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Health Care

Pulling Back the Curtain on the Health Industry and Regulation

Why Do Americans Pay More for Prescription Drugs?

Drug companies in the U.S. face few restraints on what to charge for their products. A bipartisan bill would penalize those companies that sell their drugs at higher prices than the average of the prices in other wealthy nations.

by David Armstrong,

Democratic Lawmakers Blast Trump Administration’s VA Cuts After ProPublica Investigation

The lawmakers also accused Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins of stonewalling their efforts to learn more about agency cuts and their effects. “There are real-life dangerous impacts for veterans,” Rep. Chris Deluzio said.

by Vernal Coleman and Eric Umansky,

The Price of Remission

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked even me.

by David Armstrong,

Life of the Mother

Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion

Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients — and in their outcomes.

by Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser and Andrea Suozzo,

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Life of the Mother

Texas Senate Approves Legislation to Clarify Exceptions to Abortion Ban

Following ProPublica’s reporting, Republicans acknowledged women were denied care because medical providers were unsure what Texas’ abortion ban allowed. But the new legislation doesn’t remove what doctors say are the biggest impediments to care.

by Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser,

New Law Increases Oversight of Arizona Sober Living Homes

The legislation follows a ProPublica and Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting investigation on a $2 billion Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans seeking drug and alcohol treatment.

by Mary Hudetz,

An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients

FDA inspectors found serious problems at a Glenmark factory in India that manufactured the recalled drugs. Another medication made there has been tied to deaths of U.S. patients.

by Patricia Callahan,

Series

Series: Life of the Mother: How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths

Series: America’s Mental Barrier: How Insurers Interfere With Mental Health Care

Series: Veterans Without Assistance: Investigating Mental Health Care in the VA System

Series: Long-Term Challenge: Maine’s Lax Oversight of Residential Care Facilities

Series: With Every Breath: Millions of Breathing Machines. One Dangerous Defect

Series: Arterial Motives: The Big Business of Clogged Arteries

Series: The Hospice Hustle: How a Visionary Movement Became a Plaything for Profiteers

Series: Culture of Cruelty: Inside Illinois’ Mental Health System

Series: Stillbirths: When Babies Die Before Taking Their First Breath

Series: Crisis Point: How New York Wrecked Mental Health Care for Kids

Series: HeartWare: Deadly Malfunctions, FDA Inaction and Vulnerable Patients

Series: St. Jude’s Unspent Billions: Behind the Hospital’s Claims to Donors

Families looking pensive at an edifice made of paperwork protecting doctors and lawyers talking to each other.

Series: Birth Rights: Investigating Florida’s NICA Program

Series: State of Denial: Inside Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities

Series: Critical Condition: Investigating the Business of Oklahoma’s Rural Hospitals

Series: Coronavirus: The U.S. Response to COVID-19

Series: Opioid Billionaires: The Deceptive Marketing of OxyContin

Series: A 911 Emergency: Rhode Island’s Deadly 911 Flaws

Series: The $3 Million Research Breakdown: University of Illinois at Chicago’s Troubling Study

Series: Sloan Kettering’s Crisis: A Reckoning Over Industry Ties

Series: A Sick System: Repeat Attacks After Pleading Insanity

Series: Trauma After Tragedy: PTSD in First Responders

Series: Stuck Kids: Illinois Children Languish in Psychiatric Hospitals

Series: Health Insurance Hustle: The Confounding Way We Pay for Care

Series: Heart Failure: The Decline of a Historic Transplant Program

Series: Lost Mothers: Maternal Care and Preventable Deaths

Series: Wasted Medicine: Squandered Health Care Dollars

Series: Policing Patient Privacy: Patient Privacy and Medical Care

Series: Examining Medicare: A Closer Look at Medicare Part B

Series: Obamacare and You: The Rollout of the Affordable Care Act

Series: Overdose: Acetaminophen and Accidental Overdoses

Series: Nursing Homes

Series: Patient Safety: Exploring Quality of Care in the U.S.

Series: Dialysis: High Costs and Hidden Perils of a Treatment Guaranteed to All

Series: Dollars for Doctors: How Industry Money Reaches Physicians

Series: Omniscan: Specter of MRI Disease Haunts General Electric

Series: When Caregivers Harm: America’s Unwatched Nurses

910 stories published since 2008

Arizona Has Recovered Just 5% of Taxpayer Dollars Lost in a $2.5 Billion Medicaid Fraud Scheme

by Jasmine Demers, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting,

Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”

by Eric Umansky and Vernal Coleman,

Director of Arizona Medicaid Agency Resigns Following Fraud Scheme Response

by Mary Hudetz,

Texas Senate Approves Legislation to Clarify Exceptions to Abortion Ban

by Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser,

Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped.

by Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

New Law Increases Oversight of Arizona Sober Living Homes

by Mary Hudetz,

An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients

by Patricia Callahan,

“Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay”

by T. Christian Miller,

“Not Just Measles”: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline

by Duaa Eldeib and Patricia Callahan, and photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations

by Patricia Callahan,

Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.

by Annie Waldman, Ashley Clarke and Asia Fields,

New Utah Law Seeks to Crack Down on Life Coaches Offering Therapy Without a License

by Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases

by Kavitha Surana and Cassandra Jaramillo,

We Found Widespread Abuse of Disabled Patients at an Illinois Facility. The DOJ Is Investigating.

by Beth Hundsdorfer and Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois,

The State Medical Board Has Evidence This Doctor Was Hurting Patients. It Renewed His License — Twice.

by J. David McSwane, ProPublica, and Mara Silvers, Montana Free Press,

Thousands of Families Experience Stillbirth. Three Moms Tell Their Stories in a New Documentary.

by Nadia Sussman, Liz Moughon, Duaa Eldeib, Margaret Cheatham Williams and Lisa Riordan Seville,

The FDA Finally Visited an Indian Drug Factory Linked to U.S. Deaths. It Found Problems.

by Patricia Callahan,

Before a Breath: America’s Stillbirth Crisis

by Nadia Sussman, Liz Moughon, Margaret Cheatham Williams and Lisa Riordan Seville,

This Hospital System Fought COVID, Then a Far-Right Leader. Now It’s Taking on Idaho’s Abortion Ban.

by Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, and Kelcie Moseley-Morris, States Newsroom,

What a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Reveals About America’s Largest Oxygen Provider

by Peter Elkind,

As Idaho Pushes to Reform Its Coroner System, Counties Seek to Make It Less Transparent

by Audrey Dutton,

A New Missouri Bill Would Let Residents Donate to Anti-Abortion Centers Instead of Paying Any Taxes

by Jeremy Kohler,

Georgia Won’t Say Who’s Now Serving on Its Maternal Mortality Committee After Dismissing All Members Last Year

by Amy Yurkanin,

Montana Renews Accused Cancer Doctor’s License Despite Criminal, Civil Inquiries

by Mara Silvers, Montana Free Press, and J. David McSwane, ProPublica,

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

by Lizzie Presser, Andrea Suozzo, Sophie Chou and Kavitha Surana,

Texas Won’t Study How Its Abortion Ban Impacts Women, So We Did

by Andrea Suozzo, Sophie Chou and Lizzie Presser,

Georgia Touts Its Medicaid Experiment as a Success. The Numbers Tell a Different Story.

by Margaret Coker, The Current,

What a $2 Million Per Dose Gene Therapy Reveals About Drug Pricing

by Robin Fields,

Three Months After Missouri Voted to Make Abortion Legal, Access Is Still Being Blocked

by Jeremy Kohler,

Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response

by Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, and Hannah Bassett, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting,

Insurers Failed to Comply With Mental Health Coverage Law, Department of Labor Report Finds

by Duaa Eldeib, Maya Miller, Annie Waldman and Max Blau,

Is a New Mississippi Law Decreasing Jailings of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment? The State Doesn’t Know.

by Gwen Dilworth, Mississippi Today,

Lawmakers in at Least Seven States Seek Expanded Abortion Access

by Ziva Branstetter and Cassandra Jaramillo,

Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.

by Maya Miller and Duaa Eldeib,

Insurers Continue to Rely on Doctors Whose Judgments Have Been Criticized by Courts

by Duaa Eldeib and Maya Miller, with research by Kirsten Berg,

The CDC Hasn’t Asked States to Track Deaths Linked to Abortion Bans

by Kavitha Surana, Robin Fields and Ziva Branstetter,

Report: Hospitals Rarely Advise Doctors on How to Treat Patients Under Abortion Bans

by Kavitha Surana,

If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life

by Kavitha Surana and Lizzie Presser,

Are Abortion Bans Across America Causing Deaths? The States That Passed Them Are Doing Little to Find Out.

by Kavitha Surana, Mariam Elba, Cassandra Jaramillo, Robin Fields and Ziva Branstetter,

UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

by Annie Waldman,

A Coast Guard Commander Miscarried. She Nearly Died After Being Denied Care.

by Erin Edwards for ProPublica and Robin Fields,

The FDA Hasn’t Inspected This Drug Factory After 7 Recalls for the Same Flaw, 1 Potentially Deadly

by Patricia Callahan, Debbie Cenziper and Megan Rose,

Sign Up to Screen Our New Documentary About Stillbirths

by Nadia Sussman, Duaa Eldeib, Liz Moughon and Lisa Riordan Seville,

“Eat What You Kill”

by J. David McSwane,

Missouri Voters Enshrined Abortion Rights. GOP Lawmakers Are Already Working to Roll Them Back.

by Jeremy Kohler,

If Trump Makes Cuts to Medicaid, Texas Officials Could Seize the Opportunity to Further Slash the Program

by Lomi Kriel and Jessica Priest,

A Timeline of Failed Efforts to Reform Idaho’s Coroner System

by Audrey Dutton,

For Decades, Calls for Reform to Idaho’s Troubled Coroner System Have Gone Unanswered

by Audrey Dutton,

Maine Proposes Major Staffing Increases for Assisted Living and Residential Care Facilities

Rose Lundy, The Maine Monitor,

A Third Woman Died Under Texas’ Abortion Ban. Doctors Are Avoiding D&Cs and Reaching for Riskier Miscarriage Treatments.

by Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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Most Read

    The Price of Remission

    When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked even me.

    by David Armstrong,

    DOGE Aide Who Helped Gut CFPB Was Warned About Potential Conflicts of Interest

    Before he helped fire most Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staffers, DOGE’s Gavin Kliger was warned about his investments and advised to not take any actions that could benefit him personally, according to a person familiar with the situation.

    by Jake Pearson,

    The DEA Once Touted Body Cameras for Their “Enhanced Transparency.” Now the Agency Is Abandoning Them.

    An internal email obtained by ProPublica said the agency made the change to be “consistent” with a Trump executive order. But at least two other federal law enforcement agencies are still requiring body cameras.

    by Mario Ariza,

    Trump’s NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show

    A lawsuit led by the Washington state attorney general offers an unprecedented view of the termination of more than 600 NIH grants, including transgender research grants threatened by Trump’s executive orders.

    by Annie Waldman,

    Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”

    Despite a congressional mandate to expand care for veterans, internal Veterans Affairs messages obtained by ProPublica paint a stark portrait of how chaotic cost cutting has already imperiled tests of treatments for cancer, opioid addiction and more.

    by Eric Umansky and Vernal Coleman,