Category: states

Is Rand Paul Mixing Up the Vaccine Message for Covid Survivors?

The scientific literature shows that natural immunity does provide protection against covid-19, but experts say getting vaccinated can provide additional protection against variants.

Hospitals, Insurers Invest Big Dollars to Tackle Patients’ Social Needs

Eager to control costs, health systems and insurers are trying to address patients’ social needs such as food insecurity, transportation and housing. Yet, after years of testing, there’s slim evidence these efforts pay off.

Nurses and Docs at Long Beach Center ‘Consider It an Honor’ to Care for Migrant Children

Health care workers find it easy to empathize with Central American children after their painful journeys to the U.S.

Montana Tribe Welcomes Back Tourists After Risky Shutdown Pays Off

When the Blackfeet tribe shut down the roads leading to the eastern side of Glacier National Park, businesses worried for their future. But it worked, and with one of the nation’s highest covid vaccination rates, the reservation has reopened to visitors.

The Hard Realities of a ‘No Jab, No Job’ Mandate for Health Care Workers

Despite a hearts-and-minds campaign and millions spent in incentives, managers struggle to get staffs vaccinated against covid. Some workers have threatened to quit over the pressure to get a shot, which employers can’t afford.

Pandemic Swells Medicaid Enrollment to Record 80 Million People

More than 80 million Americans with low incomes were receiving health coverage through the federal-state program in January. The program now covers nearly 1 in 4 people nationwide.

Supreme Court Declines to Overturn ACA — Again

Justices rule that Republican state officials and individuals did not have standing when they brought a suit arguing that a change in the tax penalty for not having insurance invalidated the historic health care law.

It’s About to Get Tougher for Transgender People in Montana to Amend Birth Certificates

It will soon take a court order to change one’s gender on a Montana birth certificate. Montana health officials are seeking comment on proposed rules for a law that would affect dozens of people each year.

Unvaccinated, Homebound and Now Hospitalized With Covid in New York City

Across the country, doctors report that those hospitalized with covid now are largely unvaccinated. New York City lags the rest of the nation in vaccinating people 65 and older, and its efforts to reach the homebound and disabled have been late in coming and disorganized.

Collecting FEMA Funeral Money Takes Some Tenacity — And Help

A federal program to help with the funeral expenses for people who died of covid is a challenge for grieving family members who aren’t fluent in English or the ways of a bureaucracy.