Health
Covering topics such as abortion, pandemic response, health care policy, public health, substance use and addiction and Medicaid.
After borrowing billions from the federal government to pay for unemployment during the pandemic, the state’s debt now stands at about $21 billion and growing. The state also currently accounts for about 20 percent of the nation’s unemployment.
In 1999, the natural cause mortality rate for people ages 25 to 54 in rural areas was only 6 percent higher than for city residents of the same age. By 2019, the gap had widened to 43 percent.
On Thursday Gov. Tate Reeves announced federal approval for the second part of his 2023 proposal for increased reimbursements to state hospitals from Medicaid.
The federal Affordable Connectivity Program has helped 23 million low-income households afford Internet connections to schedule or attend health-care appointments. But the program will soon run out of funds.
Medical debt is growing and hitting middle-class Americans hardest. States have started acting to relieve the burden, but more can be done.
A visit to your doctor won’t cover everything that could lead to chronic disease. Vermont’s primary-care system helps fill the void.
After shedding nearly 1 million jobs, staffing levels are now higher than at the start of 2020. But severe shortages remain in several fields such as nursing, public safety and education.
Texas’ recent unwinding of Medicaid and CHIP has been criticized, dropping more than a million people eligible for the health insurance programs. Decades ago, Texas officials got kids health insurance in record time.
Proven measures to protect health such as vaccines and even fluoridation are under increasing threat. Misinformation must be combated with facts about the way these interventions save lives.
The program has cost taxpayers at least $26 million so far, with more than 90 percent of those funds going to administrative and consulting costs. About 3,500 people have signed up since July.
Veterans were once half as likely as the general population to land in prison. Now, they're twice as likely. State and local officials are trying to prevent this from happening.
Future in Context
Complete bans, age verification and new online tools are in play as government, the tech industry and parents contend for influence and control in determining how to keep minors safe online.
Health outcomes and life expectancy improve in counties where residents have greater opportunity to engage in civic life.
Nonprofit groups have helped preserve access to abortion even in states where the procedure's been banned.
Milwaukee County has one of the nation’s highest death rates from synthetic opioids. It’s deploying millions of opioid settlement dollars to fund programs across a variety of agencies.
New Jersey is the only state to commission an independent review of its COVID-19 actions. The 900-page report details the effects on public health infrastructure and recommends changes to prevent the state from being blindsided again next time.
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