one big number
$6 trillion
That’s how much federal actuaries expect the U.S. to spend on health care this year, STAT’s Bob Herman reports. That’s up from $5.7 trillion in 2025, which itself was a 7.3% increase from 2024. Read more on what’s driving the trend.
health
Watchdog calls out crisis pregnancy centers
At least 100 crisis pregnancy centers in 49 states advertise free ultrasound services to help people rule out ectopic pregnancy, according to the nonprofit watchdog Campaign for Accountability. But these centers often have little to no medical staff, which means ultrasound offerings could violate laws against the unauthorized practice of medicine or false advertising. The watchdog urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate these potential violations.
This isn’t a new issue. Last summer, a group that provides legal support and medical training to crisis pregnancy centers warned its members about claiming to offer such services. Ectopic pregnancy is “the greatest medical and legal risk for clinics,” a representative for the group warned, according to NBC News.
first opinion
How a murder case changed doctor-patient confidentiality
In 1969, a California man told his therapist that he planned to harm, and maybe murder, a woman he’d briefly dated and felt scorned by. The therapist tried to have the patient placed on a hold, but that decision was overruled by the local hospital. Nobody warned the woman or her family that she may be in danger. About two months later, she was dead.
Her parents sued the University of California, Berkeley, where the therapist worked, for failing to detain the man or to warn them of danger. The ensuing court battle and decision from the California Supreme Court would forever change the nature of doctor-patient confidentiality in psychiatry, infectious disease, and even genomics. That decision turns 50 next week — read more about its disturbing origin story.
