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Health RFK Jr threatens to withhold millions in funding for hospitals that serve Jell-O and other sugary treats By Katie Hawkinson, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading a charge to stop hospitals from serving sugary drinks and foods, including Jell-O. The Department of Health and Human Services sent a memo to hospitals on March 30 urging them to align with the Department of Agriculture’s new 2025-2030 dietary guidelines, which emphasize limiting sugary, ultra-processed foods. The agency wants hospitals to “align their food purchases with the dietary guidelines in order to enjoy continued eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare payments,” Kennedy said at a press conference last month. “We shouldn’t be giving … people who are sick Jell-O and Cheerios and rubber chicken and sugar drinks,” he added. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said hospitals ‘shouldn’t be giving ... people who are sick Jell-O’ (Getty Images) Officials have since threatened to withhold millions in crucial federal funding from healthcare facilities for violations, according to a KFF Health News report published via CBS News. But experts said it’s unclear how this could be enforced. Dietitian and research scientist Kevin Klatt told the outlet: "Most of this is political theater. HHS doesn't have the power to do much.” When reached for comment, HHS Spokesperson Andrew Nixon told KFF Health News: "We commend the many hospitals who have made commitments to improve their food offerings, and expect every hospital system to do so." KFF Health News revised its report after publication because Nixon said his previous statements, which indicated the new guidance wasn't a mandate, contained incorrect information.

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He's spent 44 years chasing one of the most aggressive cancers on Earth — and he may have just cornered it 🧬 At 76, Spanish biochemist Dr. Mariano Barbacid and his team at Madrid’s National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have published a striking result in pancreatic cancer. Using a triple combination of drugs, they achieved complete tumor disappearance in multiple mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The tumors did not return for more than 200 days after treatment ended. No resistance developed, and the regimen was well tolerated with no serious side effects observed. Standard treatments for this disease often stop working within months as tumors rapidly become resistant and regrow. This is the first time researchers have reported sustained complete responses of this duration in these aggressive models. Barbacid remains cautious: “We are not yet in a position to carry out clinical trials,” he emphasized. Humans are not mice, and much more work remains. The same scientist who isolated the first human oncogene (HRAS) in 1982 may have taken a major step toward the breakthrough he has pursued for decades. Hope — or cautious optimism? 👇

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This is one of the most fascinating and underappreciated diagnoses in medicine. Broken Heart Syndrome (clinically called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy) mimics a heart attack on ECG and troponin levels, yet the coronary arteries are completely clear. What's actually happening is a massive catecholamine surge (adrenaline and noradrenaline) triggered by acute emotional or physical stress, causing the left ventricle to balloon and temporarily stop contracting normally. It proves something medicine is only beginning to fully accept: your emotional state is a cardiovascular event. Grief, shock, fear, these are not just feelings. They are measurable physiological crises. The good news? Most patients recover fully within weeks with supportive care. The deeper lesson? Protecting your mental and emotional health is not optional self-care, it is literal heart disease prevention.

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Health Hospitals that take the sickest patients are closing By Maya Goldman, Hospitals that treat patients who require extended stays have been closing at a rapid clip, driving up demand for the remaining beds and prompting health systems to appeal to the Trump administration and Congress for relief. Why it matters: The industry says it's unable to discharge certain patients who need long-term intensive care, which is adding to hospital overcrowding in a system that's already experiencing a shortage of beds. It's also stoking a debate over the cost of caring for patients with serious wounds or organ failure, or who are on ventilators once they're stabilized. The big picture: More than 25% of long-term care hospitals have closed over the past 10 years, according to the American Hospital Association. Hospital groups blame Medicare policies dating to the Obama era that they say shortchange long-term care hospitals. The issue is that they only give full payments for patients who've spent at least three days in an ICU or been on a ventilator for at least 96 hours. "What's at stake is really that opportunity for a meaningful recovery for so many patients, as well as that that additional capacity for acute care hospitals," said Jonathan Gold, the American Hospital Association's senior associate director of post-acute payment policy. Hospital trade groups last month released a list of policy changes they say would help stabilize the long-term care hospitals, including expanding the criteria for patients who qualify for Medicare-covered stays and improving the accuracy of payments. They also want stricter requirements for Medicare Advantage plans to include long-term care hospitals in their provider networks and to limit pre-treatment reviews. This year, Medicare increased long-term care hospital payments for discharges by 3%, or $72 million