State Medicaid Officials Project Flat Enrollment Post Unwinding but Increased Spending and Budget Pressures, as States Prepare for Impact of Federal Medicaid Policy Changes

As states completed the “unwinding” of pandemic-era continuous coverage, Medicaid enrollment fell 7.6% in FY 2025 and is expected to be largely flat in FY 2026, according to KFF’s 25th annual Medicaid Budget Survey. At the same time, total Medicaid spending grew by 8.6% in FY 2025 and is expected to grow by 7.9% in FY…

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Social Media Content Moderation Policies and False Claims that COVID-19 Vaccines Cause Cancer — The Monitor

VOLUME 34 November 13, 2025 Summary This volume examines recent policy changes and proposals related to social media platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) that may affect online health information and explores contradictory studies on COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. Additionally, it shares other updates relevant to health communicators, including ACOG guidance on contraceptive misinformation, an alternative…

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New Neanderthal footprints in Portugal reveal a life we never expected

An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown Neanderthal site on the southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula, located along Portugal’s Algarve coast. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports by Nature Publishing Group, describe the earliest evidence of Neanderthal hominids in Portugal. This discovery marks an important step forward in understanding…

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Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2025 & 2026

States are facing a more tenuous fiscal climate due to slowing revenue growth and increasing spending demands in state fiscal year (FY) 2026. Recent shifts in economic conditions as well as recent federal actions, including cuts to safety net programs and tax code changes in the recently passed reconciliation law (H.R.1), changes to the Affordable…

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