Indiana Weighs Hospital Monopoly as Officials Elsewhere Scrutinize Similar Deals
If Indiana officials approve a proposed hospital merger in western Indiana in the coming months, the state will have its first hospital monopoly created by a 鈥淐ertificate of Public Advantage.鈥 Other such deals have resulted in government reports documenting diminished care in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Funding Instability Plagues Program That Brings Docs to Underserved Areas
A medical residency program designed to train future primary care physicians in outpatient rather than hospital settings has proved an effective means to bring doctors to rural and underserved areas. But it hinges on unpredictable congressional funding.
End of Internet Subsidy Leaves Millions Facing Telehealth Disconnect
When the clock struck midnight on May 31, more than 23 million low-income households were dropped from a federal internet subsidy program that for years had helped them get connected. The Affordable Connectivity Program was created in 2021, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, to help people plug into jobs, schools and health care by reducing their internet […]
Bird Flu Tests Are Hard To Get. So How Will We Know When To Sound the Pandemic Alarm?
If widely used, flu tests could be helpful now. In the meantime, the government needs to clear a path for H5N1 tests, researchers warn, to avoid the early missteps of the covid pandemic.
Leyes que protegen a trabajadores de California del calor extremo ayudar铆an a estudiantes
Estas mismas normas se extender谩n a las escuelas, donde profesores, conserjes, quienes atienden las cafeter铆as y otros empleados suelen trabajar sin aire acondicionado, igual que sus alumnos.
Heat Rules for California Workers Would Also Help Keep Schoolchildren Cool
Proposed state standards to protect indoor workers from extreme heat would extend to schools. The rules come as climate change is bringing more frequent and intense heat waves, causing schools nationwide to cancel instruction.
Nursing Homes Are Left in the Dark as More Utilities Cut Power To Prevent Wildfires
A nursing home in Colorado had 75 minutes to prepare for a power outage that lasted 28 hours. Such public safety power shut-offs are being used more often as a fire prevention tool, but not all health facilities are prepared.
End of Pandemic Internet Subsidies Threatens a Health Care Lifeline for Rural America
As the Affordable Connectivity Program runs out of money, millions of people face a jump in internet costs or lost connections if federal lawmakers don’t pass a funding extension.
The Chicken and Egg Problem of Fighting Another Flu Pandemic
The spread of an avian flu virus in cattle has again brought public health attention to the potential for a global pandemic. Fighting it would depend, for now, on 1940s technology that makes vaccines from hens鈥 eggs.
El problema del huevo y la gallina en la lucha contra otra pandemia de gripe
La propagaci贸n de un nuevo virus entre m煤ltiples especies en un 谩rea geogr谩fica amplia eleva la amenaza de que m谩s mutaciones puedan producir un virus que se propague de humano a humano a trav茅s de la transmisi贸n a茅rea.
An Obscure Drug Discount Program Stifles Use of Federal Lifeline by Rural Hospitals
A disconnect between two federal programs meant to help keep hospitals afloat discourages struggling rural facilities from accepting the aid.
Safety-Net Health Clinics Cut Services and Staff Amid Medicaid 鈥楿nwinding鈥
One of Montana鈥檚 largest safety-net health centers announced it will lay off nearly 10% of its workforce because of revenue losses it attributes to vast Medicaid disenrollments. Such cuts are happening elsewhere too.
Farmworkers Face High-Risk Exposures to Bird Flu, but Testing Isn鈥檛 Reaching Them
Federal officials are offering $75 to dairy workers who agree to be tested for bird flu. Advocates say the payments aren鈥檛 enough to protect workers from lost wages and health care costs if they test positive.
Clues From Bird Flu鈥檚 Ground Zero on Dairy Farms in the Texas Panhandle
Dairy farmers and veterinarians in northern Texas furiously investigated a mysterious illness among cattle before the government got involved. Their observations are telling.
California Pays Meth Users To Get Sober
California鈥檚 Medicaid program is testing a novel approach for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money 鈥 up to $599 a year.
Medicaid Unwinding Deals Blow to Tenuous System of Care for Native Americans
Although Native American and Alaska Native adults are enrolled in Medicaid at higher rates than their white counterparts, many tribal leaders feel they鈥檝e been left in the dark as states roll through the tumultuous Medicaid unwinding that started last year.
The Lure of Specialty Medicine Pulls Nurse Practitioners From Primary Care
Nurse practitioners have been viewed as a key to addressing the shortage of primary care physicians. But data suggests that, just like doctors, they are increasingly drawn to better-paying specialties.
Clean Needles Save Lives. In Some States, They Might Not Be Legal.
As billions of dollars from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors go to state and local governments, efforts to reduce the epidemic鈥檚 harm can be hamstrung by drug paraphernalia laws. Health authorities say distributing clean syringes to users can save lives, but in states like Pennsylvania, it may be illegal.
California鈥檚 $12 Billion Medicaid Makeover Banks on Nonprofits鈥 Buy-In
California鈥檚 Medicaid program is relying heavily on community groups to deliver new social services to vulnerable patients, such as security deposits for homeless people and air purifiers for asthma patients. But many of these nonprofits face staffing and billing challenges and haven鈥檛 been able to deliver services effectively.
Addiction Treatment Homes Say Montana鈥檚 Funding Fixes Don鈥檛 Go Far Enough
Montana has created a voucher program to help cover room and board costs at low-intensity residential programs for people with addiction. Those running the homes say bridging that care is urgent but that the program鈥檚 funding falls far below the need.
