A new analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics  highlights just how essential Medicaid is to children’s health care in the United States. Using national data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Kids’ Inpatient Database, researchers found that Medicaid covered nearly half of all pediatric hospitalizations in 2022. According to the study, Medicaid paid for 48.3% of all pediatric hospital charges that year—including 54.9% of non-newborn discharges and 44.2% of newborn discharges....

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has long championed policies to protect youth from nicotine exposure and addiction. With traditional cigarette use declining but e-cigarette use rising among teens, the AAP continues to push for strong federal action to keep these products out of young hands. In 2025, the FDA proposed a rule to limit nicotine levels in combustible tobacco products, and the AAP—alongside nearly 80 public health organizations—voiced strong support, urging that the same...

Twenty-five years after eliminating measles, the U.S. is on the verge of losing that status. Whether the country crosses that line this winter or narrowly avoids it, efforts will be needed to boost vaccination rates to prevent the spread of a disease with potential long-term effects. The U.S.  eliminated measles in 2000 , but as misinformation has spread, vaccination rates have declined, leading to an increase in measles cases. There have been  1,648 confirmed cases  this year, according to...