MAHA wants to tackle chronic diseases. This country had that idea decades ago

STAT December 10, 2025
Andrew Joseph

Slovenia shows rewards that can come with an emphasis on primary care, screening, and coaching

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — In the U.S., the Trump administration, driven by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has elevated the issue of chronic diseases to never-before-seen political salience. Prioritizing these ailments could improve the nation’s health and kick-start its stubborn life expectancy rates, Kennedy preaches.

Here in Slovenia, that approach would be old news.

For decades, this central European country has built the prevention of chronic diseases into its health system. Medical training has put an emphasis on detecting early signs of such ailments, and family medicine practices screen for the conditions as a rule. All Slovenians are urged to come in for these...

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