Health Care

Pulling Back the Curtain on the Health Industry and Regulation

Life of the Mother

How We Report on Maternal Health — and How to Get in Touch With Our Team

For years, ProPublica has examined the deaths of pregnant women and new mothers to uncover problems that can prevent other deaths. Our reporting has sparked change. Now, we are investigating the impact of abortion bans on maternal health.

by Alexandra Zayas, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. EDT

A Hospital Kept a Brain-Damaged Patient on Life Support to Boost Statistics. His Sister Is Now Suing for Malpractice.

The lawsuit follows a ProPublica investigation that revealed that the heart transplant team at Newark Beth Israel let pressure to maintain survival rates guide medical decisions.

by Caroline Chen, Oct. 2, 6 a.m. EDT

Caught in Texas’ Medicaid and Food Stamp Application Backlog? Know Someone Who Is? Help Us Report.

Your stories will help our team identify the root causes of the issues and do journalism in the public interest.

by Jessica Priest and Lomi Kriel, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune, Sept. 26, 5:05 a.m. CDT

Despite Persistent Warnings, Texas Rushed to Remove Millions From Medicaid. That Move Cost Eligible Residents Care.

The decision to buck federal government guidelines was one of many that led to serious repercussions for Texas residents who rely on Medicaid. Among them were children forced to forgo or postpone lifesaving operations, doctors say.

by Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune, and Lomi Kriel, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Sept. 26, 5 a.m. CDT

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Impact of Our Reporting

Life of the Mother

Georgia Judge Lifts Six-Week Abortion Ban After Deaths of Two Women Who Couldn’t Access Care

Abortion clinics rushed to provide care after a judge rejected the state’s ban, an order that could soon be paused by a higher court. It’s only the latest development since ProPublica reported the deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller.

by Ziva Branstetter, Oct. 3, 5 a.m. EDT

Life of the Mother

Did a Georgia Hospital Break Federal Law When It Failed to Save Amber Thurman? A Senate Committee Chair Wants Answers.

Thurman died after waiting 20 hours for emergency care under the state’s abortion ban. Sen. Ron Wyden demanded records his committee could review to determine whether the hospital violated the law. “It’s not even a question,” one expert said.

by Ziva Branstetter, Sept. 23, 11:15 a.m. EDT

Stillbirths

Bill to Fund Stillbirth Prevention and Research Passes Congress

The bill expands the use of existing federal money to be used to fight stillbirths. Lawmakers cited ProPublica’s reporting on the issue as key to adding urgency and building support for the measure.

by Duaa Eldeib, June 12, 7 a.m. EDT

Series

841 stories published since 2008

Georgia Judge Lifts Six-Week Abortion Ban After Deaths of Two Women Who Couldn’t Access Care

by Ziva Branstetter,

Oct. 3, 5 a.m. EDT

Did a Georgia Hospital Break Federal Law When It Failed to Save Amber Thurman? A Senate Committee Chair Wants Answers.

by Ziva Branstetter,

Sept. 23, 11:15 a.m. EDT

Afraid to Seek Care Amid Georgia’s Abortion Ban, She Stayed at Home and Died

by Kavitha Surana,

Sept. 18, 6 a.m. EDT

How Do Abortion Pills Work? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

by Ziva Branstetter,

Sept. 16, 5:05 a.m. EDT

Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.

by Kavitha Surana,

Sept. 16, 5 a.m. EDT

Arizona Cracked Down on Medicaid Fraud That Targeted Native Americans. It Left Patients Without Care.

by Hannah Bassett, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, and Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, photography by Adriana Zehbrauskas, special to ProPublica,

Sept. 10, 5 a.m. EDT

New Biden Administration Rules Aim to Hold Insurers Accountable for Mental Health Care Coverage

by Maya Miller and Annie Waldman,

Sept. 9, 1:45 p.m. EDT

“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network

by Max Blau, illustrations by Vanessa Saba, special to ProPublica,

Sept. 8, 6:05 a.m. EDT

Struggling to Find an In-Network Mental Health Provider? Here’s What You Can Do.

Sept. 8, 6 a.m. EDT

What Mental Health Care Protections Exist in Your State?

by Annie Waldman and Maya Miller,

Aug. 27, 7 a.m. EDT

Why It’s So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance

by Annie Waldman, Maya Miller, Duaa Eldeib and Max Blau, photography by Tony Luong, special to ProPublica, design by Zisiga Mukulu,

Aug. 25, 7 a.m. EDT

Missouri Outlawed Abortion, and Now It’s Funding an Anti-Abortion Group That Works in Other States

by Jeremy Kohler,

Aug. 19, 5 a.m. EDT

Utah Supreme Court Rules That Alleged Sexual Assault by a Doctor Is Not “Health Care”

by Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

Aug. 9, 2 p.m. EDT

Texas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It’s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works.

by Cassandra Jaramillo, Jeremy Kohler and Sophie Chou, ProPublica, and Jessica Kegu, CBS News,

July 9, 7 a.m. EDT

The Failure to Track Data on Stillbirths Undermines Efforts to Prevent Them

by Irena Hwang, Sophie Chou and Duaa Eldeib,

July 2, 5 a.m. EDT

Some Surprises in the No Surprises Act

by T. Christian Miller,

June 28, 5 a.m. EDT

When Therapists Lose Their Licenses, Some Turn to the Unregulated Life Coaching Industry Instead

by Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

June 17, 8 a.m. EDT

Bill to Fund Stillbirth Prevention and Research Passes Congress

by Duaa Eldeib,

June 12, 7 a.m. EDT

This Mississippi Hospital Transfers Some Patients to Jail to Await Mental Health Treatment

by Isabelle Taft, Mississippi Today,

May 28, 6 a.m. EDT

Maine’s Health Department Rarely Investigates When Residents Wander Away From Their Care Facilities

by Rose Lundy, The Maine Monitor,

May 28, 5 a.m. EDT

Kristi Noem Said She Is Proud to “Support Babies, Moms, and Families.” Her Record Shows Otherwise, Critics Say.

by Jessica Lussenhop,

May 20, 5 a.m. EDT

Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Limit the Jail Detentions of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment

by Kate Royals, Mississippi Today,

May 13, 6 a.m. EDT

Facing Unchecked Syphilis Outbreak, Great Plains Tribes Sought Federal Help. Months Later, No One Has Responded.

by Anna Maria Barry-Jester,

May 7, 5 a.m. EDT

Transgender Care Coverage Policies in North Carolina and West Virginia Are Discriminatory, Court Rules

by Aliyya Swaby,

May 1, 10:45 a.m. EDT

FDA Moves to Scrutinize Specialized Health Screenings

April 30, 2 p.m. EDT

Philips Agrees to Pay $1 Billion to Patients Who Say They Were Injured by Breathing Machines

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and Julian Andreone, Medill Investigative Lab,

April 30, 1:45 p.m. EDT

A Doctor at Cigna Said Her Bosses Pressured Her to Review Patients’ Cases Too Quickly. Cigna Threatened to Fire Her.

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and David Armstrong, ProPublica,

April 29, 5 a.m. EDT

Texas Appeals Court Throws Out Defamation Lawsuit Against ProPublica, Houston Chronicle

by Jeremy Schwartz,

April 25, 6 p.m. EDT

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chair Calls for More Mental Health Care Providers in Rural Areas

April 22, 10:30 a.m. EDT

After Decades of Imprisoning Patients, Idaho Approves Secure Mental Health Facility

by Audrey Dutton,

April 10, 7 a.m. EDT

What to Know About the Roiling Debate Over U.S. Maternal Mortality Rates

by Robin Fields,

April 5, 5 a.m. EDT

The U.S. Government Defended the Overseas Business Interests of Baby Formula Makers. Kids Paid the Price.

by Heather Vogell, ProPublica, photography by June Watsamon Tri-yasakda, special to ProPublica,

March 21, 5 a.m. EDT

A Utah Cleft Palate Team Says Its Approach Is Innovative. Others See a Pattern of Unnecessary Surgeries on Children.

March 6, 5 a.m. EST

Michigan Lawmaker Introduces Bill Requiring State Health Plans to Cover Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatments

by Robin Fields and Maya Miller,

March 5, 10 a.m. EST

Syphilis Is Killing Babies. The U.S. Government Is Failing to Stop the Disease From Spreading.

by Anna Maria Barry-Jester,

March 4, 5 a.m. EST

Lawmakers Could Limit When County Officials in Mississippi Can Jail People Awaiting Psychiatric Treatment

by Isabelle Taft, Mississippi Today,

March 1, 5 a.m. EST

We’re Investigating Mental Health Care Access. Share Your Insights.

by Kirsten Berg, Max Blau, Duaa Eldeib, Jeff Ernsthausen, Maya Miller, Lizzie Presser and Annie Waldman,

Feb. 28, 6 a.m. EST

Their States Banned Abortion. Doctors Now Say They Can’t Give Women Potentially Lifesaving Care.

by Kavitha Surana,

Feb. 26, 6 a.m. EST

Severe Complications for Pregnant Veterans Nearly Doubled in the Last Decade, a GAO Report Finds

by Cassandra Jaramillo,

Feb. 23, 10:45 a.m. EST

After Promising to Make Government Health Care Data More Accessible, the Biden Administration Now Wants to Clamp Down

by T. Christian Miller,

Feb. 15, 6 a.m. EST

The Year After a Denied Abortion

by Stacy Kranitz, special to ProPublica and Kavitha Surana,

Feb. 15, 5 a.m. EST

In Crisis, She Went to an Illinois Facility. Two Years Later, She Still Isn’t Able to Leave.

by Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois,

Feb. 8, 8 a.m. EST

How to Participate in ProPublica’s Stillbirths Memorial

Feb. 1, 5:05 a.m. EST

A Memorial for the Children Lost to Stillbirth

by Adriana Gallardo and Duaa Eldeib, design by Zisiga Mukulu,

Feb. 1, 5 a.m. EST

Veterans Affairs Secretary Vows to Increase Staffing at Clinic Tied to Two Deadly Shootings

Jan. 31, 10:10 a.m. EST

Medicare Certifies Hospices in California Despite State Ban on New Licenses

Jan. 25, 5 a.m. EST

How Patients and Doctors Are Navigating the Fallout of the Massive Recall of Philips Breathing Machines

by Liz Moughon,

Jan. 22, 5 a.m. EST

Congressional Watchdog Will Launch Inquiry Into FDA Oversight of Medical Device Recalls

by Haajrah Gilani, Emma McNamee, Phillip Powell and Juliann Ventura, Northwestern University; and Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Jan. 17, 6:30 a.m. EST

5 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into How Mississippi Counties Jail People for Mental Illness

by Isabelle Taft, Mississippi Today,

Jan. 16, 5 a.m. EST

How Many of Your State’s Lawmakers Are Women? If You Live in the Southeast, It Could Be Just 1 in 5.

by Jennifer Berry Hawes,

Jan. 11, 5 a.m. EST