Tucked within the hundreds of pages of Republican-backed cuts to taxes and the social safety net known as the 'big, beautiful bill' is a $50 billion fund called the Rural Health Transformation Program. The fund is being touted as a solution to long-standing health disparities in rural communities and a way to offset provisions in President Donald Trump's megabill that cut Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion. Roughly 12 million people are projected to lose health insurance over the next decade as a result of the newly signed legislation. Experts say it amounts to the largest cut to Medicaid and rollback in healthcare coverage in history that would disproportionately harm residents in rural areas.
Regulators approved the merger of UMass Memorial Medical Center and Marlborough Hospital on Wednesday, with the licensing overhaul deepening an existing affiliation that's expected to improve patient care and reduce operating costs. The UMass Memorial Health system encompasses UMMMC, an academic medical center, and four community hospitals, including the 79-bed Marlborough Hospital. All hospitals in the system are licensed independently, and Marlborough Hospital is the smallest of the facilities. The Public Health Council approved UMass Memorial Health's DoN application for a transfer of ownership, allowing Marlborough Hospital to become a licensed campus of UMMMC. Marlborough Hospital, while formerly owned by a different nonprofit, has already been affiliated with UMass Memorial for more than two decades, according to a filing with the Health Policy Commission.
The U.S. Senate's health committee on Wednesday approved Susan Monarez to be President Donald Trump's director of the CDC, taking her one step closer to confirmation. The committee voted 12-11 for advancing her nomination to the full Senate. The vote went along party lines, with Democrats in opposition. Monarez, 50, is poised to become the first CDC director to pass through Senate confirmation following a 2023 law. She was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after Trump abruptly withdrew his first choice, David Weldon.
Mattel announced the release of the first-ever Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes, complete with a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump in Barbie's signature pink.
A Senate committee will vote today on whether to advance the nomination of Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the CDC. Trump's other picks to lead key health agencies, including Dr. Jay Bhattacharya at the NIH and Dr. Marty Makary at the FDA, had already established themselves as contrarians to the medical establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Monarez has held various health-related roles in the federal government for nearly two decades, initially maintaining a comparatively low profile.
The collaboration, which is expected to begin in spring 2026, will enhance access to specialized pediatric care by bringing CHOP's clinical expertise to communities ChristianaCare serves in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By integrating CHOP's services with ChristianaCare's established network, the collaboration will improve care delivery, making advanced pediatric treatments more accessible and reducing the need for families to travel long distances for care.