Health News : More Americans are losing health insurance

Mandy Oaklander | September 08, 2026

A surge in uninsured Americans is coming. With the Trump Administration's changes to Medicaid, experts predict that a significant number of people facing higher costs will drop coverage altogether. They're not the only ones who will be affected, my colleague Alana Semuels reports for TIME.

For her new story out today, Alana talked to health policy experts, heads of advocacy groups, patients, and even a hospital CEO about how we all pay more when health care becomes harder to secure.

TODAY’S TOPICS

The age-spot playbook
9/11’s lasting health toll
New tests for endometriosis

PLEASE ADVISE

Here’s a great question we received from a reader:

Over the years, I’ve accumulated so many brown spots on my face, arms, and hands that I could pass as a baby leopard. What can I safely do—either at home or at a dermatologist’s office—to lighten or remove them?

First, I appreciate the baby-leopard visual. Second—and more importantly—don’t start trying to erase a spot until you’re confident you know what it is.

A true age spot, also called a solar lentigo, is usually flat, evenly tan or brown, and surrounded by a smooth, well-defined border, says Dr. Rebecca Dufner, a board-certified dermatologist in Plano, Texas. It also tends to “sit there quietly year after year.” A spot that appears suddenly; changes in size, shape, or color; or starts itching, bleeding, crusting, or refusing to heal needs a dermatologist’s attention. The same goes for an “ugly duckling” that simply looks different from all its neighbors.

Once a dermatologist has confirmed you’re dealing with harmless age spots, you have two basic options: fade them gradually at home, or remove them more quickly in the office.

Prescription retinoids and azelaic acid are among the strongest topical options, Dufner says. Over-the-counter products containing vitamin C, niacinamide, kojic acid, arbutin, glycolic acid, or thiamidol may also help—but don’t expect your spots to vanish by next weekend. Topical treatments are “a slow game—think months, not days,” she says.

Skip the internet remedies involving lemon juice, apple-cider vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. They can irritate or even burn your skin, potentially leaving you with more discoloration than you started with. Dufner also advises steering clear of high-strength, unregulated “skin-bleaching” creams sold online.

If you want faster or more dramatic results, a dermatologist might recommend a laser or light-based treatment, chemical peel, or cryotherapy, which involves freezing the spots. The right choice depends partly on your skin tone and how delicate your skin is. An overly aggressive treatment—or the wrong laser setting—can cause irritation and unwanted pigmentation. “Gentler is smarter,” Dufner says. Start topical ingredients slowly, moisturize regularly, and make sure the dermatologist performing a procedure has experience treating your skin type.

Whichever route you choose, sunscreen is nonnegotiable. Apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, and add hats, shade, and sun-protective clothing when you’ll be outside. Even successfully treated spots can return, and new ones can appear. As Dufner puts it: “Treat the spot, then protect your skin from the sun so you don’t keep making new ones.” –Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness

Got a social dilemma of your own? Send it our way to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition.

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BIG NUMBER

10,000

The number of Fire Department of New York (FDNY) members living with a 9/11-related illness, according to research recently released by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. Nearly half of those members have cancer. —Alana Semuels, Senior Correspondent

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WHAT WE’RE READING

Endometriosis can take years to diagnose. Laura Ungar at the Associated Press looks at promising new tests that could help patients get answers sooner.
Thousands died from heat-related reasons during the summer of 2026—U.K.’s hottest on record—and many were elderly adults living in care homes, whose families have questions about their final hours, reports Jessica Murray for the Guardian.
The Trump Administration has canceled millions of grants from the Office of Minority Health for services like cancer screenings and postpartum visits. Instead, it is focusing on infertility, including addressing low sperm count, Paige Winfield Cunningham and Eric Katz write for NOTUS.

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