In this edition: Trump’s healthcare cuts, the rise of measles cases and testing your microbiome. 

President Trump’s healthcare cuts. The passage of the “big, beautiful bill” has left some hospitals, doctors and patient-advocacy groups issuing strong warnings: Millions of people will lose health-insurance coverage and hospitals' uncompensated work will increase.

Measles cases skyrocket. Cases in the U.S. have hit a three-decade high, reaching the highest yearly total since 1992 in less than seven months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It’s a tick summer. They’re some of the most unwelcome guests and they are lurking all over hiking trails, golf courses and even backyards. Tick numbers are about 30% to 40% higher than last year this time, according to Thomas Daniels, director of Fordham University’s Louis Calder Center.

Testing your microbiome’s health. More companies are offering nutrition services that test the microbiome to provide personalized diet recommendations. Many scientists believe that diet guidance tailored to an individual’s biology will soon become commonplace.

The mental-health stigma that won’t go away. Workers struggling with mental illness are denied disability benefits at higher rates than those with physical conditions such as cancer or a broken leg, data show.

How abortion bans affect where women live and work. Early data show that states with the most restrictive laws are seeing some residents leave. In one recent paper, researchers estimated that 13 states collectively saw about 146,000 residents leave due to abortion bans in the year after Roe v. Wade fell.

UnitedHealth’s Medicare practices. Justice Department prosecutors recently interviewed former employees about the company’s Medicare billing practices, as well as how it deployed doctors and nurses to gather diagnoses that bolstered its payments, people familiar with the matter said.

Pressure mounts on health insurers. Molina Healthcare became the latest insurer to warn that higher medical costs will hit earnings this year, adding to Wall Street’s worries about an industry that is already facing the loss of millions of customers because of the recently passed megabill.

Merck’s $10 billion deal. The company struck the deal to buy Verona Pharma, bolstering its lineup with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment as it braces for the 2028 loss of patent exclusivity for the blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.

This newsletter was compiled by the WSJ’s Health & Science team. Follow us on X @WSJHealth and @WSJScience. Email us by replying to this newsletter.