Category: disability
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CMS announces pause on new durable medical equipment suppliers
CMS announces pause on new durable medical equipment suppliers The Trump administration announced Wednesday a nationwide moratorium on new suppliers for certain medical equipment, citing a need to get a handle on the “fraud, waste, and abuse” in the industry that provides wheelchairs, artificial limbs and other equipment. “The amount of fraud is so massive…
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Debates around life, death, and access worry those with disabilities. 3 trends to watch in 2026
Debates around life, death, and access worry those with disabilities. 3 trends to watch in 2026 After a tumultuous year for people with disabilities, advocates are pushing to expand access to primary and emergency care — and add nuance to the emerging conversations around genetic engineering and end-of-life care. As STAT predicted this time last…
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STAT+: CDC moves to end telework for employees, including those with medical needs
STAT+: CDC moves to end telework for employees, including those with medical needs The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended full-time telework agreements for reasonable accommodations for many employees, according to multiple employees familiar with the policy. Supervisors in some centers have been told in recent days that they can no longer approve…
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STAT+: FDA approves Paradromics’ brain-computer interface trial for speech restoration
STAT+: FDA approves Paradromics’ brain-computer interface trial for speech restoration Paradromics announced Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical study to evaluate whether the company’s brain-computer interface for speech restoration is safe and capable of providing the ability to communicate via text or synthesized speech to someone with paralysis. The Austin-based company…
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STAT+: FDA clears spinal cord stimulator for home use
STAT+: FDA clears spinal cord stimulator for home use The Food and Drug Administration has green-lit home use of a device that helps people with spinal cord injuries regain mobility and functioning. Onward Medical announced Monday that the company had received clearance to expand the use of its spinal cord stimulator outside of clinics. “People…
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A gene therapy success in Huntington’s and Trump’s autism announcement
A gene therapy success in Huntington’s and Trump’s autism announcement Why were doctors and investors so excited about trial results of UniQure’s gene therapy for Huntington’s disease? Are autism rates actually rising? And what does the research tell us about Tylenol and autism? We discuss all that on this week’s episode of the “The Readout…
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What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism
What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism Could Tylenol, one of the most ubiquitous medicines in the U.S., be linked to some cases of autism spectrum disorder when taken during pregnancy? And could leucovorin, a form of folic acid, improve the verbal ability of some people with autism spectrum disorder? Those are…
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CDC temporarily revokes remote work approvals for employees with disabilities
CDC temporarily revokes remote work approvals for employees with disabilities The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revoked permission for employees with disabilities to work from home, at least temporarily, and paused approving reasonable accommodations for new applicants seeking to work from home, according to a Sept. 15 email obtained by STAT. The agency’s…
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Kennedy, disability advocates paint very different realities as ADA turns 35
Kennedy, disability advocates paint very different realities as ADA turns 35 Stirring speeches filled the tall, fluorescent room on Monday morning as members of the disability community and federal officials celebrated the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They spoke at length about how the landmark law birthed critical protections…
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Why this activist is putting her body on the line for Americans with disabilities
Why this activist is putting her body on the line for Americans with disabilities Flanked by her friends as lawmakers debated the future of a 60-year-old health care plan, Latoya Maddox raised her voice, shouting, “No cuts to Medicaid! No cuts to Medicaid!” The chanting, during a meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Committee…
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STAT+: ADHD medicines linked to less impulsive behavior, crashes, and crime
STAT+: ADHD medicines linked to less impulsive behavior, crashes, and crime A study tracking nearly 250,000 Swedish people using ADHD medication for 14 years found that these treatments can reduce risks of traffic crashes, injuries, and criminal behavior — and that conclusion remained true even as more girls, women, and adult men received a diagnosis.…
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STAT+: Brain implant captures speech tone, pitch through analyzing activity
STAT+: Brain implant captures speech tone, pitch through analyzing activity Reliable communication for people with paralysis is nearing reality. Researchers have now demonstrated that a brain-computer interface can reliably translate thoughts into speech, including matching a person’s intended tone and pitch. It is the second study in as many months to validate the concept’s safety…
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STAT+: Autism evaluations are being canceled over fears about a national registry
STAT+: Autism evaluations are being canceled over fears about a national registry SEATTLE — Michael VanPelt spent several weeks recently glued to his telephone, dialing doctors who might be able to get his 3-year-old son in for an autism evaluation. The music teacher ran out of providers who took his health insurance, but luckily the…
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STAT+: No new autism registry, HHS says, walking back NIH director’s claim
STAT+: No new autism registry, HHS says, walking back NIH director’s claim The federal health department is not creating a new registry of Americans with autism, a Department of Health and Human Services official said in a written statement Thursday. Instead, the official said, HHS will launch a $50 million research effort to understand the…
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RFK Jr calls rising autism rates an ‘epidemic.’ Autistic people call it a condition to live with
RFK Jr calls rising autism rates an ‘epidemic.’ Autistic people call it a condition to live with A new federal report suggests that U.S. autism rates are rising modestly, an increase that health researchers said reflected expanded diagnostic tools and access to care, among other factors. But health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. instead has…
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RFK Jr. says HHS will determine the cause of autism by September
RFK Jr. says HHS will determine the cause of autism by September WASHINGTON — The nation’s top health agency will undertake a “massive testing and research effort” to determine the cause of autism, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic who has pushed a discredited theory that routine…
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HHS firings undermine federal government’s ability to care for vulnerable Americans
HHS firings undermine federal government’s ability to care for vulnerable Americans The Trump administration’s decision to fire 10,000 workers across U.S. health agencies looks set to disrupt the flow of millions of dollars in grants and deprive Americans with disabilities of critical services they depend on, according to advocates and federal workers. The cuts, ostensibly…