Class-action suit seeks to uphold in-network drug benefits for Ligonier pharmacy customers
A federal court could decide whether customers of Ligonier Pharmacy and several additional locations operated by Martella’s Pharmacies can have in-network insurance coverage through Highmark or UPMC Health Plan when they fill their prescriptions. A Pittsburgh law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of customers against those insurers...
U.S. pediatrician group recommends against routine use of drug for autism
CHICAGO — The American Academy of Pediatrics on Friday said it does not recommend the routine use of leucovorin — a form of vitamin B9 — in children with autism, citing a lack of evidence on the treatment’s benefits and risks to support widespread use in this population. The announcement...
Eye implant co-created by Pitt researcher helps the near-blind see again
A retinal implant the size of a strawberry seed co-created by a University of Pittsburgh researcher has helped partially restore vision for older people suffering from macular degeneration. The study was conducted in Europe and co-led by Dr. José-Alain Sahel, chair of Pitt’s ophthalmology department and director of the UPMC...
Rising health insurance costs are pinching business owners — and driving them to cheaper alternatives
It’s a never-ending battle for Rebecca Kasavich, owner of Copies at Carson, to fund health insurance for workers at her commercial print shop in Pittsburgh’s South Side. About 15 years ago, she made employees pay into their plans for the first time — a common move for businesses struggling with...
5 things to know about Obamacare open enrollment
Steep discounts for millions of Americans on Obamacare won’t expire until Dec. 31, but an exodus from the government health insurance program is expected to start Saturday when open enrollment kicks off for 2026. Nearly all people browsing Affordable Care Act plans will see higher prices than last year because...
What to know as the annual sign-up window for health insurance arrives
Higher prices, less help and a government shutdown all hang over health insurance markets as shoppers start looking for coverage this week. The annual enrollment window for millions of people to pick an individual plan opens Saturday in nearly all states, and a heavy dose of politics weighs on this...
3 Pittsburgh area Oak Street Health locations to close in coming months
Three Pittsburgh-area Oak Street Health facilities will close their doors by February, according to the company. Among 16 total closures nationwide, locations in Homestead, Wilkinsburg and Ingram are each set to shutter. Owned by CVS Health, Oak Street Health operates more than 200 primary care centers throughout the country, specializing...
Afflicted Baldwin native’s nonprofit fights rare spinal disease
When members of the Baldwin High School Class of 1983 held their 30-year reunion, Doug Strott declined to attend. “I was embarrassed because I had to use a cane,” he explained. “When I told my friends, they were kind of mad at me. But they said, ‘OK. We understand.’” As...
USDA memo says it will not use emergency funds for November food benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not use agency contingency funds to pay for food aid benefits set to lapse in November during the federal government shutdown, according to a memo seen by Reuters. More than 41 million people are set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known...
Pa. officials roll up sleeves for covid shots and encourage residents to follow
At a Harrisburg pharmacy Thursday, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen and Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys rolled up their sleeves for covid shots to underscore the vaccine’s continued availability. “Today I want to encourage everyone who is six months or older to talk to a health care provider or pharmacist...
Average age of first-time mothers rises over 31 at Allegheny Health Network hospitals
People are having children later in life — a trend that’s especially pronounced in Western Pennsylvania. The average age of first-time mothers who gave birth in 2024 at an Allegheny Health Network labor and delivery unit was 31.1 years old — three years higher than the national average, according to...
As vaccine policies shift under Trump admin, Pa. pediatricians focus on keeping patients informed
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. As federal vaccine policies and messaging shift under the Trump administration, pediatricians across Pennsylvania are working to maintain proven...
Covid-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors
WASHINGTON — The most widely used covid-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients — revving up their immune systems to help fight tumors. People with advanced lung or skin cancer who were taking certain immunotherapy drugs lived substantially longer if they also got a Pfizer or...
A family health insurance plan now costs nearly $27,000. Why is insurance so expensive?
If it seems like your health insurance bill is rising faster than your paycheck, you’re not mistaken. The average cost for a family health insurance plan offered through the workplace was $26,993 in 2025, an increase of 6% from a year ago, according to the annual employer health benefits survey...
Trump’s $100K visa fee could worsen doctor shortages in rural Pa.
Rural Pennsylvania could face new challenges in filling critical healthcare staffing as a result of a new $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a program that allows educated foreign workers to fill labor shortages in the United States. President Donald Trump announced the proposal in a recent proclamation, part of...
Highmark plans to offer free subscriptions to weight-loss app Noom for 2M members
Highmark will start covering a version of Noom — a subscription-based app that claims to enable weight loss by harnessing psychological research — at no cost for nearly 2 million members next year. The health insurer announced the partnership Monday, touting it as a way for members to make lasting...
High levels of lead found in some protein powders
Protein powder users should check the brand they’re using. A new Consumer Reports investigation revealed that some protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes contain high levels of lead. Published this week, the findings said 23 products were tested, and more than two-thirds of them were found to contain more lead in...
Study bolsters notion that exposing babies to peanut products can reduce allergiesVideo
Feeding peanuts to babies can reduce their risk of developing allergies, a study published this week affirmed. While nuts themselves remain choking hazards, giving foods made with nuts to babies may prevent them from developing nut allergies, according to a study published Monday in Pediatrics, the journal of the American...
Pa. bill would require high schools to stock naloxone
A bill introduced last week in the Pennsylvania Senate would require all high schools in the state to have opioid reversal drugs on hand. Under the measure, school personnel would volunteer to complete training on the use of naloxone, which goes by brand names including Narcan, and to store it...
Local medical experts provide clarity on conflicting covid vaccine guidelines in Pennsylvania
After being told over the summer he needed a prescription to get the latest covid booster, AR Ravi sat in a Downtown Pittsburgh building Friday, hoping the Allegheny County Health Department could help. “We get it every year,” Ravi, a Mars resident, said of the booster. He expressed frustration at...
Facing burnout, stress and shortages, Pa. nurses push to limit patient workload
Some days, Ashley Grieco feels behind the moment she steps into the neonatal intensive care unit at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. On those difficult occasions, three critically ill babies might need her attention — all at once. Ideally, Grieco would spend more time with each infant, nurturing language skills by reading...
Trump wants more U.S. babies. This is his plan to lower costs, expand access to IVF
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump announced a plan aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, seeking to fulfill a 2024 campaign promise by launching a new effort to lower IVF costs for families. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled Thursday in the Oval Office, also calls for eliminating red tape...
Research shows annoying sounds might not be in your ears, but in your brain
The sound of someone sniffling can be irritating, but that has almost nothing to do with the sound itself, new Carnegie Mellon University research shows. “It’s not the sound, it’s how I feel about the person sitting next to me, and how it’s rude to sniffle,” said Laurie Heller, a...
Report claims Heritage Valley Sewickley, St. Clair hospitals perform needless back surgeries
Two Pittsburgh-area hospitals and one near State College are being called out by a health care think tank for performing what it calls unnecessary back surgeries. A report released earlier this month by the Massachusetts-based Lown Institute says around 38% of spinal fusions performed at Heritage Valley Sewickley weren’t warranted,...
AHN signs deal to pull Heritage Valley hospitals into its network
Allegheny Health Network and the much smaller Heritage Valley Health System have signed a merger agreement, marking the latest push by the Pittsburgh region’s biggest hospital systems to expand their reach. Officials on Thursday announced the deal, which requires state and federal government approval. It would bring Heritage Valley hospitals...
