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Asteroid 2024 YR4 Could Hit the Moon, Measles Cases Rise, and States Sue HHS

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Monday, April 7, 2025

American Lifespans, Monkeys That Yodel, Measles, and MoreStates sue HHS for public health cuts, measles cases continue to rise, and a study finds Americans live shorter lives compared with their European counterparts.By Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi & Alex Sugiura Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific AmericanRachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! And happy April. For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. Let’s kick off the week with a quick roundup of science news you might have missed.To start we have some public health updates. Last Friday the Texas health department reported that there have been 481 known measles cases since late January, up from 400 on March 28. Texas Public Radio recently reported that several children with measles have also needed treatment for toxic levels of vitamin A. As I explained in the March 10 news roundup episode, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly touted vitamin A supplementation for measles patients while seemingly downplaying the importance of vaccines. According to a recent report by ProPublica, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaders blocked the release of an assessment on the ongoing outbreak written by the agency’s own experts. The planned messaging around the assessment reportedly would have emphasized the need for vaccinations to prevent measles. In a statement to ProPublica, a CDC spokesperson claimed that this report was not published “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know” and that the CDC still presents vaccines as “the best way to protect against measles.” But the spokesperson went on to add that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” saying folks “should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”Now the good news is that we know a lot about the risks associated with the measles vaccine, and they’re extremely low. For instance, one study used the mass vaccination of 14.3 million kids in China from September 2007 to March 2008 to track the rate of serious adverse events. The researchers saw a rate of just over two such events for every million vaccine doses given. In contrast, one in every 1,000 cases of measles is associated with encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which can be deadly. And several major studies have found no link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism diagnoses.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The CDC’s stifling of this new measles report isn’t the only indication that the current administration is downplaying the importance of vaccines. Late last month top U.S. Food and Drug Administration vaccine official Peter Marks resigned from his position. According to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, Marks was given the choice between quitting and being fired.Meanwhile, lawmakers from 23 states and Washington, D.C., are suing HHS for slashing more than $11 billion in funding for public health initiatives. We actually mentioned those cuts in last week’s news roundup. They mainly target funds that were allocated to local and state health departments during the peak of the COVID pandemic. According to the lawsuit, which was filed last Tuesday, that money was never earmarked as being solely for pandemic-response initiatives like COVID testing. Some of the funding has been directed toward strengthening public health infrastructure to make states and communities more resilient to pandemics and other major crises, including measles outbreaks, the spread of bird flu and the ongoing opioid epidemic, according to the lawmakers. Last week, NBC News reported that the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department had to cancel dozens of planned free measles vaccination clinics due to these same funding cuts.Speaking of health in the U.S., a new study suggests that folks in America live shorter lives than their economic counterparts in Europe. In a study published last Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers compared data from more than 73,000 adults aged 50 to 85. The scientists found, unsurprisingly, that in any given country, people with more money tended to live longer. But the researchers also found that the wealthiest U.S. subjects had shorter lifespans, on average, than the richest participants from Europe. And in parts of western Europe such as Germany, France and the Netherlands some of the poorest residents had lifespans in line with the wealthiest Americans. The study authors say this is a reminder that systemic issues in the U.S. such as stress, diet and environmental contaminants aren’t something you can spend your way out of.Okay, let’s pivot to lighter news. Remember that killer asteroid we were all worried about for a minute? Wouldn’t you rather talk about killer asteroids? I know I would.The good news is that observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed that 2024 YR4 functionally has zero chance of hitting Earth in 2032. Yay! The bad news is that there’s still a nonzero possibility that our moon will take the hit instead—about a 2 percent chance, to be exact.And it turns out that a moon collision might not be bad news at all. Several astronomers told New Scientist that such an event would represent a huge opportunity for research. One even said he had his fingers crossed. We know the moon is pelted with smaller asteroids all the time, and its iconically pocked surface tells us it’s taken on bigger bruisers in the past. Knowing in advance that something was going to collide with the moon—and having the time to be certain of its dimensions and trajectory—would enable unprecedented study of the formation of lunar craters. That could help us understand the moon’s past.We’ll wrap up with a fun animal story. Because you’ve earned it!When you think of yodeling you probably imagine people in the Alps wearing wooden shoes or maybe Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. But a study published last Thursday throws a dark horse into the competition for world’s best yodeler: monkeys.Researchers were interested in structures called vocal membranes, which apes and monkeys have in their throats but humans no longer do. Using CT scans of several species of monkey, along with computer simulations and fieldwork, researchers found that these structures help monkeys accomplish so-called voice breaks, where they quickly switch between using their vocal membranes and vocal folds to produce sound. The result is that quick change in frequency we hear when humans yodel or make that quintessential Tarzan yelp.Here’s an example from the tufted capuchin.[CLIP: A tufted capuchin vocalizes.]Feltman: That might not sound very yodel-y, but things get clearer when you slow the call down.[CLIP: The tufted capuchin’s vocalization is slowed down.]Feltman: Previous research has suggested that humans gave up these membranes to make our speech more stable. But I guess that might have come at the cost of some sick yodelling skills.That’s all for this week’s science news roundup. We’ll be back on Wednesday.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. Have a great week!

States sue HHS for public health cuts, measles cases continue to rise, and a study finds Americans live shorter lives compared with their European counterparts.

American Lifespans, Monkeys That Yodel, Measles, and More

States sue HHS for public health cuts, measles cases continue to rise, and a study finds Americans live shorter lives compared with their European counterparts.

By Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi & Alex Sugiura

A small blue sphere orbits a larger blue sphere on a purple and blue background, with "Science Quickly" written below.

Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific American

Rachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! And happy April. For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. Let’s kick off the week with a quick roundup of science news you might have missed.

To start we have some public health updates. Last Friday the Texas health department reported that there have been 481 known measles cases since late January, up from 400 on March 28. Texas Public Radio recently reported that several children with measles have also needed treatment for toxic levels of vitamin A. As I explained in the March 10 news roundup episode, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly touted vitamin A supplementation for measles patients while seemingly downplaying the importance of vaccines. According to a recent report by ProPublica, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaders blocked the release of an assessment on the ongoing outbreak written by the agency’s own experts. The planned messaging around the assessment reportedly would have emphasized the need for vaccinations to prevent measles. In a statement to ProPublica, a CDC spokesperson claimed that this report was not published “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know” and that the CDC still presents vaccines as “the best way to protect against measles.” But the spokesperson went on to add that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” saying folks “should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”

Now the good news is that we know a lot about the risks associated with the measles vaccine, and they’re extremely low. For instance, one study used the mass vaccination of 14.3 million kids in China from September 2007 to March 2008 to track the rate of serious adverse events. The researchers saw a rate of just over two such events for every million vaccine doses given. In contrast, one in every 1,000 cases of measles is associated with encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which can be deadly. And several major studies have found no link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism diagnoses.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The CDC’s stifling of this new measles report isn’t the only indication that the current administration is downplaying the importance of vaccines. Late last month top U.S. Food and Drug Administration vaccine official Peter Marks resigned from his position. According to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, Marks was given the choice between quitting and being fired.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from 23 states and Washington, D.C., are suing HHS for slashing more than $11 billion in funding for public health initiatives. We actually mentioned those cuts in last week’s news roundup. They mainly target funds that were allocated to local and state health departments during the peak of the COVID pandemic. According to the lawsuit, which was filed last Tuesday, that money was never earmarked as being solely for pandemic-response initiatives like COVID testing. Some of the funding has been directed toward strengthening public health infrastructure to make states and communities more resilient to pandemics and other major crises, including measles outbreaks, the spread of bird flu and the ongoing opioid epidemic, according to the lawmakers. Last week, NBC News reported that the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department had to cancel dozens of planned free measles vaccination clinics due to these same funding cuts.

Speaking of health in the U.S., a new study suggests that folks in America live shorter lives than their economic counterparts in Europe. In a study published last Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers compared data from more than 73,000 adults aged 50 to 85. The scientists found, unsurprisingly, that in any given country, people with more money tended to live longer. But the researchers also found that the wealthiest U.S. subjects had shorter lifespans, on average, than the richest participants from Europe. And in parts of western Europe such as Germany, France and the Netherlands some of the poorest residents had lifespans in line with the wealthiest Americans. The study authors say this is a reminder that systemic issues in the U.S. such as stress, diet and environmental contaminants aren’t something you can spend your way out of.

Okay, let’s pivot to lighter news. Remember that killer asteroid we were all worried about for a minute? Wouldn’t you rather talk about killer asteroids? I know I would.

The good news is that observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed that 2024 YR4 functionally has zero chance of hitting Earth in 2032. Yay! The bad news is that there’s still a nonzero possibility that our moon will take the hit instead—about a 2 percent chance, to be exact.

And it turns out that a moon collision might not be bad news at all. Several astronomers told New Scientist that such an event would represent a huge opportunity for research. One even said he had his fingers crossed. We know the moon is pelted with smaller asteroids all the time, and its iconically pocked surface tells us it’s taken on bigger bruisers in the past. Knowing in advance that something was going to collide with the moon—and having the time to be certain of its dimensions and trajectory—would enable unprecedented study of the formation of lunar craters. That could help us understand the moon’s past.

We’ll wrap up with a fun animal story. Because you’ve earned it!

When you think of yodeling you probably imagine people in the Alps wearing wooden shoes or maybe Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. But a study published last Thursday throws a dark horse into the competition for world’s best yodeler: monkeys.

Researchers were interested in structures called vocal membranes, which apes and monkeys have in their throats but humans no longer do. Using CT scans of several species of monkey, along with computer simulations and fieldwork, researchers found that these structures help monkeys accomplish so-called voice breaks, where they quickly switch between using their vocal membranes and vocal folds to produce sound. The result is that quick change in frequency we hear when humans yodel or make that quintessential Tarzan yelp.

Here’s an example from the tufted capuchin.

[CLIP: A tufted capuchin vocalizes.]

Feltman: That might not sound very yodel-y, but things get clearer when you slow the call down.

[CLIP: The tufted capuchin’s vocalization is slowed down.]

Feltman: Previous research has suggested that humans gave up these membranes to make our speech more stable. But I guess that might have come at the cost of some sick yodelling skills.

That’s all for this week’s science news roundup. We’ll be back on Wednesday.

Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.

For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. Have a great week!

Read the full story here.
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Nearly Half of Americans Still Live With High Levels of Air Pollution, Posing Serious Health Risks, Report Finds

The most recent State of the Air report by the American Lung Association found that more than 150 million Americans breathe air with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution

Nearly Half of Americans Still Live With High Levels of Air Pollution, Posing Serious Health Risks, Report Finds The most recent State of the Air report by the American Lung Association found that more than 150 million Americans breathe air with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution Lillian Ali - Staff Contributor April 25, 2025 12:50 p.m. For 25 of the 26 years the American Lung Association has reported State of the Air, Los Angeles—pictured here in smog—has been declared the city with the worst ozone pollution in the United States. David Iliff via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0 Since 2000, the American Lung Association has released an annual State of the Air report analyzing air quality data across the United States. This year’s report, released on Wednesday, found the highest number of people exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution in a decade. According to the findings, 156 million Americans—or 46 percent of the U.S. population—live with levels of particle or ozone pollution that received a failing grade. “Both these types of pollution cause people to die,” Mary Rice, a pulmonologist at Harvard University, tells NPR’s Alejandra Borunda. “They shorten life expectancy and drive increases in asthma rates.” Particle pollution, also called soot pollution, is made up of minuscule solid and liquid particles that hang in the air. They’re often emitted by fuel combustion, like diesel- and gasoline-powered cars or the burning of wood. Ozone pollution occurs when polluting gases are hit by sunlight, leading to a reaction that forms ozone smog. Breathing in ozone can irritate your lungs, causing shortness of breath, coughing or asthma attacks. The 2025 State of the Air report, which analyzed air quality data from 2021 to 2023, found 25 million more people breathing polluted air compared to the 2024 report. The authors link this rise to climate change. “There’s definitely a worsening trend that’s driven largely by climate change,” Katherine Pruitt, the lead author of the report and national senior director for policy at the American Lung Association, tells USA Today’s Ignacio Calderon. “Every year seems to be a bit hotter globally, resulting in more extreme weather events, more droughts, more extreme heat and more wildfires.” Those wildfires produce the sooty particles that contribute to particulate pollution, while extreme heat creates more favorable conditions for ozone formation, producing smog. While climate change is contributing to heavy air pollution, it used to be much worse. Smog has covered cities like Los Angeles since the early 20th century. At one point, these “hellish clouds” of smog were so thick that, in the middle of World War II, residents thought the city was under attack. The Optimist Club of Highland Park, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angleles, wore gas masks at a 1954 banquet to highlight air pollution in the city. Los Angeles Daily News via Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY 4.0 The passage of the Clean Air Act and the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 marked a turning point in air quality, empowering the government to regulate pollution and promote public health. Now, six key air pollutants have dropped by about 80 percent since the law’s passage, according to this year’s report. But some researchers see climate change as halting—or even reversing—this improvement. “Since the act passed, the air pollution has gone down overall,” Laura Kate Bender, an assistant vice president at the American Lung Association, tells CBS News’ Kiki Intarasuwan. “The challenge is that over the last few years, we’re starting to see it tick back up again, and that’s because of climate change, in part.” At the same time, federal action against climate change appears to be slowing. On March 12, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced significant rollbacks and re-evaluations, declaring it “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.” Zeldin argued that his deregulation will drive “a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.” Included in Zeldin’s push for deregulation is a re-evaluation of Biden-era air quality standards, including those for particulate pollution and greenhouse gases. The EPA provided a list of 31 regulations it plans to scale back or eliminate, including limits on air pollution, mercury emissions and vehicles. This week, the EPA sent termination notices to nearly 200 employees at the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “Unfortunately, we see that everything that makes our air quality better is at risk,” Kate Bender tells CBS News, citing the regulation rollbacks and cuts to staff and funding at the EPA. “If we see all those cuts become reality, it’s gonna have a real impact on people’s health by making the air they breathe dirtier.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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Nearly Half of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air, New Report Finds

By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) —Breathing the air in nearly half of the United States could be putting...

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) —Breathing the air in nearly half of the United States could be putting your health at risk.A new American Lung Association report shows that 156 million people live in areas with unhealthy air.The group’s annual "State of the Air" report found that smog and soot pollution are getting worse, not better. The report looked at air quality data from 2021 to 2023. It found that 25 million more people than in the group's last report were breathing "unhealthy levels of air pollution." That's more than in any other "State of the Air" report in the last decade, the association said.Since the Clean Air Act became law in 1970, air pollution has gone down overall, said Laura Kate Bender, an assistant vice president at the lung association, told CBS News."The challenge is that over the last few years, we're starting to see it tick back up again and that's because of climate change, in part," she said. "Climate change is making some of those conditions for wildfires and extreme heat that drive ozone pollution worse for a lot of the country."The city with the worst year-round and short-term particle pollution? Bakersfield, California, for the sixth year in a row.What's more, it was ranked third worst for high ozone days. In contrast, Casper, Wyoming, was listed as the cleanest city for year-round particle pollution, CBS News said.Here are the top 10 cities with the worst year-round particle pollution, according to the association:Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. Visalia, Calif. Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Eugene-Springfield, Ore. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, Mich. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. Houston-Pasadena, Texas Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio Fairbanks-College, Ark. The report warned that pollution isn't just an issue in the west. Extreme heat and wildfires are spreading pollution across the country.In fact, smoke from Canada's wildfires in 2023 caused unhealthy air quality even in the eastern parts of the U.S., the report pointed out.Some of the findings came as a surprise, according to Kevin Stewart, the association’s environmental health director."I think we knew that the wildfire smoke would have an impact on air quality in the United States," he told CBS News. "I think we were surprised at the Lung Association by how strong the effect was, especially in the northeastern quadrant of the continental United States." Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will roll back 31 environmental rules, including ones pertaining to vehicle emissions, CBS News reported.Bender said that puts decades of progress at risk."Unfortunately, we see that everything that makes our air quality better is at risk," she said. "The EPA is at risk — the agency that is protecting our health — through staff cuts, funding cuts. The regulations that have cleaned up our air over time are at risk of being cut. If we see all those cuts become reality, it's gonna have a real impact on people's health by making the air they breathe dirtier."Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, argued that, instead, the deregulation will drive "a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more," according to CBS News."This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick and unable to work, and leading to low birth weight in babies," Kezia Ofosu Atta, the Lung Association’s advocacy director, told CBS News.The report also found that Black Americans are more likely to suffer serious health problems from air pollution.SOURCE: CBS News, April 23, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Umbilical Cord Could Contain Clues For Child's Future Health

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By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors might be able to predict a newborn's long-term health outlook, by analyzing their umbilical cord blood, a new study says.Genetic clues found in cord blood can offer early insight into which infants are at higher risk for health problems like diabetes, stroke and liver disease later in life, researchers will report at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego.“We’re seeing kids develop metabolic problems earlier and earlier, which puts them at higher risk for serious complications as adults,” lead researcher Dr. Ashley Jowell, a resident physician in internal medicine at Duke University Health System in Durham, N.C., said in a news release. “If we can identify that risk at birth, we may be able to prevent it.”For the study, researchers performed genetic analysis on the umbilical cord blood of 38 children enrolled in a long-term study based in North Carolina.The analysis looked for chemical patterns in infants’ DNA that switch genes on or off. When these switches occur in critical parts of DNA, their health effects can persist through fetal development and into later life.The research team compared these DNA changes to the kids’ health at ages 7 to 12, and identified multiple areas where genes in cord blood predicted health problems in childhood.For example, changes in a gene called TNS3 were linked to fatty liver, liver inflammation or damage, and excess belly fat as measured by waist-to-hip ratio, results show.Changes in other genes were connected to blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and liver inflammation or damage, researchers said.“These epigenetic signals are laid down during embryonic development, potentially influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition or maternal health during pregnancy,” co-researcher Dr. Cynthia Moylan, an associate professor in the division of gastroenterology at Duke University Health System, said in a news release.Researchers noted that the sample size was small, but the links so powerful that these findings warrant further investigation. A larger follow-up study funded by the National Institutes of Health is underway.“If validated in larger studies, this could open the door to new screening tools and early interventions for at-risk children,” Moylan added.Jowell said disease may be preventable even with these markers."Just because you're born with these markers doesn't mean disease is inevitable," she said. "But knowing your risk earlier in life could help families and clinicians take proactive steps to support a child’s long-term health."Researchers are scheduled to present their findings May 4. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.SOURCE: American Gastroenterological Association, news release, April 25, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs.

In summary California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs. In 2022, California made sweeping changes to its Medi-Cal program that reimagined what health care could look like for some of the state’s poorest and sickest residents by covering services from housing to healthy food. But the future of that program, known as CalAIM, could be at risk under the Trump administration.  In recent weeks, federal officials have signaled that support for creative uses of Medi-Cal funding is waning, particularly uses that California has invested in such as rent assistance and medically tailored meals. Medi-Cal is California’s name for Medicaid. The moves align with a narrower vision of Medicaid espoused by newly confirmed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz, who said during his swearing-in ceremony that Medicaid spending was crowding out spending on education and other services in states with the federal government “paying most of the bill.” “This one really bothers me. There are states who are using Medicaid — Medicaid dollars for people who are vulnerable — for services that are not medical,” Oz said. It also fits with broader GOP calls to slim down the federal government. Medicaid is under scrutiny as part of a GOP-led budget process in the House of Representatives that calls for $880 billion in cuts over 10 years to programs including Medicaid. “The messaging that we want to go back to the basics of Medicaid puts all of these waiver programs in jeopardy,” said John Baackes, former chief executive of L.A. Care, the state’s largest Medi-Cal health insurer. CalAIM is authorized under a federal waiver that allows states to experiment with their Medicaid programs to try to save money and improve health outcomes. Under the waiver, California added extra benefits for high-cost users to help with food insecurity, housing instability,  substance use and behavioral health challenges. Roughly half of all Medi-Cal spending can be attributed to 5% of high-cost users, according to state documents. But in March, the federal government rescinded guidelines supporting Medi-Cal spending for social services. It also sent states a letter in April indicating that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would no longer approve a funding mechanism that helps support CalAIM, although that money will continue until 2026. Together, these moves should worry states that operate programs like CalAIM, said Kathy Hempstead, senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Under the Biden administration states were encouraged to experiment with things like that: To prescribe people prescriptions to get healthy food, to refer people to community-based services,” Hempstead said. “This administration is not receptive at all to … that vision of the Medicaid program.” In a press release, CMS said it is putting an end to spending that isn’t “directly tied to health care services.” “Mounting expenditures, such as covering housekeeping for individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid or high-speed internet for rural healthcare providers, distracts from the core mission of Medicaid, and in some instances, serves as an overly-creative financing mechanism to skirt state budget responsibilities,” the press release states. These signals from the federal government apply to future applications for Medicaid changes, and do not change California’s current programs or funding. The state’s CalAIM waiver expires at the end of 2026, and another similar waiver that supports California’s efforts to improve behavioral health care expires in 2029. According to a statement from the Department of Health Care Services, the agency that oversees Medi-Cal, all programs “remain federally approved and operational.” “We appreciate our Medi-Cal providers and community partners, and together we will push full steam ahead to transform our health system and improve health outcomes,” the department said. Physician assistant Brett Feldman checks his patient, Carla Bolen’s, blood pressure while in her encampment at the Figueroa St. Viaduct above Highway 110 in Elysian Valley Park in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local Paul Shafer, co-director of the Boston University Medicaid Policy Lab, said decades of public health research show that people have worse health outcomes that require more expensive treatment when their social needs aren’t met. “We’ve spent the last few decades in public health and health policy, arguing that so much of health and medical costs is driven by environmental factors — people’s living conditions, income, etc.” Shafer said. But, Shafer said, programs like CalAIM are relatively recent and the research hasn’t had enough time to show whether paying for non-traditional services saves money. For example, California’s street medicine doctors who take care of people who are homeless say that their patients often cycle in and out of the emergency room — the most expensive point of service in the health care system. They have no place to recover from medical procedures, no address to deliver medications, and the constant exposure to the elements takes years off of their lives, doctors say.  CalAIM gives them options to help their clients find housing.  The federal government’s decision not to fund programs like this in the future is a “step backward,” Shafer said.  “I think we can all read the tea leaves and say that that means they’re sort of unlikely to be renewed,” he said. Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more. more on california health care They live in California’s Republican districts. They feel betrayed by looming health care cuts March 11, 2025March 12, 2025 California has big plans for improving mental health. Medicaid cuts could upend them April 7, 2025April 7, 2025

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Chattanooga Just Became North America's First National Park City. Here's What That Means

The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: "greener, healthier and wilder"

Chattanooga Just Became North America’s First National Park City. Here’s What That Means The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: “greener, healthier and wilder” Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent April 23, 2025 4:20 p.m. Chattanooga was once one of the most polluted cities in the country. Now, it's North America's first National Park City. larrybraunphotography.com via Getty Images Chattanooga has been named North America’s first National Park City, a designation that acknowledges the city’s abundant green spaces and commitment to environmental stewardship. The city in southeast Tennessee, home to roughly 190,000 residents, is now the third National Park City in the world, following behind London and Adelaide, Australia. The title comes from the National Park City Foundation, a London-based charity that envisions a better future by thinking of cities more like national parks. The movement is not connected to the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages America’s national parks, monuments, historic sites and other protected lands. “[National parks] are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and can enjoy and develop ourselves,” according to the foundation. “Combining the long-term and large-scale vision of national parks with cities has the potential to shift our collective understanding of what and who a city is for.” In Chattanooga, city leaders have used the initiative to encourage residents to “think about Chattanooga as a city in a park, rather than a city with some parks in it,” says Tim Kelly, the mayor of Chattanooga, in a video announcing the designation. “The outdoors is our competitive advantage,” he adds. “It’s at the heart of our story of revitalization, and it’s at the core of our identity as Chattanoogans. We’ve always known how special Chattanooga’s connection to the outdoors is, and now it’s going to be recognized around the world.” Chattanooga has been working toward the designation for nearly two years, per a statement from the city. In late 2023, officials collected more than 5,600 signatures of support and created a National Park City charter. Then, they filed an application describing how Chattanooga met the nonprofit’s criteria—such as being “a place, vision and community that aims to be greener, healthier and wilder.” Last month, delegates from the foundation visited Chattanooga to experience it first-hand. They toured an urban farm, explored several parks and met with various community leaders, per NOOGAtoday’s Haley Bartlett. The foundation’s experts were impressed by Chattanooga’s “culture of outdoor activity,” its “unrivaled access to nature,” its commitment to “inclusive and sustainable development” and its food and agriculture scene, among other factors. “We saw first-hand the extraordinary breadth and depth of engagement with the Chattanooga National Park City vision informed by outstanding experts in design, ecology, culture and arts,” says Alison Barnes, a trustee of the foundation, in a statement. “National Park City status introduces a new chapter for a city with a long history of revitalization and renewal through connecting its unique landscape and the history of its people.” Chattanooga has come a long way since 1969, when the federal government declared it the worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution. Hazy skies were the norm back then, as factories and railroads spewed unregulated emissions into the air, according to the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau. Air pollution was so bad that residents sometimes had to drive with their headlights on in the middle of the day. But the pollution was more than just an eyesore. It was also causing the city’s residents to become sick—and sometimes die—from diseases like tuberculosis. Eventually, voters approved aggressive new rules to reduce emissions. By 1989, Chattanooga’s air quality had improved so much that it met all federal health standards. Today, it’s a vibrant, outdoorsy city with more than 100 parks and more than 35 miles of trails—plus many more within a short drive. The once-neglected riverfront downtown has been revitalized, and Chattanooga has experienced steady population growth in recent years. What does the National Park City designation mean for the city’s future? That remains to be seen. But officials hope it will help guide policy decisions and “help city government and community partners prioritize connecting more people to the outdoors that have long defined our identity,” according to a statement from the Chattanooga Area Chamber. It will also encourage citizens and leaders to embrace “all aspects of outdoor life,” from forests and lakes to native plants, according to the chamber. Mark McKnight, who serves as the president and CEO of Chattanooga’s Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, hopes that the new status will “yield some really cool stuff that we can’t even imagine today.” “Hopefully, we’re having this conversation in ten years, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, we never knew we would get to there,’” he tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press’ Sam Still. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Health
Agriculture
Food

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