healthcare

A nationwide public sector strike is planned for Tuesday, September 29 in France, involving teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and public transport staff. In Paris, a demonstration is set to march from Place de la République to Place de la Nation via Bastille. Travellers are warned that RATP services may be disrupted, and schools, hospitals and transport across the country could be affected.

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to let it deny hormone therapy to transgender inmates, in a move reported by the New York Times. The filing asks the justices to intervene in litigation over prison healthcare for transgender people. The request is drawing attention from civil rights advocates and reigniting debate over transgender rights and the treatment of incarcerated people under the administration.

Health insurers are warning that the rapid spread of artificial intelligence in medicine could drive billions of dollars in additional healthcare costs, citing the potential for AI-enabled care to expand utilization and billing volumes. Medical billing companies are pushing back, arguing the technology actually reduces administrative expenses and improves efficiency. The dispute highlights a growing divide in the industry over how AI will reshape health spending, with insurers and billing firms offering sharply conflicting forecasts as adoption accelerates across hospitals and physician practices.

The US Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance for surgical robots, setting out proposed recommendations for devices used in robotic-assisted surgery. The guidance, reported by MedTech Dive, gives manufacturers and healthcare providers a framework to review. Stakeholders can weigh in before the agency finalizes its position.

A new study reports that women presenting with symptoms similar to men's often receive less intensive medical care. The findings point to possible disparities in how treatment decisions are made in hospitals, echoing long-running concerns about gender bias in medicine. Researchers and commentators say the results underline the need for clinicians to reassess how urgently women's symptoms are evaluated and treated.

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.

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani announced the group will invest ₹4,000 crore in a 2,000-bed hospital in New Town near Kolkata, a project he says will create 10,000 jobs. The pledge marks a significant healthcare investment in West Bengal and is drawing wide attention online, with discussion focused on its scale, the jobs promise, and the Adani Group's growing footprint in eastern India.

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.

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.

UF Health researchers report that cancer diagnoses in the United States drop sharply during holiday periods, while outcomes for patients diagnosed around those dates are worse. The findings suggest holiday disruptions delay screenings and follow-up care, allowing cancers to be caught at later, harder-to-treat stages, and raise questions about how seasonal healthcare patterns affect patient survival.

A hospital has closed several wards after an outbreak of scabies among patients and possibly staff. The skin condition, caused by mites, spreads easily in close-contact healthcare settings, prompting deep cleaning and suspension of admissions to affected units. The hospital is contacting patients and relatives who may have been exposed while details of the number of cases remain limited.

New research says menopause is a major health milestone in women's lives, yet medical records systems barely record or track it. The findings highlight a gap in how healthcare systems document midlife women's health, which researchers argue can affect care quality and research into conditions linked to menopause.

The World Economic Forum argues that chronic disease should be treated not only as a public health crisis but also as a major economic problem. Long-term conditions drive rising healthcare costs, reduce workforce productivity and strain public finances, making them a drag on growth. The framing calls for policymakers to address non-communicable diseases through an economic lens as well as a medical one.

A growing debate is unfolding over legal responsibility when artificial intelligence systems used in healthcare make errors. As AI tools move into diagnosis and treatment decisions, questions are mounting over whether doctors, hospitals, drugmakers or software developers should be held accountable when a wrong recommendation harms a patient, and regulators have yet to offer clear answers.

Patients are increasingly consulting the internet for health information before contacting doctors or medical services, according to a report from Chronicle Online. The trend suggests people are using online searches as a first step to assess symptoms and decide whether professional care is needed. Commentators note this raises questions about the reliability of online health advice and how medical services should respond to better-informed, or misinformed, patients.

Nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have voted to authorize an open-ended strike, giving union leadership the ability to call a walkout at any time. The authorization reflects ongoing disputes over working conditions and contract terms, and trade outlets including Healthcare Finance News and Fierce Healthcare are covering the vote as tensions between hospital management and nursing staff continue.

A federal bill modeled on Oregon's state law has been introduced in Washington DC that would ban the corporate practice of medicine nationwide. The legislation would bar corporations from directly employing physicians or influencing clinical decisions, building on restrictions already in place in several states. Law firms tracking healthcare regulation note the proposal could significantly reshape ownership structures across the US medical industry if passed.

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.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation creating a label for foods that are not ultra-processed, alongside other health bills that officials describe as part of the state's nation-leading healthcare strategy. The move positions California at the forefront of US efforts to regulate ultra-processed foods and give consumers clearer information about what they eat.

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.

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.

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.

Jesus Caban, chief data and artificial intelligence officer at the Defense Health Agency, spoke about efforts to scale artificial intelligence across military health systems. The discussion covered how AI tools can move from pilots to broader use in care delivery and health data operations, and what barriers the agency faces in deploying AI at scale across the Military Health System.

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.

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.