Shaler Area senior suffering from kidney failure hopes a donor will be found
Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. For many teenagers, the hardest part of their day is figuring out what to wear or what they will eat for lunch....
Pitt lab launches $42M project to merge latest in wheelchair, robotic arm tech
A laboratory in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square is poised to make the next breakthrough in wheelchairs, a mostly stagnant industry with huge quality of life implications for millions of disabled Americans. Researchers at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Veterans...
Lilly, Novo near White House deals to cut obesity drug prices, gain Medicare access, media reports
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are expected to announce deals with the White House to offer the lowest dose of their weight-loss drugs at $149 per month, in exchange for Medicare coverage, Endpoints News reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Patients in the U.S. currently pay the...
Attack on UPMC Altoona employee causes cracked skull, brain bleed
A Blair County man is in prison after what UPMC officials deemed a “horrific attack” on one of their employees in Altoona. A patient care technician in the UPMC Altoona emergency department was attacked on Saturday, according to a statement released by UPMC. Bradley S. Lloyd, 40, of Tyrone was...
Sewickley orthodontist has been creating smiles for decades
Dr. Tom Forrest gives patients something to smile about. It’s not just his profession — it’s his passion. People are smiling more than ever for their cell phone cameras and Forrest wants to help those smiles be the brightest. “Since the introduction of the smartphone, everyone now has a camera...
Study says long-term melatonin use may pose heart risks
For many, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. More than 30% of Pennsylvanians sleep fewer than seven hours a night, according to data from the United Health Foundation. In an effort to fight insomnia and get adequate rest, many turn to over-the-counter sleep aids or supplements like...
Kimberly-Clark’s $50 billion leap into health and beauty tests investor faith
NEW YORK — Kimberly-Clark’s nearly $50 billion offer for Tylenol maker Kenvue is a risky bet that the world’s biggest consumer market, the United States, will keep growing even as lower-income shoppers trim their budgets, according to analysts. The cash-and-stock deal, announced earlier on Monday, is set to close late...
ACA premiums double, adding post Halloween fright for health insurance shoppers
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON — Americans shopping for 2026 health insurance plans from the Affordable Care Act are facing a more than doubling of monthly premiums on average and are likely to postpone signing up in hopes of a last-minute reprieve, or walk away, health experts say. Covid-19 pandemic-era subsidies, due to...
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...
