Skip to content
RollCall logo

Staff

Sandhya Raman

The Latest From Sandhya Raman
Still life of Wegovy an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity. It should be used with a weight loss plan and physical activity.

White House rule would expand coverage of anti-obesity drugs 

By Sandhya Raman
Posted November 26, 2024 at 10:57am, Updated at 3:46pm
President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Tuesday in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Trump’s first week in office may set tone on abortion policy

By Sandhya Raman
Posted November 20, 2024 at 4:06pm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies during a hearing of the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on July 20, 2023.

Trump taps RFK Jr. to lead HHS

By Ariel Cohen, Lia DeGroot and Sandhya Raman
Posted November 14, 2024 at 5:44pm
Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., left, and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the committee's health subcommittee, are among the key health policy players retiring at the end of this Congress.

New Congress brings churn in health policy leadership

By Sandhya Raman
Posted November 13, 2024 at 7:56pm
Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, attends a campaign rally in Holland, Ohio, on Oct. 26.

Latta eyes top GOP spot on Energy and Commerce panel

By Sandhya Raman
Posted November 7, 2024 at 5:54pm
Sarah McBride, Democrat representative-elect for Delaware, is seen on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20.

How key results could influence health policy

By Sandhya Raman, Lia DeGroot and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 6, 2024 at 4:10pm, Updated at 7:28pm
Pro-abortion rights activists participate in the "Rally for Our Freedom" to protect abortion rights for Floridians, in Orlando, Florida, on April 13, 2024. The initiative failed to meet the 60 percent threshold for passage Tuesday.

Florida, South Dakota, Nebraska reject abortion ballot issues

By Sandhya Raman and Ariel Cohen
Posted November 6, 2024 at 10:26am
National Women’s Strike holds a protest marking the second anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24. Ten states will vote on ballot initiatives involving abortion access on Nov. 5.

Ten states to vote on abortion access Nov. 5

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 31, 2024 at 7:00am
A box of mifepristone is held up outside the U.S. Supreme Court on March 26. Abortion opponents have repeatedly challenged regulations to and the approval of the drug.

Appeals court hears drugmaker’s challenge to abortion restrictions

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 29, 2024 at 4:36pm
An empty room in CHOICES - Memphis Center for Reproductive Health. The clinic sent abortion services to Illinois after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Bills exclude mental health from emergency abortion exceptions

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 29, 2024 at 9:34am
Patients to CHOICES - Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, can still receive pregnancy care or out-of-state abortion referrals. The clinic was the first nonprofit clinic to house a birthing center and provide abortions.

For reproductive health workers, a big change since the Dobbs ruling

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 29, 2024 at 6:30am
Laura Gillen, Democratic candidate for New York's 4th District, greets a guest during a campaign rally with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in Hempstead, N.Y., on Oct. 17. Gillen is challenging Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-N.Y., and has made reproductive rights a part of her campaign.

Abortion rights at forefront of Democrats’ closing arguments

By Mary Ellen McIntire and Sandhya Raman
Posted October 25, 2024 at 3:26pm
Democrats are running ads focused on abortion access in swing states Pennsylvania and Arizona, focusing specifically on state legislative races.

DLCC launches abortion ad blitz in Arizona and Pennsylvania

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 21, 2024 at 9:28am, Updated at 2:26pm
Sign for Opill over-the-counter birth control pill at a pharmacy in San Francisco. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

White House rule would expand access to cost-free birth control

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 21, 2024 at 6:42am
Pill Man, a skeleton made from activist Frank Huntley’s OxyContin and methadone prescription bottles, is seen on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House on Aug. 30, 2019. After a pandemic-era spike, drug overdose deaths are finally trending downward.

CDC reports record drop in drug overdose deaths

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 16, 2024 at 3:55pm
A bookmark with the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline emergency telephone number is displayed a volunteer with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force in Casper, Wyo., on Aug. 14, 2022.

Survey: Most adults affected by suicide, want more prevention

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 9, 2024 at 9:50am
A view inside the Georgia Supreme Court in Atlanta.

Two abortion rulings could weigh into elections in Georgia, Texas

By Sandhya Raman and Daniela Altimari
Posted October 7, 2024 at 5:25pm, Updated at 8:40pm
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City.

Fact-checking Vance’s health policy claims

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted October 2, 2024 at 4:29pm
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican nominee for vice president, is seens at the Republican National Convention on July 17.

On campaign trail, Vance lays out ‘concept of a plan’ for health care

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted September 26, 2024 at 7:00am
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says the rule would mean that calls and messages to 988 would no longer be "needlessly sent to crisis centers hundreds of miles away.”

FCC to vote to require 988 calls be routed to local call centers

By Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted September 25, 2024 at 5:00am
Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford is pictured in the Capitol during votes on July 31. Lankford on Tuesday blocked a resolution expressing a sense of the Senate that every patient should have the right to emergency health care, including abortion, regardless of where they live, saying that “there is no state in America where a woman faces prosecution for having an abortion.”

Filibuster’s future, emergency abortions fuel Senate debate

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted September 24, 2024 at 6:26pm
Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee, celebrates on the final night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 22.

Harris ties Georgia deaths to Trump policies

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 20, 2024 at 5:37pm
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer conducts a news conference after the Senate luncheons in the Capitol on Tuesday. He announced Thursday that the Senate will vote again on a legislative package that would establish a statutory right to IVF.

Schumer tees up second vote on IVF

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 12, 2024 at 3:21pm
A physician measures a pregnant patient's fundal height at Albany Medical Center's department of obstetrics and gynecology in Albany, N.Y..

Two years later, Dobbs decision continues to spur a reckoning

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 12, 2024 at 7:00am
An abortion rights advocate shows a box of mifepristone outside the Supreme Court on March 26.

For many, incomplete answers on mental health care and pregnancy

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 12, 2024 at 7:00am
Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, wants to see a reauthorization in 2024.

White House drug control official calls for reauthorization of his office

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 28, 2024 at 5:42am
Jennifer Pepper, the CEO and president of CHOICES, leads a morning staff meeting shortly after the announcement of the 2022 Dobbs Supreme Court decision that overturned the federal protection of access to abortion. In October, the Memphis-based CHOICES opened a second location in Carbondale after the Memphis abortion clinic stopped performing abortions.

Post-Roe, Illinois becomes haven for abortion access

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 21, 2024 at 7:00am
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic nominee for president, speaks during a rally to kick off their campaign at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 6.

In picking Walz, Harris upends notion of ‘women’s issues’

By Lia DeGroot, Sandhya Raman and Ariel Cohen
Posted August 21, 2024 at 7:00am
A newborn baby boy yawns as he sits with his mother at Emerson Hospital in Massachusetts.

CDC reports drop in US fertility rate

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 20, 2024 at 1:34pm
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is seen in the Capitol on Jan. 23.

Surgeon general hones dual focus on mental health, gun violence

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 14, 2024 at 9:43am
Pro-abortion rights demonstrators rally in Scottsdale, Ariz. on April 15. Officials in Arizona and Missouri certified proposed amendments in the states this week.

Arizona and Missouri greenlight abortion rights amendments

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 13, 2024 at 4:54pm
A volunteer medical technologist takes a test blood sample from a student who volunteered for a free HIV testing program at a university in Manila on Sept. 13, 2019.

Parental rights law could thwart fight against HIV

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 12, 2024 at 5:00am
Then-Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., speaks with guests during a campaign event at the University of Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 28, 2016.

Walz’s personal experiences shape his health policy outlook

By Ariel Cohen, Lia DeGroot and Sandhya Raman
Posted August 6, 2024 at 3:01pm
Allie Phillips tears up as she testifies about her abortion during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Feb. 28.

Abortion ban spurs grieving mother to run for office

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 1, 2024 at 7:00am
SAMHSA found that 5.9 million people started vaping nicotine last year, higher than the other substances measured. In 2023, 9.4 percent of the people 12 and older vaped nicotine compared to 8.3 percent of that population in 2022.

SAMHSA finds increase in nicotine vaping, treatment uptake

By Sandhya Raman
Posted July 30, 2024 at 4:22pm
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is pictured with his sons Don Jr., left, and Eric, in Fiserv Forum on the first day of Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday.

With Roe overturned, Trump’s GOP turns to transgender health care

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted July 16, 2024 at 11:26am, Updated at 6:20pm
Tammi Kromenaker, director of Red River Women's clinic, poses in her office at the clinic in Moorhead, Minn., on April 13, 2023.

For at least one abortion clinic, Dobbs eased stressors

By Sandhya Raman
Posted July 11, 2024 at 7:00am
Then-President Donald Trump at the White House on Oct. 10, 2019. The Republican National Committee is poised to formally adopt a 2024 platform that largely leaves abortion rights to states.

RNC softens platform stance on abortion

By Sandhya Raman
Posted July 8, 2024 at 4:05pm
Women’s March holds a 'die-in' outside of the Supreme Court before the court’s oral arguments in Moyle v. United States in Washington on April 24.

Idaho abortion decision leaves both sides in long-term limbo

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 27, 2024 at 2:13pm
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said she’s focusing on maternal health, including policies providing Medicaid coverage 12 months postpartum.

For CMS administrator, a focus on maternal health

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 26, 2024 at 6:00am, Updated at 4:07pm
Sen. John Fetterman, pictured here on June 4, spoke at the Aspen Ideas: Health conference over the weekend about depression, saying he wants to share his story to help others.

After a ‘rough’ start, Sen. Fetterman opens up about his mental health journey

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 24, 2024 at 2:53pm
Gregory Jackson, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, speaks at Aspen Ideas: Health on Friday.

At Aspen conference, a call to prioritize stopping gun violence

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 21, 2024 at 4:58pm
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during Senate Democrats’ news conference in the Capitol on Feb. 27 to discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization.

Senate falls short on IVF vote

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted June 13, 2024 at 3:27pm
Activists protest at the Supreme Court as the justices hear oral arguments in the Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case on March 26.

Advocates see ‘temporary’ victory in abortion drug ruling

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 13, 2024 at 2:28pm
A pregnant woman holds her stomach. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landscape for those with both reproductive and mental health needs has become more complicated.

Post-Dobbs, maternal mental health care is even more complicated

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 13, 2024 at 7:00am
Americans for Contraception unveil a 20-foot inflatable IUD outside Union Station in Washington on Wednesday.

Senate rejects move to codify right to contraception

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 5, 2024 at 6:19pm
Abortion rights activists protest as oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization are held on Dec. 1, 2021.

Eyeing Dobbs anniversary, Senate plans IVF, contraception votes

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 4, 2024 at 7:08pm
A box of mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medication abortion and miscarriage management.

Louisiana abortion drug bill latest front in post-Dobbs fight

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 22, 2024 at 4:47pm, Updated May 23, 2024 at 3:20am
The Biden administration this week announced the first national maternal mental health strategy. Twenty-three percent of pregnancy-related deaths are caused by suicide, drug overdose or other outcomes from mental health or substance use disorders.

Administration releases maternal mental health plan

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 15, 2024 at 4:29pm
Activists protest at the Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in the Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case on Tuesday.

In front of Supreme Court, a nation divided on abortion drug

By Sandhya Raman
Posted March 26, 2024 at 2:06pm
Mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in a medication abortion, is displayed at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on medication abortion drug

By Sandhya Raman and Michael Macagnone
Posted March 22, 2024 at 2:10pm
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week. On Wednesday, he appeared before two House panels to discuss President Joe Biden's fiscal 2025 budget.

With fiscal 2024 funding still in the works, Becerra looks to 2025

By Sandhya Raman and Lauren Clason
Posted March 20, 2024 at 5:59pm
Abortion protesters faced off outside the Minnesota Legislature's House Chamber in the State Capitol building, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn., during the first day an abortion bill was being heard in the House. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which focuses on electing Democratic majorities to state legislatures, has identified abortion as a key electoral issue going into the 2024 election cycle.

Memo: State legislative elections will determine abortion policy

By Sandhya Raman
Posted March 20, 2024 at 5:00am
Delta-8 supplements on a shelf inside Hippy Bee Dispensary on July 22, 2023, in Garland, Texas.

Growing teen THC use could further complicate cannabis policy

By Sandhya Raman and Lauren Clason
Posted March 14, 2024 at 7:00am
President Joe Biden, pictured here at the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 20, will deliver his State of the Union address on Thursday night.

Biden to renew calls to lower health costs at SOTU

By Sandhya Raman
Posted March 6, 2024 at 4:10pm
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks at a news conference in the Capitol on Tuesday to discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization.

Senate wades into abortion debate with IVF bill, Budget hearing

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 28, 2024 at 6:35pm
Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks Tuesday during Senate Democrats’ news conference in the Capitol to discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization.

Senate Democrats prepare for IVF push

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 27, 2024 at 12:40pm
Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., arrives for the House Republicans’ caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on May 23, 2023.

Alabama IVF ruling spurs a GOP reckoning on conception bills

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 23, 2024 at 5:36pm, Updated February 26, 2024 at 2:16pm
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., speaks at a news conference on abortion rights on Nov. 1, 2023.

Democrats ask insurers to meet contraceptive coverage mandate

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 22, 2024 at 9:30am
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has called for Senate passage of her bill that would prohibit restrictions on accessing assisted reproductive technology.

Reproductive policy fights renew the focus on IVF

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 20, 2024 at 3:59pm
Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore unveils Democrats’ bill to safeguard abortion access in South Carolina last February.

In Carolinas, mental health becomes part of the abortion debate

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 15, 2024 at 7:00am
Former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., has a new documentary one-man show, "Rolling Along," which is now streaming on Max.

Bradley opens up about his experience with abortion

By Sandhya Raman
Posted February 5, 2024 at 1:59pm
An electron photomicrograph of two spiral-shaped Treponema pallidum bacteria. T. pallidum Is the causative agent of syphilis.

HHS launches syphilis strategy amid rising cases

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted January 30, 2024 at 2:20pm
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Grappone Conference Center on Jan. 19 in Concord, N.H.

GOP pivots on abortion stance as 2024 nears

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted January 25, 2024 at 7:00am
President Joe Biden speaks at a ”Reproductive Freedom Campaign Rally" at George Mason University on Tuesday in Manassas, Va. During the first joint rally held by the president and vice president, Biden and Kamala Harris spoke on what they perceive as a threat to reproductive rights.

Biden kicks off reelection push with singular goal: Restore Roe

By Sandhya Raman
Posted January 23, 2024 at 7:04pm
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter to health payers that receive federal funding to clarify their obligations to cover contraception under the 2010 health care law. The letter was also sent to private insurers as well as state Medicaid programs and Medicare plans.

White House unveils policy push for Roe anniversary

By Sandhya Raman
Posted January 22, 2024 at 4:19pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, pictured in the Capitol last month, saw an Israel-only aid package he backed fall short in a House vote Tuesday.

Johnson touts personal story in speech at anti-abortion march

By Sandhya Raman
Posted January 19, 2024 at 3:53pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to speak to reporters about the spending negotiations in the Capitol last Friday. Johnson is scheduled to speak at the March for Life on Friday.

House GOP plans pregnancy-related bills before Roe anniversary

By Sandhya Raman
Posted January 16, 2024 at 5:54pm
Demonstrators are seen on Constitution Avenue in Washington during a march for abortion rights. The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would take up two cases regarding access to mifepristone, a commonly used abortion drug.

Supreme Court to hear abortion pill case

By Sandhya Raman
Posted December 13, 2023 at 11:13am
Demonstrators are seen on Constitution Avenue during a march for abortion rights. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, states are grappling with whether mental health constitutes a medical emergency justifying an exemption to laws banning abortion.

State abortion bans bar exceptions for suicide, mental health

By Sandhya Raman
Posted December 7, 2023 at 7:00am
A dozen people with the Bound4LIFE group stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building with red tape over their mouths. While 18 U.S. states have essentially banned abortion for pregnant people facing a mental health crisis, Ireland, which had one of the strictest abortion laws in the European Union until 2018, has protected the right to seek an abortion because of the risk of suicide since 1992.

Ireland allowed mental health abortion exception 30 years ago

By Sandhya Raman
Posted December 7, 2023 at 7:00am
Abortion rights supporters celebrate winning the referendum on the so-called Issue 1, a measure to enshrine a right to abortion in Ohio's Constitution, in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 7, 2023.

Ohioans vote to codify abortion rights

By Sandhya Raman
Posted November 8, 2023 at 10:08am, Updated at 3:05pm
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., hopes to add an amendment that would bar funding from finalizing the Biden administration’s proposed rule to set minimum staffing levels in nursing homes. 

GOP adds social policy riders to House Labor-HHS-Education spending bill

By Sandhya Raman and Jessie Hellmann
Posted November 1, 2023 at 2:26pm
Members of the New York City AIDS Housing Network attend a rally with AIDS activists to urge Congress to reauthorize a fully funded global AIDS measure to provide comprehensive prevention, treatment and health care.

CDC sees inconsistent gains in HIV prevention prescriptions

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 17, 2023 at 4:28pm
From left, California Democratic Reps. Katie Porter, Adam B. Schiff and Barbara Lee pose for a photo after the National Union of Healthcare Workers Senate Candidate Forum in downtown Los Angeles, on Sunday.

California law signals ongoing push for single-payer system

By Sandhya Raman
Posted October 11, 2023 at 6:31am
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., is seen outside a House Appropriations Committee markup in the Rayburn House Office Building on July 18. Lee, ranking member of the House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, has urged a quick, clean reauthorization of PEPFAR.

Lee, administration officials issue plea for five-year PEPFAR

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 25, 2023 at 4:34pm
Rep. Christopher H. Smith is pushing for a one-year reauthorization of PEPFAR that would reinstate some anti-abortion restrictions.

PEPFAR reauthorization debate highlights splits in GOP

By Ariel Cohen and Sandhya Raman
Posted September 21, 2023 at 7:00am
Protesters face off outside the Supreme Court as they wait for its decision in the Dobbs abortion case on June 21, 2022.

Abortion rights group seeks legal action over emergencies

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 12, 2023 at 4:43pm
A bottle of naloxone with a needle. Naloxone nasal sprays, which are used to counter opioid overdoses, appear headed for over-the-counter use after an FDA advisory committee's recommendation.

With naloxone now more available, HHS officials tout its use

By Sandhya Raman
Posted September 8, 2023 at 4:27pm
Packages of mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic in Rockville, Md. A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled in favor of restricting the commonly used abortion drug.

Decision sets up likely Supreme Court showdown on abortion pill

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 16, 2023 at 5:02pm
People gathered at the Marion County Republican Party headquarters in July to discuss Issue 1, an amendment aimed at making it harder to pass an abortion rights amendment in November. Voters rejected Issue 1 on Tuesday.

Ohio voters reject push to hinder abortion rights amendment

By Sandhya Raman
Posted August 9, 2023 at 12:35pm
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he aims to have bipartisan reauthorization community health center legislation ready by the first week of September. That measure is one of a handful of health programs Congress must pass before the end of this fiscal year.

Health deadlines pile up as Congress adjourns for August

By Lauren Clason, Ariel Cohen, Jessie Hellmann and Sandhya Raman
Posted July 27, 2023 at 6:00am
A bookmark for children with the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline emergency telephone number is displayed by Lance Neiberger, a volunteer with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force. One year after the national launch of 988, officials say the focus now is on raising awareness about the hotline.

One year in, 988 crisis line looks to next steps

By Sandhya Raman
Posted July 13, 2023 at 7:00am, Updated at 8:30am
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies before the House Education and the Workforce Committee in June. The department on Tuesday proposed expanding nondiscrimination protections related to sexual orientation and gender identity to some federal grant programs providing human services.

HHS proposes expanding nondiscrimination protections

By Sandhya Raman
Posted July 11, 2023 at 3:28pm
Hepatitis C virus. The virus can lead to liver cancer or advanced liver disease and even be fatal without treatment.

CDC data amplifies calls for funding hepatitis plan

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 29, 2023 at 2:36pm
Demonstrators appear outside the Supreme Court on March 23, 2016, as religious organizations were challenging the 2010 health insurance law's provision requiring employer health plans to cover birth control.

Biden order aims to protect, expand contraception access

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 23, 2023 at 9:30am
Supporters and opponents of abortion rights shout each other down with megaphones outside of the Supreme Court as they wait for the court to hand down its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 21, 2022.

A year after Dobbs ruling, lawmakers reflect on impact

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 22, 2023 at 6:30am
Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine said the skyrocketing rate of sexually transmitted disease calls for "immediate and sustained action."

HHS’ first national STI plan could face obstacles

By Sandhya Raman
Posted June 8, 2023 at 3:17pm
California Democratic Rep. Ami Bera is among the lawmakers examining how to lessen any gaps in medical training as early data indicates a drop in those applying to OB-GYN residencies.

Dobbs decision now a factor in med school residency picks

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 31, 2023 at 5:01am
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control, warned that the federal government must accelerate efforts to reach groups at risk of HIV more quickly and more equitably.

CDC: HIV declines driven by teens, young adults

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 23, 2023 at 2:09pm
Packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Wednesday heard arguments in the Food and Drug Administration’s approval and regulation of a the abortion drug mifepristone.

Appeals court weighs FDA approval of abortion drug

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 17, 2023 at 5:50pm
FDA advisers on Wednesday voted 17-0 to recommend the agency approve the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill.

FDA weighs potential over-the-counter birth control pill

By Lauren Clason and Sandhya Raman
Posted May 10, 2023 at 6:50pm
Former President George W. Bush speaks during an event marking the 20th anniversary of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, at the United States Institute of Peace in February.

Lawmakers push for PEPFAR to stay steady during time of change

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 9, 2023 at 7:30am
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speaks to CQ Roll Call in her office in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Wednesday.

On anniversary of abortion ruling leak, Murray presses on

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 4, 2023 at 3:00pm
Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden and ranking member Mike Crapo have expressed support for the “site-neutral” policy, but Wyden says he is still working to understand the impact on rural hospitals.

Who are you going to call? Finance hopes not ghost networks

By Sandhya Raman
Posted May 4, 2023 at 5:00am
House Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark, D-Mass., speaks Wednesday outside the Capitol regarding access to abortion medication.

Supreme Court delays decision in abortion drug case

By Sandhya Raman and Michael Macagnone
Posted April 19, 2023 at 8:19pm
A counter protester demonstrates as others rally in support of abortion rights at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington last Saturday.

Supreme Court could soon rule on abortion drug

By Michael Macagnone and Sandhya Raman
Posted April 18, 2023 at 5:01pm
Mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in a medication abortion, is displayed at a reproductive clinic.

Appeals court keeps abortion drug on the market, with some limits

By Sandhya Raman
Posted April 13, 2023 at 9:17am, Updated at 12:48pm
Doses of mifepristone, the abortion pill, and misoprostol, which is taken the day after to cause cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus, are pictured at a clinic in New Mexico last year.

Members of Congress weigh in on court fight over abortion drug

By Michael Macagnone and Sandhya Raman
Posted April 12, 2023 at 2:15pm
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., warns of the emerging threat of xylazine. The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it was designating the animal tranquilizer "an emerging threat."

Biden administration designates xylazine as emerging threat

By Sandhya Raman
Posted April 12, 2023 at 9:31am