Alana Semuels
@alanasemuels.bsky.social
Journalist covering health care, economics, and consumer issues at TIME. Formerly of The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times. SF -> NY. [email protected]
Lured in by misleading websites that impersonate the ACA marketplace, people who try to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans are ending up with bare bones, non-ACA compliant junk insurance instead.
time.com/7329578/affo...
time.com/7329578/affo...
How Fake Health Insurance Is Luring People In
In search of affordable health care coverage, more Americans are accidentally buying fake insurance.
time.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Lured in by misleading websites that impersonate the ACA marketplace, people who try to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans are ending up with bare bones, non-ACA compliant junk insurance instead.
time.com/7329578/affo...
time.com/7329578/affo...
The NFL changed its rules to try and prevent head injuries; the NCAA, high school, and youth football leagues have not done the same. If they did, “ it would substantially reduce the number of individuals who develop CTE,” multiple people told me.
time.com/7326264/is-n...
time.com/7326264/is-n...
Is the NFL Safer Than High School Football?
The NFL has taken steps to prevent head injuries in players. Other leagues have not.
time.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
The NFL changed its rules to try and prevent head injuries; the NCAA, high school, and youth football leagues have not done the same. If they did, “ it would substantially reduce the number of individuals who develop CTE,” multiple people told me.
time.com/7326264/is-n...
time.com/7326264/is-n...
Anti-abortion communities are using private and public money to install baby boxes—devices where people can anonymously surrender infants—in fire stations and hospitals. In June 2020 there were just 29 of these devices in the U.S., now there are more than 350. My story:
time.com/7299476/baby...
time.com/7299476/baby...
Why Baby Boxes Are Suddenly Everywhere
Devices to help parents anonymously surrender an infant are spreading across the U.S., stirring emotions and debate.
time.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Anti-abortion communities are using private and public money to install baby boxes—devices where people can anonymously surrender infants—in fire stations and hospitals. In June 2020 there were just 29 of these devices in the U.S., now there are more than 350. My story:
time.com/7299476/baby...
time.com/7299476/baby...
Many parents can't find after-school programs for their kids. This year, disappearing federal funding and staff shortages is making the problem even worse.
time.com/7318911/afte...
time.com/7318911/afte...
The Nightmare of Finding After-School Care in America
‘Am I going to have to quit my job? What am I going to do?’
time.com
September 22, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Many parents can't find after-school programs for their kids. This year, disappearing federal funding and staff shortages is making the problem even worse.
time.com/7318911/afte...
time.com/7318911/afte...
"The real question is: is there any reason to be pushing high-fat dairy? And no, I don’t think we have a case that’s a good thing to do.”
The Trump administration wants to get whole milk back in schools. Nutritionists aren't so sure it's a good idea.
time.com/7316536/is-w...
The Trump administration wants to get whole milk back in schools. Nutritionists aren't so sure it's a good idea.
time.com/7316536/is-w...
A Battle Is Brewing Over Whole Milk
Opposing viewpoints about whether whole milk is healthy or not illuminate a growing debate in nutrition science.
time.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:47 PM
"The real question is: is there any reason to be pushing high-fat dairy? And no, I don’t think we have a case that’s a good thing to do.”
The Trump administration wants to get whole milk back in schools. Nutritionists aren't so sure it's a good idea.
time.com/7316536/is-w...
The Trump administration wants to get whole milk back in schools. Nutritionists aren't so sure it's a good idea.
time.com/7316536/is-w...
Oh look, I'm featured on KQED in a story about that time I was pregnant 5 years ago and the sky turned orange and San Francisco couldn't breathe: www.kqed.org/science/1998...
Breathing Poison: You Can’t Outrun Wildfire Smoke | KQED
Five years ago, Alana Semuels fled California for New York, hoping to avoid another toxic wildfire season, but then haze from Canadian fires followed her there.
www.kqed.org
August 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Oh look, I'm featured on KQED in a story about that time I was pregnant 5 years ago and the sky turned orange and San Francisco couldn't breathe: www.kqed.org/science/1998...
Reposted by Alana Semuels
"Costs of equipment like food warmers and refrigerators have gone up dramatically since the pandemic; Soltanmorad says she was recently quoted $11,000 for a piece of equipment that cost just $2,500 in 2019."
MAHA wants to change school lunches, which it says are "poisoning" children. But to get processed food out of meals, schools will have to build new kitchens, hire more staff, and overcome chronic budget shortages:
time.com/7311868/heal...
time.com/7311868/heal...
Why It's So Hard to Make School Lunches Healthier
The MAHA movement's goal to improve school lunches faces big obstacles.
time.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:47 PM
"Costs of equipment like food warmers and refrigerators have gone up dramatically since the pandemic; Soltanmorad says she was recently quoted $11,000 for a piece of equipment that cost just $2,500 in 2019."
MAHA wants to change school lunches, which it says are "poisoning" children. But to get processed food out of meals, schools will have to build new kitchens, hire more staff, and overcome chronic budget shortages:
time.com/7311868/heal...
time.com/7311868/heal...
Why It's So Hard to Make School Lunches Healthier
The MAHA movement's goal to improve school lunches faces big obstacles.
time.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
MAHA wants to change school lunches, which it says are "poisoning" children. But to get processed food out of meals, schools will have to build new kitchens, hire more staff, and overcome chronic budget shortages:
time.com/7311868/heal...
time.com/7311868/heal...
Mississippi had already received an "F" from the March of Dimes for its maternal and infant health outcomes. Then its infant mortality rates got even worse.
time.com/7312122/miss...
time.com/7312122/miss...
Infant Deaths Spur Public Health Emergency in Mississippi
The highest infant mortality rate in a decade has spurred the state to declare a crisis.
time.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Mississippi had already received an "F" from the March of Dimes for its maternal and infant health outcomes. Then its infant mortality rates got even worse.
time.com/7312122/miss...
time.com/7312122/miss...
Childcare centers are closing across the country after the expiration of federal and state money that helped them survive the pandemic. time.com/7309693/dayc...
Why So Many Childcare Centers Are Closing
The end of pandemic-era subsidies are forcing many centers to shut their doors or raise rates.
time.com
August 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Childcare centers are closing across the country after the expiration of federal and state money that helped them survive the pandemic. time.com/7309693/dayc...
I was on CBS Morning News today to talk about why women are leaving the workforce in droves. Check out the link here: www.cbsnews.com/video/why-mo...
Why more women are leaving the U.S. workforce
More than 200,000 women who are 20 years or older have left the U.S. workforce since January, new jobs report data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. Alana Semuels, a senior correspondent...
www.cbsnews.com
August 13, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I was on CBS Morning News today to talk about why women are leaving the workforce in droves. Check out the link here: www.cbsnews.com/video/why-mo...
Reposted by Alana Semuels
What's wild is that while 212,000 women 20 and older have left the labor force since January, among women 25-34 years old, 330,000 have exited during the same time period.
After a pandemic boost, women's labor force participation is falling again. Why? A combination of strict RTO policies and vanishing childcare funding: time.com/7306896/wome...
Why So Many Women Are Quitting the Workforce
Labor force participation among women has started falling again in 2025.
time.com
August 13, 2025 at 5:01 PM
What's wild is that while 212,000 women 20 and older have left the labor force since January, among women 25-34 years old, 330,000 have exited during the same time period.
Reposted by Alana Semuels
Return-to-office policies are not proven to make companies more productive. Many CEOs who reported women quitting said they were struggling to fill jobs because of that loss of female employees and that their overall workforce productivity is down. time.com/7306896/wome...
Why So Many Women Are Quitting the Workforce
Labor force participation among women has started falling again in 2025.
time.com
August 4, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Return-to-office policies are not proven to make companies more productive. Many CEOs who reported women quitting said they were struggling to fill jobs because of that loss of female employees and that their overall workforce productivity is down. time.com/7306896/wome...
Reposted by Alana Semuels
"For many women, this is more than an economic problem: it’s a depressing reminder that the brief period of time when work-from-home reigned—when balancing family and work was actually sometimes possible—is over."
After a pandemic boost, women's labor force participation is falling again. Why? A combination of strict RTO policies and vanishing childcare funding: time.com/7306896/wome...
Why So Many Women Are Quitting the Workforce
Labor force participation among women has started falling again in 2025.
time.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
"For many women, this is more than an economic problem: it’s a depressing reminder that the brief period of time when work-from-home reigned—when balancing family and work was actually sometimes possible—is over."
After a pandemic boost, women's labor force participation is falling again. Why? A combination of strict RTO policies and vanishing childcare funding: time.com/7306896/wome...
Why So Many Women Are Quitting the Workforce
Labor force participation among women has started falling again in 2025.
time.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
After a pandemic boost, women's labor force participation is falling again. Why? A combination of strict RTO policies and vanishing childcare funding: time.com/7306896/wome...
Falling funding for domestic violence support groups is leading to shuttered shelters, closed hotlines, and a reduction in resources for survivors.
"People are going to die," one advocate told me.
time.com/7305918/dome...
"People are going to die," one advocate told me.
time.com/7305918/dome...
'People Are Going to Die': Cuts Leave Domestic Violence Support Groups Reeling
Key federal funding has been declining and is likely to drop more in coming years.
time.com
July 28, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Falling funding for domestic violence support groups is leading to shuttered shelters, closed hotlines, and a reduction in resources for survivors.
"People are going to die," one advocate told me.
time.com/7305918/dome...
"People are going to die," one advocate told me.
time.com/7305918/dome...
I sat through an all-day FDA hearing on fluoride supplements so you didn't have to! Dentists, doctors, and, um, science, were on the defensive.
time.com/7305009/fda-...
time.com/7305009/fda-...
The FDA Might Ban Fluoride Supplements. Dentists Are Upset
Ingestible fluoride is under fire by the FDA. Dentists are pushing back.
time.com
July 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I sat through an all-day FDA hearing on fluoride supplements so you didn't have to! Dentists, doctors, and, um, science, were on the defensive.
time.com/7305009/fda-...
time.com/7305009/fda-...
I wrote about the seniors who are "too rich" for Medicaid but too poor to afford the long-term care they need. Their numbers are growing as the country ages and will likely grow more with Medicaid cuts.
time.com/7304510/seni...
time.com/7304510/seni...
Why So Many Seniors Can't Afford Long-Term Care
A growing group of middle-income elderly people are too rich for government benefits but can't afford long-term care.
time.com
July 23, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I wrote about the seniors who are "too rich" for Medicaid but too poor to afford the long-term care they need. Their numbers are growing as the country ages and will likely grow more with Medicaid cuts.
time.com/7304510/seni...
time.com/7304510/seni...
In many states, one health insurer has a monopoly on the market. That drives up prices and worsens care. In Alabama, BCBS has 94% market share.
time.com/7302346/heal...
time.com/7302346/heal...
How Health Insurance Monopolies Affect Your Care
In some states, one health insurer dominates the market, driving up prices and creating red tape.
time.com
July 15, 2025 at 3:36 PM
In many states, one health insurer has a monopoly on the market. That drives up prices and worsens care. In Alabama, BCBS has 94% market share.
time.com/7302346/heal...
time.com/7302346/heal...
Rural hospitals are closing across the country. Why? It's probably not what you think.
time.com/7298891/rura...
time.com/7298891/rura...
The Surprising Reason Rural Hospitals Are Closing
It's not just Medicaid or Medicare: Private insurance payments lag in rural areas.
time.com
July 1, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Rural hospitals are closing across the country. Why? It's probably not what you think.
time.com/7298891/rura...
time.com/7298891/rura...
Violence in intimate relationships increased 7-10% in regions that added abortion restrictions after Dobbs, a new study finds: time.com/7295172/abor...
Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds
A new study shows that intimate partner violence increased in places requiring far travel to abortion clinics.
time.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Violence in intimate relationships increased 7-10% in regions that added abortion restrictions after Dobbs, a new study finds: time.com/7295172/abor...
“I have gone down to Haiti nine times, and I have never seen the level of decay that I saw when I worked in Florida,” one dentist told me, about Floridian teeth.
June 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
“I have gone down to Haiti nine times, and I have never seen the level of decay that I saw when I worked in Florida,” one dentist told me, about Floridian teeth.
America’s teeth are in bad shape, and dentists say that looming policy changes like Medicaid cuts and bans on fluoridation will make them even worse. time.com/7291226/amer...
America's Dental Health Is in Trouble
Fluoride bans and proposed Medicaid cuts are worrying dentists.
time.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
America’s teeth are in bad shape, and dentists say that looming policy changes like Medicaid cuts and bans on fluoridation will make them even worse. time.com/7291226/amer...
Reposted by Alana Semuels
Learn more about 81 here from an old piece by @alanasemuels.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/business/arc...
and the need for better road systems from City Limits by @megankimble.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/business/arc...
and the need for better road systems from City Limits by @megankimble.bsky.social
How to Decimate a City
Syracuse thought that by building a giant highway in the middle of town it could become an economic powerhouse. Instead, it got a bad bout of white flight and the worst slum problem in America.
www.theatlantic.com
May 30, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Learn more about 81 here from an old piece by @alanasemuels.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/business/arc...
and the need for better road systems from City Limits by @megankimble.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/business/arc...
and the need for better road systems from City Limits by @megankimble.bsky.social
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was just asked if the administration has cut any funding to autism. The answer is yes:
time.com/7279068/trum...
time.com/7279068/trum...
Trump Administration Cuts Funding for Autism Research
Despite focusing on finding a cause, the Trump Administration has cut many autism programs.
time.com
May 14, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was just asked if the administration has cut any funding to autism. The answer is yes:
time.com/7279068/trum...
time.com/7279068/trum...