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Patient advocates are tackling the āoverwhelming taskā of connecting people with health insurance as millions lose coverage due to the end of pandemic protections on Medicaid eligibility.
Within two years of North Carolinaās public university system going into business with AccessOne to finance patientsā payment plans, nearly half of its patients were in loans that charged interest. As federal scrutiny increases on lenders, Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News is sharing that contract and others obtained through public records requests.
Stark, plaintive testimony from women denied abortion care represents the start of āthe 50-year fight to get rid of Dobbs,ā one historian says.
With millions of Americans suffering under relentless heat waves this summer, more people are seeking medical attention for heat-related illnesses. As temperatures get more extreme, hospitals, fire departments, and ambulance crews are preparing to treat more patients for heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
As drought and climate change threaten water supplies, municipalities around the country are ramping up water reuse efforts. But they have to overcome the āyukā factor.
Social and economic pressures have long compelled Black girls and women to straighten their hair. But mounting evidence shows chemical straighteners ā products with little regulatory oversight ā may pose cancer and other health risks.
Floridaās six-week abortion law allows exemptions in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking, and to save the health or life of the mother. But the recent history of such exemptions in other states suggests that very few women will be able to take advantage of them.
Consumers should know that this type of fraud can happen, whether from a large-scale breach or theft of an individualās data. The result could be thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
As much of the U.S. faces extremely high summer temperatures, Texasā Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has taken steps that effectively eliminate mandated water breaks for construction workers. In response, protesters from the Lone Star State came to Washington, D.C., to press for federal protections for such outdoor workers.
Although nearly 40% of Americans 60 and older are obese, Medicare doesnāt cover weight loss medications. Meanwhile, studies havenāt thoroughly examined new drugsā impact on older adults.
Itās been the summer of broken weather records around the world ā for heat, rain, and wildfire smoke ā advertising the risks of climate change in a big way. But, apparently, itās not enough to break the logjam in Washington over how to address the growing climate crisis. Meanwhile, in Texas, women who were unable to get care for pregnancy complications took their stories to court, and Congress gears up to ā maybe ā do something about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join Julie Rovner, Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā chief Washington correspondent, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Meena Seshamani, the top administrator for the federal Medicare program.
A little-noticed provision of sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would make it easier to fly human organs from donor to recipient.
As politicians bash privately run hospitals for their aggressive debt collection tactics, consumer advocates say one North Carolina familyās six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.
Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nationās highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition.
Nonprofit hospitals avoid paying taxes if they provide community benefits such as charity care. More states are examining that trade-off, scrutinizing the extent of hospitalsā spending on their communities.
As settlement dollars land at the state level, state councils wield significant power in determining how the windfall gets spent. And, though they will likely include the most knowledgeable voices on addiction, these panels also face concerns about conflicts of interest and other issues.
A venous needle dislodgment is a rare dialysis complication that can kill a patient in minutes. Some experts worry those who treat themselves at home are at increased risk.
The first FDA-authorized cigarettes with 95% less nicotine than traditional smokes will go on sale in California, Florida, and Texas starting in early July. Anti-smoking groups oppose greenlighting just one plant biotechās products and instead urge federal regulators to set a low-nicotine standard for the entire industry.
Last month, Florida joined a growing number of states in banning sales taxes on diapers to make them more affordable for older adults and families with young children. Though diapers are essential for many, they are not covered by food stamps. Nor are incontinence products for older adults typically covered by Medicare. The cost can easily add up on a fixed income.
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