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Alana Semuels

@alanasemuels.bsky.social

290 followers 210 following 58 posts

Journalist covering health care, economics, and consumer issues at TIME. Formerly of The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times. SF -> NY. [email protected]

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Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · 20h

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...

Why Baby Boxes Are Suddenly Everywhere

Devices to help parents anonymously surrender an infant are spreading across the U.S., stirring emotions and debate.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · 16d

Without after-school care, some parents are deciding they can't work full-time.

“We are basically withholding the luxury of being a full-time worker from some families,” one economist told me.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · 16d

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...

The Nightmare of Finding After-School Care in America

‘Am I going to have to quit my job? What am I going to do?’

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · 26d

"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...

A Battle Is Brewing Over Whole Milk

Opposing viewpoints about whether whole milk is healthy or not illuminate a growing debate in nutrition science.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 26

Original essay here:
time.com/5886904/cali...

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 26

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.

Reposted by Alana Semuels

Danny Groner @dannygroner.bsky.social · Aug 26

"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."

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 26

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...

Why It's So Hard to Make School Lunches Healthier

The MAHA movement's goal to improve school lunches faces big obstacles.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 26

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...

Why It's So Hard to Make School Lunches Healthier

The MAHA movement's goal to improve school lunches faces big obstacles.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 26

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...

Infant Deaths Spur Public Health Emergency in Mississippi

The highest infant mortality rate in a decade has spurred the state to declare a crisis.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 15

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 13

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

Reposted by Alana Semuels

Kate Gallagher Robbins @kfgrobbins.bsky.social · Aug 13

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 4

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.

Reposted by Alana Semuels

Amy Diehl, Ph.D. @amydiehl.bsky.social · Aug 4

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.

Reposted by Alana Semuels

Danny Groner @dannygroner.bsky.social · Aug 4

"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."

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 4

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 4

“What is most heartbreaking about all of this is that the pandemic felt like this revolution, where they finally realized we’re human beings and they’ll treat us with some degree of respect,” says a mother whose company now mandates three in-office workdays. “It’s like we didn’t learn anything.”

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 4

Here's a useful chart from ‪@mlheggeness.bsky.social‬ -- the black line is women's labor force participation this year

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Aug 4

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jul 28

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': Cuts Leave Domestic Violence Support Groups Reeling

Key federal funding has been declining and is likely to drop more in coming years.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jul 23

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-...

The FDA Might Ban Fluoride Supplements. Dentists Are Upset

Ingestible fluoride is under fire by the FDA. Dentists are pushing back.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jul 23

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...

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jul 15

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...

How Health Insurance Monopolies Affect Your Care

In some states, one health insurer dominates the market, driving up prices and creating red tape.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jul 1

Rural hospitals are closing across the country. Why? It's probably not what you think.
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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jun 18

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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jun 5

“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.

Alana Semuels @alanasemuels.bsky.social · Jun 5

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.