses voting 402 to 305 in favor of unionizing. That capped off a union drive that was officially announced in May, but has been...
Baldwin High School graduate inspired by her medical experience
When Anna Lis had a migraine, she decided to take an ibuprofen and the pill became lodged in her throat. This wasn’t the first occasion that she had had trouble swallowing pills — but this time was different. It required a trip to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville....
Study says AI chatbots inconsistent in handling suicide-related queries
A study of how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to queries about suicide found that they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm...
Maryland resident is diagnosed with New World screwworm. What to know about the parasite
NEW YORK — A Maryland resident who traveled to El Salvador has been diagnosed with New World screwworm — the first reported U.S. case tied to travel to a country with a current outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis on Aug. 4. Federal health officials...
Expect health insurance prices to rise next year, brokers and experts say
Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now. Patients may start paying for it next year. Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and coverage may shrink. That could leave patients paying more for doctor visits and dealing...
New street drug ‘flysky’ causes alarm in Western Pa.
Pittsburgh-area doctors are sounding the alarm on medetomidine, a veterinary tranquilizer that’s increasingly permeating street drugs like “flysky” in Western Pennsylvania. And it’s not abating anytime soon. The drug continues to become more prevalent, and doctors say there are minimal clear treatment options for the severe withdrawal process. Unlike heroin...
HHS moves to strip thousands of federal health workers of union rights
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to strip thousands of federal health agency employees of their collective bargaining rights, according to a union that called the effort illegal. HHS officials confirmed the department is ending its recognition of unions for a number of...
Supreme Court lets Trump administration cut $783 million of research funding in anti-DEI push
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday. The high court majority lifted a judge’s order blocking $783 million worth of cuts made by the National...
Highmark operating income hits $121M in 1st half, propelled by covid funds, efficiency gains
Highmark Health, the Pittsburgh-based parent company of Highmark insurance and Allegheny Health Network, posted operating income of $121 million through the first half of the year, with solid performances from its main divisions. That’s a marked decline, though, from the same time in 2024, when Highmark reported a $307 million...
At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says
NEW YORK — At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others. The notices went out this week and many people have not yet...
Outbreak of kidney disease is killing sea lions in California. Here’s why humans should be concerned
LOS ANGELES — As summer heats up and tourists flock to the California coast, beachgoers should be on the lookout for sea lions sickened by a recent outbreak of leptospirosis — a kidney disease that can result in severe symptoms in both humans and animals. The Marine Mammal Center in...
5th death linked to Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens in New York City
NEW YORK — Health officials have uncovered another death in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, health officials said. The outbreak in Central Harlem has sickened dozens since it began in late July and the latest death was announced late Monday night. Officials said they had...
Covid shots for kids still recommended by U.S. pediatric group in break with CDC
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its recommendations for immunizations Tuesday, including calling for covid shots for healthy kids, diverging from controversial advice from the federal government. The group said it recommends the covid shot for children ages 6 months to 23 months. Earlier this year, Health and Human Services...
Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination. The Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping...
