The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden’s COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.
Category: NPR
A staffing crisis is causing a monthslong wait for Medicaid, and it could get worse
The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden’s COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.
A nurse’s death raises the alarm about the profession’s mental health crisis
After nearly two years of grueling shifts treating COVID patients, a group of nurses lost one of their closest friends to suicide. They’re determined not to let others fall through the cracks.
Do I really need another booster? The answer depends on age, risk and timing
Health officials argue the protection of the COVID vaccine booster wanes over time and say some people need a second booster. But other infectious disease experts say three shots are enough for now.
Stone Age brain surgery? It might have been more survivable than you think
Medical historian Ira Rutkow points to physical evidence that suggests Stone Age people conducted — and survived — brain surgery. His new book is Empire of the Scalpel.
Colorado braces to become refuge for abortion access if ‘Roe’ is weakened
If Roe v. Wade falters, Colorado will be nearly surrounded by a sea of anti-abortion states. The state is bracing for impact from out-of-state residents, while lawmakers cement abortion protections.
Free COVID tests and treatments no longer free for uninsured, as funding runs out
The Biden administration has asked Congress to allocate $22.5 billion more for pandemic relief. But the funding is stalled and the effects are already being felt.
Even with risky survival rate, shortages of ECMO machines cost lives, study finds
For COVID patients, ECMO is a last-ditch respiratory treatment in which only about half survive. Yet a new small study suggests many lives would still have been saved if there had been more machines.
The FDA is expected to authorize 2nd boosters for people 50 and up
People aged 50 and over could soon be eligible for a second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccine booster. The administration wants to offer the shots as immunity from the first booster is waning.
States pass laws to guarantee rights to visit patients, even during a pandemic
During the pandemic, nursing homes and hospitals often banned visitors, often for months. Although restrictions have eased, some states are passing “right to visit” laws for future pandemics.
