Health Crisis

• U.S. health care and social assistance sectors added 693,000 jobs in 2025, accounting for all net employment gains and preventing a 570,000 job loss in the broader economy. • Despite the growth, experts warn it conceals a productivity crisis driven by administrative burdens, outdated technology, and inefficient care delivery models. • The commentary urges policy reforms to boost efficiency, as unchecked spending threatens fiscal sustainability amid aging populations.

Mayor of Hartford has fired a white police officer who fatally shot a Black man in a mental health crisis nine timesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA white Connecticut police officer who fatally shot a Black man 30 seconds after arriving at the scene, where three fellow officers had spent several minutes trying to de-escalate the situation, was fired Friday.Arunan Arulampalam, Hartford’s mayor, said in a statement that he terminated Officer Joseph Magnano effective immediately in connection with the 27 February shooting of Steven Jones, who was on a city street holding a knife. The killing came eight days after a different Hartford officer fatally shot another man in a mental health crisis. Continue reading...

Hostilities should halt and healthcare facilities must be treated as ‘safe havens’, WHO’s regional chief has saidMiddle East crisis – live updatesA total stop to hostilities in the Middle East is needed to halt a “health crisis unfolding in real time”, the World Health Organization’s chief in the region has said.Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must be treated as “safe havens”, urged Dr Hanan Balkhy, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Continue reading...

• Federal grant funding for FQHCs stayed flat from 2019-2023 while health care costs rose over 25%, leading to negative margins of 2.1% by 2024. • An estimated 11.8 million Americans will lose Medicaid coverage due to $344 billion cuts over the next decade, overwhelming FQHCs with uninsured patients. • Recent closures include a New Hampshire rural site in 2025 and six South Carolina locations last year due to shortfalls.