Darius Tahir
dariustahir.bsky.social
Darius Tahir
@dariustahir.bsky.social
health tech journo at KFF Health News. do people really read the bios, if they're not of Civil War generals?
Who says books can’t be inspiring? Baby demanded apple after reading about Newtonian physics.
November 7, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I think I have a chance at this one, guys...
November 6, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
Overall social media use is declining.

Between 2020 and 2024, more Americans — especially the youngest (18–24) and oldest (65+) — report using no social media at all.

A small group of heavy users remains, but the middle is thinning out.
October 30, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
New from me: After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Louisiana officials waited months to warn public of whooping cough outbreak
After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
I haven't been all that active on this site - but maybe publishing a new book is a good time to change that. with @drjoshs.bsky.social and l. Morales. We write about the intertwined crisis of the decline of the US news industry -- and the rise of misinformation and mistrust of public health. I
October 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM
understatement of year, perhaps l'epoque.
The Louvre robbery has raised questions about whether one of the world’s most famous museums could have been better protected from a crime that some French politicians have suggested was both a tragedy and a national embarrassment.
Louvre Robbery Raises Questions About Security
Investigators were looking into the alarm systems at an institution that one expert said “wasn’t built with an obsession over security.”
nyti.ms
October 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
When is the point of no return for extending ACA tax credits?

They expire 12/31, so that’s a drop dead date.

Open enrollment starts November 1. If they’re not extended by then, enrollees may start dropping out. Even if open enrollment is extended, people could be hard to reach.
October 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
Had a claim denied by Aetna but joke’s on them because I’m a health economist on furlough. Bet they’ve never seen an appeal with a “methods” section before.
October 17, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Are you...
1) a person, who
2) has used a chatbot as an "AI therapist," and,
3) had an interesting experience they'd like to talk about with me?

Hit me up by DMs or on email at DariusT at kff dot org
October 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
I'd love to hear from anyone who has been at agencies protecting public health this year (eg CDC, HHS, HRSA, HUD, NIH, OSHA). Privacy respected. Signal is AmyMaxmen.25

🧵Here's a thread of some of my stories this year on the impact of the Trump administration on America's public health.
Hi! I'm a public health reporter moving from THERE to here. Give me a follow if you're interested in my writing & take:

Public health isn't only about outbreaks & vaccines. It's about making society healthier outside of clinics. It requires systemic change, equity, a belief in the common good.
October 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
How many browsing tabs do you typically have open?*

1: 6%
2-5: 54%
6-10: 14%
11-20: 8%
21-30: 2%
More than 30: 3%

*across all windows, on desktop/laptop

yougov.co.uk/topics/techn...
October 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Latest Economist/YouGov poll shows only 11% of respondents think tylenol is a cause of autism. 54% say no: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
October 7, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Interesting tidbit from the new Washington Post poll on the VA governor's race: at least in this poll's records, Trump's approval ratings in the state are the best they've ever been.
October 3, 2025 at 6:33 PM
😬
September 29, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Kinda strange for a Anderson movie to conclude with a happy needle drop!
September 28, 2025 at 2:47 AM
For @nbcnews.com/ @kffhealthnews.org, Lauren Sausser and I looked at the government’s confusing two-step:

Simplify prior authorization for private insurance

Add AI-powered prior authorization for Medicare: www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
Private health insurers use AI to approve or deny care. Soon Medicare will, too.
A pilot program testing the use of artificial intelligence to expand prior authorization decisions in Medicare has providers, politicians and researchers asking questions.
www.nbcnews.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
Tylenol is addressing the autism issue with a pop up on its website. www.tylenol.com
www.tylenol.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
Our tracking polls on health misinformation and trust have found a large muddled middle. Confused and unsure who and what to believe they are up for grabs.

Yesterday’s announcement on Tylenol and autism will add significantly to it.
The Problem Isn’t Trust in Vaccines, It’s That People Don’t Know Who to Trust
In a new “Beyond the Data” column, KFF’s President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman analyzes years of KFF polling on vaccines in light of the current controversies about them. The real problem, he says, is not...
www.kff.org
September 23, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
NEWS: Scientists say the president of the United States and his health secretary distorted the facts behind Tylenol and autism, potentially setting back research and causing real harm to mothers and kids.

By @amymaxmen.bsky.social

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
‘Sick to My Stomach’: Trump Distorts Facts on Autism, Tylenol, and Vaccines, Scientists Say - KFF Health News
The White House’s autism announcement exaggerates links to Tylenol, misleads on vaccines, and sets back the field by ignoring decades of research, scientists say.
kffhealthnews.org
September 23, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Guy at a DC park concert addressing audience as “citizens” … getting some distinct historical vibes here…
September 21, 2025 at 8:54 PM
EXPERT: it's called having infants
September 20, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
LINK ROT: 38% webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer available 10 years later.

Even among pages that existed in 2021, 22% no longer accessible just two years later. This is often because individual page was deleted or removed on otherwise functional website.

Many implications for knowledge 🧪
September 14, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Reposted by Darius Tahir
I have discovered a truly unhinged quesadilla recipe: “2-3 tablespoons salt…Every 30 minutes, turn the tortillas over and salt the upturned side,…salting every 30 minutes for 3 hours…NOTE: This is an excellent appetizer for a Mexican dinner.” Bonus: avocado ring mold, best served with chicken salad
September 6, 2025 at 11:01 PM
surprisingly, the sentence involving the words "Epic...is headed to discovery" does not involve a stunning Star Trek-themed addition to the campus.
September 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM