Category: states

No Papers, No Care: Disabled Migrants Seek Help Through Lawsuit, Activism

A class action lawsuit seeks better care for immigrants with physical disabilities or mental illness who were detained after trying to enter the country. Other disabled immigrants without legal status are also finding it difficult to get care.

When Covid Deaths Are Dismissed or Stigmatized, Grief Is Mixed With Shame and Anger

After their brother died, two sisters faced a barrage of misinformation, pandemic denialism and blaming questions. Grief experts say that makes covid-19 the newest kind of “disenfranchising death.”

Biden Releases a New Plan to Combat Covid, but Experts Say There’s Still a Ways to Go

There’s agreement that the plan includes important action items but also elements that will trigger political opposition.

Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemic

At least 26 states have passed laws to permanently limit public health powers, a KHN investigation has found, weakening the country’s ability to fight not only the current resurgence of the pandemic but other health crises to come.

ICUs Are Filled With Covid — And Regret

Unvaccinated people are filling intensive care beds and dying of covid in record numbers in Tennessee and other Southern states. Many tell their nurses and doctors they regret the decision not to get the vaccine when they could.

Under Pressure, Montana Hospital Considers Adding Psych Beds Amid a Shortage

A hospital in Bozeman, Montana, is considering whether to add inpatient psychiatric care after a concerted push from mental health advocates. But even if it adds beds, hospitals across Montana provide a cautionary tale: finding enough workers to staff such beds is its own challenge, and some behavioral health units routinely reach capacity.

Health Care Unions Defending Newsom From Recall Will Want Single-Payer Payback

If Gov. Gavin Newsom survives Tuesday’s recall election, the health care unions that have campaigned on his behalf intend to pressure him to follow through on his promise to establish a government-run health system in California.

Why At-Home Rapid Covid Tests Cost So Much, Even After Biden’s Push for Lower Prices

Germans pay less than $1 per test. Brits get them free. Why do Americans pay so much more? Because companies can still demand it.

Georgia Eyes New Medicaid Contract. But How Is the State Managing Managed Care?

More than 40 states have turned to managed-care companies to control costs in their Medicaid programs, which cover low-income residents and people with disabilities. As Georgia prepares to open bidding on a new contract, the question looms: Has this model paid off?

It’s Not Just Covid: Recall Candidates Represent Markedly Different Choices on Health Care

Those seeking to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Tuesday’s recall election disagree with him on more than mask and vaccine mandates. The conservative candidates tend to favor free-market solutions over Newsom’s expansion of publicly funded health coverage.