THC

French public sector workers are preparing for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, September 29, with teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and public transport staff expected to take part. In Paris, a demonstration is set to march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation via Bastille. The RATP transport network is among the services affected, and travellers are being warned of likely disruptions.

Dozens of Tennessee medical professionals have written to Governor Bill Lee urging that healthcare workers should never take part in executions, regardless of the method. The appeal follows a botched lethal injection in the state in May, which renewed scrutiny of how Tennessee carries out the death penalty. The medical professionals argue that participating in executions violates the ethical obligations of medicine, and they want the governor to commit to keeping clinicians out of the process.

A new study indicates healthcare workers are battling persistent long COVID symptoms, with many continuing to experience fatigue, brain fog and other lasting effects well after infection. The findings highlight the ongoing toll of the pandemic on medical staff, raising concerns about workforce shortages and the need for better support and treatment for affected clinicians.

The US Supreme Court has heard arguments concerning the future of a prison healthcare system, a case that could determine how medical care for incarcerated people is run and funded. Reports from the proceedings focus on what the ruling may mean for prison conditions and inmates' constitutional right to adequate medical treatment.

Insurers are claiming that artificial intelligence is already increasing healthcare costs, according to a TechCrunch report. The claim runs counter to the common expectation that AI would reduce medical expenses through efficiency, and it raises questions about who bears the added costs. The specifics of how AI is driving costs up were not detailed.

A coalition of civil society organisations has issued a joint statement for International Safe Abortion Day 2026, declaring that safe abortion is essential healthcare and issuing a call to action. The statement urges governments and health systems to treat abortion access as a fundamental part of medical care and human rights, adding to ongoing global advocacy around reproductive rights.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity around healthcare facilities in Pennsylvania is generating fear that immigrants may avoid seeking medical care. Reports from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star highlight concerns that patients without legal status could be deterred from hospitals and clinics if enforcement operations take place nearby, raising public health questions.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation creating a label for foods that are not ultra-processed, part of a broader package of health bills that his office describes as advancing the state's nation-leading healthcare strategy. The move makes California the first US state to adopt such a labeling standard, and comes as lawmakers and health advocates nationwide push for greater transparency around ultra-processed foods and their links to chronic disease.

A Bloomberg opinion piece argues that universal public health insurance is the answer to the United States' ongoing healthcare crisis. The article contends that millions of Americans face unaffordable care and gaps in coverage, and that a publicly funded universal system would address these failures. The argument feeds into a long-running American debate over single-payer healthcare versus the current mixed public-private model.

Healthcare systems are coming under scrutiny for their substantial environmental footprint, prompting calls to redesign how care is delivered. Discussion is focusing on ways hospitals and health providers can cut emissions, reduce waste and adopt more sustainable practices without compromising patient outcomes.

Healthcare organizations are pursuing financial transformation initiatives aimed at protecting patient access to care. Modern Healthcare reports that providers are reworking their financial operations and funding models to remain sustainable amid rising costs and margin pressure, with the stated goal of keeping services accessible rather than cutting them.

Healthcare insurance companies are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence across novel applications, according to Forbes reporting. Insurers are exploring AI beyond traditional claims processing, with the article highlighting fresh use cases across the industry. The trend raises both efficiency hopes and questions about how automated systems will affect coverage decisions and patient care.

As California's gubernatorial race takes shape, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton have laid out their healthcare proposals for the state's next governor. Coverage compares where each candidate stands on affordability, coverage and reform, giving voters a side-by-side look at how they would approach healthcare if elected.

Harvard's Deming said the university must "move faster" on artificial intelligence, but forthcoming institutional guidance will stop short of requiring its use. The comments signal that Harvard intends to encourage, rather than compel, AI adoption across teaching and research, leaving individual schools and faculty latitude over how quickly they integrate the technology.

Researchers at Brown University's School of Public Health have published a new tracker mapping private equity involvement in healthcare across the United States. The tool aims to document which hospitals, physician practices and other providers are owned by private equity firms. It comes amid growing scrutiny of buyout firms' role in medical care and its effects on costs and quality.

UnitedHealthcare has appointed Hunter as president of the company, a leadership change announced as its fully insured employer business continues to shrink. The move signals a strategic push to stabilise a segment facing enrollment losses, and industry watchers are weighing what new leadership means for the insurer's employer coverage strategy.

Medtronic, the global medical device maker, is investing in robotics and artificial intelligence for healthcare, raising questions among investors about the strategy behind the expansion. The move points to the company's push to grow beyond traditional devices into surgical robotics and AI-driven care, sectors where competitors are also racing to establish a lead.

An opinion piece argues that the high cost of healthcare in the United States is driven significantly by administrative expenses rather than clinical care itself. It points to the burden of insurance paperwork, billing complexity and bureaucracy as key factors inflating spending, and calls for reforms that would streamline administration to bring costs down for patients and providers.

New research suggests the usual split between 'normal' and 'abnormal' health checkup results oversimplifies risk. The study finds that checkup values have nonlinear relationships with future healthcare costs, meaning risk can rise even within ranges typically considered normal. The findings could prompt a rethinking of how screening thresholds are used to predict and manage long-term healthcare spending.

The National Federation of Independent Business brought small business owners to the US Capitol for a healthcare summit focused on health coverage costs and policy affecting small employers. Participants are expected to meet with lawmakers and discuss rising premiums and healthcare access as key concerns for small businesses.

European healthcare authorities are examining how to harmonise cross-border digital identity with the MyHealth@EU architecture, the framework allowing citizens to access health records and e-prescriptions across member states. The discussion centres on aligning national identity systems so patients can securely share medical data anywhere in the EU. Interoperability, privacy safeguards and standardisation remain the key challenges as the bloc moves toward wider digital health integration.

The FDA has announced a recall of more than 13,000 bottles of chlorthalidone tablets, a blood pressure medication, produced by Inventia Healthcare after a quality issue was identified. Chlorthalidone is a widely used diuretic, so patients taking the drug are being advised to check their medication and contact their pharmacist or doctor for guidance on replacements.

Politicians appear to be finding ways to avoid accountability for rising healthcare costs, a dynamic described as a kind of political 'superpower'. The item raises the question of how elected officials deflect responsibility for an issue that directly affects voters, as healthcare expenses continue climbing and cost-of-living concerns dominate public debate in the United States.

A Texas man has been convicted in a healthcare fraud scheme worth an estimated $26 million. Federal prosecutors said the defendant was found guilty of defrauding health programmes through fraudulent claims, with sentencing to follow. The case adds to a string of large healthcare fraud prosecutions in the United States, drawing attention to oversight of medical billing.