Category: states

Latino Teens Are Deputized as Health Educators to Sway the Unvaccinated

Some community health groups are training Latino teens to conduct outreach and education, particularly in places where covid vaccine fears linger.

As States Seek to Limit Abortions, Montana Wants to Redefine What Is Medically Necessary

Montana officials are looking to tighten rules around medically necessary abortions for those who use Medicaid as their health insurance. Reproductive health advocates and Democratic lawmakers have said the move is part of a broader agenda to whittle away access to the procedure.

Abortion Debate Ramps Up in States as Congress Deadlocks

Abortion is a top issue for state lawmakers meeting for their first full sessions since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Transgender People in Rural America Struggle to Find Doctors Willing or Able to Provide Care

Many health professionals in rural areas don’t know how to provide gender-affirming care, leaving transgender patients with few options.

Luring Out-of-State Professionals Is Just the First Step in Solving Montana’s Health Worker Shortage

Two proposals would make it easier for professionals with out-of-state licenses to work in Montana, but that tactic likely won’t be enough to fill the demand for mental health providers.

A $30 Million Gift to Build an Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had to Run It.

Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and chairman of his own charitable foundation, gave $30 million to build an addiction treatment center in the central Illinois community where he farms. But the money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, so the clinic is on its own to keep it running.

After a Brief Pandemic Reprieve, Rural Workers Return to Life Without Paid Leave

Coastal and politically progressive states have passed stronger paid sick and family leave policies, but many workers in rural America are left out, facing tough decisions when choosing between caring for themselves or sick family members or keeping their jobs.

Ask Voters Directly, and Abortion Rights Wins Most Ballot Fights

This is shaping up as a critical year in the country’s battle over abortion rights, as both sides struggle to define a new status quo after the Supreme Court struck down the nearly half-century-old constitutional right last year. It is important not to misread what happened in 2022. After a 6-3 majority of justices overturned […]

Ending Involuntary Commitments Would Shift Burden of Dementia Care to Strapped Communities

Health department officials anticipate having to transfer two dozen patients from the Montana State Hospital to another state-run facility if a bill to end involuntary commitments passes.

GOP House Opens With Abortion Agenda

Leaders of the new Republican-led U.S. House kicked off their legislative agenda with two bills supported by anti-abortion groups. While neither is likely to become law, the move demonstrates how abortion will continue to be an issue in Washington. Meanwhile, as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act nears its end in most states, the number of Americans covered by the plans hits a new high. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.