For many of us, summer means attending backyard barbecues, laughing with neighbors and friends, watching kids chase fireflies, and enjoying fireworks lighting up the night. But in a split second, that can all change. Your daughter trips, gashing her knee on a rock. Your dad, laughing one moment, clutches his chest the next. Suddenly, you’re racing to the emergency room—confident it’s open, staffed, and ready.

That’s the unspoken promise of our health care system: when the worst happens, an ER will be there, no questions asked.

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But that promise is about to become harder to keep. A quiet policy change tucked into the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” cuts the provider tax nationwide from 6% to 3.5% over the coming years. That might sound like easy-to-ignore bureaucratic jargon, but for families across America—who trust the ER will be there when a fever spikes or a bone breaks—this change will likely mean dramatically longer waits, overwhelmed doctors, and ..

They’re the stars of summer cookouts, but when it comes to your health, which is the bigger nutritional offender: the hamburger or the hot dog?

They share many similarities; both are processed, protein-packed, and often loaded with toppings. But there are clear differences, too. Here’s what registered dietitians say about the burger vs. dog debate—and which one might be the lesser evil on your plate.

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Hot dog vs. hamburger

Experts agree that the answer depends on several variables like portion size, preparation method, toppings, and quality of ingredients. However, there are some general nutrition differences that make hot dogs the less favorable option overall.

“In general, hot dogs tend to be more processed than hamburgers,” says Tamar Samuels, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health, a virtual nutrition platform. “They’re often made from a mix of lower-quality meat cuts and additives, including sodium nitrate and other preservati..

Sweeping cuts in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” targeting abortion providers threaten to drastically reduce access to a wide variety of sexual and reproductive health care services in Maine—even though the state has protected reproductive rights.

Two organizations—Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning—that serve roughly half of the patients in Maine’s entire sexual and reproductive health care network are at risk of being excluded from receiving Medicaid payments thanks to a provision in the tax and spending package, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now faces a vote in the House. The provision would prohibit Medicaid funding for any health care services provided by Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning for one year.

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Medicaid is a state-federal program that provides health insurance coverage for more than 70 million people from low-income households across the country, including hundreds of thousands of..

What you once knew as an after-dinner stroll has been rebranded a “fart walk” on social media—and the trend is having a moment. Fans of the so-called fart walk—a short stroll taken up to about an hour after eating a meal—claim it aids digestion and relieves GI symptoms like gas and bloating. But what do doctors think?

New name, old concept
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“Feeling bloated after a meal is common,” says Dr. David D. Clarke, a clinical assistant professor of gastroenterology emeritus at Oregon Health & Science University and president of the Association of the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms. That’s because people eat too much, or they eat too quickly and swallow excess air, or they drink beverages with dissolved gas in them like soda or beer.

To counter symptoms like these and help relieve gas naturally, walking after dinner can help, doctors agree. Walking can enhance the muscle contractions of the gastrointestinal tract—..

There’s a newly appointed panel of experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), freshly chosen by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, it sets the immunization schedule for Americans. And some of the new members have histories of vaccine-skepticism.

On June 26, this panel voted to remove thimerosal from flu vaccines. The ingredient has long been the target of anti-vaccine activists, despite numerous studies showing it’s safe in small amounts.

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The committee’s recommendation now goes to the CDC’s acting director to become a formal recommendation. (Susan Monarez, President Trump’s selection to head the agency, is currently undergoing confirmation hearings).

Here’s how thimerosal got into vaccines, why it’s being taken out, and what the latest recommendation could mean for next season’s flu shots.

What is thimerosal?

Thimerosal, which contains a form of mercury c..