News & Politics

Politics

New poll shows growing number of Pennsylvanians think vaccines cause autism

A new health poll from Muhlenberg College also examined healthcare affordability and trust in AI chatbots for medical advice.

Healthcare

Policy

Prenatal Attraction: The race to bring OB-GYNs to rural PA before maternity care deserts expand farther

Legislators and health officials are mulling a range of potential short- and long-term solutions – including more federal funding, bolstering the health workforce pipeline, and immigration reforms that would expand recruitment of foreign physicians.

Healthcare

Policy

The state’s ‘maternity deserts’ are reaching a crisis point as rural hospitals continue to close childbirth services

Health officials blame the closures on a national OB-GYN shortage, along with rural population decline, high liability costs, a drop in immigration and the particular challenges of recruiting rural obstetricians

Campaigns & Elections

Politics

The doctor is in the running: Ala Stanford’s prescription to win PA-3

Stanford was endorsed by Dwight Evans, the congressman retiring at the end of his term

Capitol Beat

Personality

A Q&A with Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa

The Democratic leader in the Senate discusses lessons learned from last year and 2026 priorities

Healthcare

Policy

Proposed reproductive rights legislation would tackle decades-old state mandates

Lawmakers and advocates are debating which of the commonwealth’s web of abortion requirements are hindrances – or safeguards.

Analysis

Policy

City & State's 5 for 2025: Winging it: How government agencies are fighting bird flu

As the year comes to an end, we look back at some staff and reader favorites from our reporting over the past 12 months.

News & Politics

Politics

‘We’re very concerned’: Q&A with Pennie Executive Director Devon Trolley

On the eve of open enrollment, the state’s health insurance marketplace chief told City & State how her team is preparing for the termination of federal subsidies – and what’s at stake for consumers and the state economy.

Interviews & Profiles

Policy

Ask The Experts: Philadelphia’s imperiled research ecosystem

Amid federal defunding of scientific research and radical shifts in vaccine and health policy, City & State surveyed Philadelphia’s top vaccine experts to discuss what’s at stake.

Healthcare

Policy

Rural hospitals brace for Medicaid cuts

State healthcare experts fear what the fallout from the One Big Beautiful Bill will mean for Pennsylvania’s smaller hospitals – and the insurance coverage that keeps them running.

Politics

Opinion

For opioid treatment in PA, it’s time to just say non-

A nurse specializing in pain management explains how non-opioid options, now authorized in Massachusetts and New York, can be a game-changer in the commonwealth.

U.S. Congress

Politics

By the numbers: The key figures contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill

While supporters and critics spar over the myriad impacts from the recently passed reconciliation bill – a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda – City & State focuses on the numbers behind the bill.

Healthcare

Policy

Pennsylvania caregivers sound the alarm on a worsening workforce crisis

Potential cuts to Medicaid could further complicate an already dire situation.

Interviews & Profiles

Personality

A Q&A with Rebecca May-Cole

Executive director, Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Interviews & Profiles

Personality

A Q&A with Maureen Madden

The State House’s Aging Committee chair shares priorities and challenges

Interviews & Profiles

Personality

A Q&A with Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich

The state’s elder statesman talks about Aging Our Way, older and younger seniors, funding and more.

Healthcare

Policy

State lawmakers and health experts debate how to save PA hospitals

During a State Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee hearing, panelists laid bare the challenges and offered solutions

Healthcare

Personality

The City & State Q&A: Paul Offit

The renowned Philadelphia-based vaccinologist, public-health contrarian and sometime RFK Jr. sparring partner reflects on the Trump administration, the state of public health, and past and future pandemic readiness.

Healthcare

Politics

Crozer closure crisis could catalyze new state oversight of hospitals

The system’s sudden shuttering, which leaves Delaware County without a trauma center, is giving new momentum to long-stalled legislation.