Latest Health News From The Illinois Newsroom Team
Trans community fears losing access to gender-affirming care as Trump makes comeback
As part of Illinois Public Media’s special series Four More Years: The View from Illinois, The 21st show discusses how the transgender community and providers who provide gender-affirming care are preparing for another Trump presidency.

Concerns raised in Monticello about number of brain cancer cases; Data being collected from the community
This past February at a Monticello City Council meeting, resident Caitlin McClain spoke about her father-in-law who died of brain cancer in 2022. “My father-in-law

Unanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication
The Biden administration and New York-based manufacturer Danco Laboratories argued mifepristone is among the safest drugs the FDA has ever approved.

Senators blast health and law enforcement officials over illegal e-cigarettes used by teens
Senator Dick Durbin singled out the FDA for not taking action against a vape shop selling illegal products less than a mile from its headquarters.

Illinois Planned Parenthood clinics see uptick in Southerners seeking abortions since overturning of Roe
Illinois has become a haven for abortion care, with nearly a quarter of Planned Parenthood patients coming from 41 states over the last two years, up from 3% to 5% of patients prior to the 2022 Dobbs decision.

The push for embryo rights worries IVF patients and doctors in the Midwest
Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.

Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end
In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and

The Checkup: ‘Junk patents’ by big pharma lead to soaring drugs prices, FTC says
The Federal Trade Commission says drug makers are gaming the system in order to keep drug prices high by filing what it describes as “junk patents”.

Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
Service providers, state agency officials joined governor for Springfield panel.

Is private equity ruining health care? It’s complicated
While stories of private equity firms running amok in health care are easy to find, new research paints a more nuanced picture.

Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
Police burden of proof in concealed carry violations also on the table.

Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
Two state departments say they are open to further regulating industry.