Phil Galewitz, Senior Correspondent, covers Medicaid, Medicare, long-term care, hospitals and various state health issues.
Phil Galewitz
From this contributor
Number of uninsured children rising for first time in decade
After years of steady decline, the number of U.S. children without health insurance rose by 276,000 in 2017.
![Doctor with toddler in medical office.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/20181203TrumpCare844.jpg)
Number of uninsured children rising for first time in decade
Foster children on Medicaid may have unmet mental health needs
Too few doctors accept Medicaid, and foster families also face the challenge of coordinating treatment decisions between government welfare agencies and biological parents.
![Big family and extended family with foster parents.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/20180827-Foster-lead844.jpg)
Foster children on Medicaid may have unmet mental health needs
Children’s health insurance program running on fumes in some U.S. states
Some states are facing a mid-January loss of funding for their Children’s Health Insurance Program, despite spending approved by Congress in late December that was expected to keep the program running for three months.
![mother and child at the doctor's with a stethoscope](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/20180109-CHIP844.jpg)
Children’s health insurance program running on fumes in some U.S. states
Alabama to drop thousands of children from health insurance New Year’s Day
Alabama plans to drop 7,000 children from coverage on New Year’s Day, the first step to shutting down coverage for everyone, as the result of U.S. Congress' failure to restore federal funding of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
![child with contraption over nose and mouth](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171222-AlabamaKids844.jpg)
Alabama to drop thousands of children from health insurance New Year’s Day
U.S. Congress fails to extend funding for children’s coverage
Until Congress renews CHIP, states are cut off from additional federal funding that helps lower- and middle-income families.
![Doctors preparing a patient for an operation](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/20171019-844.jpg)
U.S. Congress fails to extend funding for children’s coverage
Explore more from The Transmitter
Food for thought: Neuronal fuel source more flexible than previously recognized
The cells primarily rely on glucose—rather than lactate from astrocytes—to generate energy, according to recent findings in mice.
![Research image of brain glucose levels in mice.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-transmitter-neuroscience-lactate-shuttle-astrocyte-1024x683.png)
Food for thought: Neuronal fuel source more flexible than previously recognized
The cells primarily rely on glucose—rather than lactate from astrocytes—to generate energy, according to recent findings in mice.
Claims of necessity and sufficiency are not well suited for the study of complex systems
The earliest studies on necessary and sufficient neural populations were performed on simple invertebrate circuits. Does this logic still serve us as we tackle more sophisticated outputs?
![Abstract illustration of overlapping lines.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Necessary-sufficient-neuro-1200-1024x692.png)
Claims of necessity and sufficiency are not well suited for the study of complex systems
The earliest studies on necessary and sufficient neural populations were performed on simple invertebrate circuits. Does this logic still serve us as we tackle more sophisticated outputs?
Subthalamic plasticity helps mice squelch innate fear responses
When the animals learn that a perceived threat is not dangerous, long-term activity changes in a part of the subthalamus suppress their instinctive fears.
![Research image of a mouse brain slice stained in purple and yellow.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Fear-coronal-brain-1200-1-1024x692.png)
Subthalamic plasticity helps mice squelch innate fear responses
When the animals learn that a perceived threat is not dangerous, long-term activity changes in a part of the subthalamus suppress their instinctive fears.