Health
Video: Skyrocketing Health Insurance Forces Americans to Scramble for Care
“When I saw the termination notice come in, it was kind of nerve-wracking.” James Digilio is 62 years old. He couldn’t pay for his health insurance after costs skyrocketed. “I was paying, last year, $57-a-month premium. And then it jumped up this year to $1,690 a month. When I first saw it, I was surprised. I thought this was a mistake.” Millions of people like James saw their insurance premiums soar in January after the Senate deadlocked on competing proposals, leaving the expanded tax subsidies to expire. James relies on medication to manage his blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Since losing his insurance, he started rationing his medication. “I was concerned about the medications, not knowing how I was going to refill them. I figure if I could stretch it out and not take them for a week or so, then that’s another week I could tack on that I could still stretch it out to.” James works at a pizza restaurant, making $14 an hour washing dishes and delivering food — that brings in, on average, $1,200 a month plus tips. He says that the $1,690 health insurance payment would eat up all the income from his job. “It would have been very hard to manage to pay that much premium for health insurance.” He takes care of his sister, who is currently unemployed. In January, to cover their expenses, James took out his Social Security retirement benefits early. If he had paid for his new health insurance premium on top of the other expenses, that would have left him nearly $1,400 in debt at the end of each month. For years, Florida has been leading the nation in Affordable Care Act enrollment. One in five residents are enrolled in an A.C.A. plan, compared to one in 15 nationwide, and 98 percent of Florida’s enrollees relied on federal financial assistance to pay for a plan. Now, many are facing a future without health insurance. More than a million people nationwide have dropped their coverage since the A.C.A. subsidies expired. Today, with only a week and a half of medication left, James is visiting a free clinic nearby to see if they have the medications he needs. “OK, if you just take a seat and I’ll tell the nurse you’re here.” “Jimmy’s case is not unique. All of our new patients who had insurance and now do not have insurance have all seen tremendous increase in their monthly premiums to the point that they can’t afford them any longer.” Terri Belletto runs this volunteer-based clinic in Bunnell, a city in northeast Florida. It relies on private donations and grants for its funding. She says her clinic has seen a surge in patients over the past three months. “This is the largest increase in patients that we’ve seen in the 12 years that I’ve been here. If we’re not in crisis mode in health care in the United States, we’re almost there.” “So was it two months from now, you said?” For James, a measure of relief. Today, the clinic refilled over a month of medication for free. The clinic may have met his immediate health care needs, but what worries James is where to go for anything more serious and how he’d pay for it. “If I had affordable health care, my life would be easier. It would be more relaxed and I could not have to be stressed about the insurance and hopefully also medications.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The old saying that laughter is the best medicine may be true, according to new research that suggests it is also a vital catalyst for children’s development.
Laughter and play are fundamental to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being and social bonding, according to Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London.
In her book, “The Brain That Loves to Laugh,” Harding argues that joy is a complex biological phenomenon that helps children navigate stress and build more resilient, receptive minds, news agency SWNS reported.
HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER PEOPLE DO THESE 7 THINGS EVERY DAY, SAYS WELLNESS EXPERT
“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting and growing,” Harding told SWNS.
“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development.”
Laughter alters internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones and boosting feel-good chemicals like serotonin, experts say. (iStock)
Laughter activates broad brain networks, including motor regions and the prefrontal cortex, long before children learn to speak. By helping the brain resolve conflicting ideas, it boosts creativity and engages working memory, acting as a “mental workout,” experts say.
At a molecular level, laughter alters the internal chemistry by decreasing stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. It also increases “happiness chemicals” like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Additionally, laughter is known to boost oxytocin, which deepens emotional bonds between parents and children.
Prolonged stress does the exact opposite: It impairs learning, suppresses immune function and alters the developing limbic system, which governs emotion and long-term memory, according to SWNS.
Prolonged stress can negatively impact not only children’s mental well-being, but their physical state as well. (iStock)
“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world,” Harding said.
Parents can foster these benefits through moments of spontaneous play and joyful connection, the expert advised.
“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress.”
These interactions do more than spark laughter — they help children develop emotional regulation, strengthen feelings of safety and connection, and support social and cognitive development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain,” Harding said. “Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
This shared joy also establishes “co-regulation,” where a child learns to manage their own stress by drawing on a biological store of positive early experiences.
Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain, the expert said. (iStock)
Harding advocates for integrating humor directly into classrooms to reduce cognitive load and improve how children retain key concepts.
By uplifting the nervous system, joy creates an optimal environment for information absorption, as the SWNS piece noted.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Safe relationships and non-stressful play environments promote learning,” she added.
“The curriculum must never be prioritized over those two fundamental factors.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
People who incorporate strength training into their weekly routines may be more likely to live longer, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed data from 147,374 adults and found that people who engaged in moderate amounts of resistance training had a lower risk of dying from several major causes, including heart disease and neurological disease.
The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
OLDER ADULTS SHOULD TARGET THESE MUSCLES WHEN STRENGTH-TRAINING, SAYS FITNESS PRO
People who performed between 90 and 119 minutes of resistance training per week had a 13% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who did no strength training.
The same group also experienced a 19% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 27% lower risk of death from neurological diseases, most of which were related to dementia.
A new study found that adults who regularly engage in moderate strength training may live longer. (iStock)
Researchers found that the greatest benefit occurred when resistance training was combined with aerobic exercise.
Adults who regularly participated in both forms of exercise had up to a 45% lower risk of death than those who did little aerobic activity and no resistance training.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
However, more exercise was not necessarily better.
The study found no additional reduction in mortality risk beyond about 120 minutes of resistance training per week.
The research followed participants for up to 30 years and repeatedly tracked their exercise habits over time, giving researchers a more complete picture of long-term behavior.
Researchers found that the greatest health benefits were seen among people who combined weightlifting with aerobic exercise. (iStock)
Josephine Hunt, an educational leader, former group fitness instructor and founder of The Resilience Revolution based in New Jersey, who was not involved in the study, said the findings support a growing body of research linking strength training to healthy aging.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“The conversation about longevity often focuses on living longer, but I believe the more important goal is maintaining the strength, mobility, independence, and vitality to fully participate in life as we age,” Hunt told Fox News Digital.
Hunt said resistance training helps preserve muscle mass and bone density, improves balance and supports overall physical function as people get older.
For women, she noted, strength training becomes especially important after menopause, when muscle mass and bone density can decline more rapidly.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“Resistance training is not about bodybuilding, appearance, or achieving a certain physique,” Hunt said.
Experts say longevity is not just about living longer, but staying strong, mobile and independent with age. (iStock)
“It is about preserving the ability to live life on your own terms.”
She added that strength training can help people remain independent, recover from illness or injury, travel more easily and stay active later in life.
Researchers noted that the study has limitations.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While the findings suggest a connection between strength training and a lower risk of death, the study cannot prove that lifting weights was the reason participants lived longer.
The study also relied on self-reported exercise habits and primarily included white, middle-aged and older health professionals, which may limit how broadly the findings apply to the general population.
A look back at the medical miracles of 2025
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to highlight 2025 breakthroughs, from a pineapple-derived burn cream to a newly approved heart procedure.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A new “living bandage” could soon revolutionize how doctors treat serious injuries by accelerating the healing process, according to new research reported by SWNS.
The high-tech patch was developed by researchers at Rice University in Texas. It acts like an around-the-clock mini factory, continuously delivering healing proteins directly to different types of wounds, the same source noted.
Caring for chronic wounds is often a challenge for doctors, as it’s difficult to deliver steady, localized signals that tell the body to repair its own tissue, the researchers said.
POPULAR FRUIT MAY HELP PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM THE SUN, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
The body naturally relies on small chemical messengers called cytokines to control inflammation and healing. However, traditional treatments like ointments or injections usually fail, as fragile proteins break down too quickly or wash away from the injury site.
To solve the problem, the research team created a cell-based patch that stays on top of the wound. Inside the device, scientists placed engineered cells programmed to manufacture and secrete three specific healing cytokines, known as IL-10, IL-12 and Transforming Growth Factor-beta.
A living bandage patch delivers healing proteins from engineered cells to accelerate wound healing, according to new research by American scientists. (Jared Jones/Rice University/SWNS)
These cells are safely housed inside protective material that acts like a shield — letting vital nutrients and therapeutic proteins pass through to the skin while keeping the body’s immune system from attacking the engineered cells inside.
The system also uses a special hydrogel that helps the patch blend naturally with the wound, SWNS reported. It may be updated eventually, the research team indicated, to work alongside electronic components.
HEART ATTACK DAMAGE REVERSED WITH INJECTABLE RNA THERAPY, STUDY FINDS
In lab tests on rodents and pigs, the patch successfully accelerated wound healing. By analyzing the genetic material of the cells, the researchers confirmed the treatment successfully activated the processes needed for tissue repair.
Professor Omid Veiseh, faculty director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad and leader of the laboratory development, said the animal trials showed strong potential for the approach.
“By maintaining a consistent presence of these signaling molecules at the wound site, we can more effectively engage the body’s natural healing response,” the scientists said. (iStock)
“The findings show how continuous, localized cytokine delivery can support key biological pathways involved in tissue repair,” Veiseh said, according to SWNS.
SURGEONS KEEP MAN ALIVE WITHOUT LUNGS, PAVING NEW PATH TO TRANSPLANT
“By maintaining a consistent presence of these signaling molecules at the wound site, we can more effectively engage the body’s natural healing response.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
He said genetic analysis “revealed coordinated upregulation of genes associated with tissue regeneration and immune modulation, providing a mechanistic basis for the functional improvements observed.”
Researcher Elizabeth Kelley of Rice University holds a cytokine-secreting patch designed to accelerate wound healing by delivering healing proteins from engineered cells continuously. (Jared Jones/Rice University/SWNS)
The platform is fully customizable, so the engineered cells can easily be adapted to produce different combinations of proteins and growth factors, depending on what each individual patient needs.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Study co-author Christian Schreib, Ph.D., noted that “the ability to tune both the type and timing of cytokine delivery opens the door to more precise control over the healing process.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Schreib said that “future work will focus on expanding the flexibility of the platform, including approaches such as optogenetic control” — using light to control cell activity — “to regulate cytokine secretion in real time.”
The technology is still in an early stage and has not yet been tested on human patients.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Further research is needed to understand how the technology will be used on humans.
The study was published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.
-
Kentucky9 minutes agoJaxson Davis offered by Kentucky Basketball
-
Louisiana14 minutes ago
Louisiana Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for June 7, 2026
-
Maine21 minutes agoHeat, humidity on the rise across Maine ahead of showers, potential storms late this week
-
Maryland24 minutes agoAfter raft of appointments, District 16 voters will finally get their say
-
Michigan29 minutes agoCan Michigan tenants withhold rent if a landlord won’t make repairs?
-
Massachusetts36 minutes agoBeacon Hill Roll Call: House, Senate approve $1.35B fiscal 26 supplemental budget
-
Minnesota39 minutes agoGas Prices In Minnesota Drop To $3.96, Down 15.9 Cents This Week
-
Mississippi44 minutes agoSunday Conversation: Mississippi State’s Abby Grace Richardson
