Pharmacists are convenient, accessible and trusted. Improving reimbursements and making permanent the authority they were given for the pandemic will increase immunization rates and save lives.
The state’s first-in-the-nation approach to decriminalization has left deaths and overdoses surging. Criminalization needn’t be equated with incarceration. The spectrum of penalties can include fines, community service and treatment.
Future in Context
A discussion about the near future and the legislative issues to keep an eye on this year. Technology, budget and transportation top the list.
The scare headlines about maternal mortality going up and being especially deadly for Black women are based on changes in data collection, not deaths. The real numbers show that the U.S. is not an outlier.
The governor wants to cut more than $1 billion from health-care services and eliminate 1,000 jobs, many of which are currently unfilled. DeSantis’ proposed budget falls $4.4 billion short of what state agencies and the Legislature have requested.
Although refugees typically experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress than U.S. natives, they are often unable to access mental health care. A new program aims to boost accessibility.
The state House voted 65-28 to override the governor’s veto of a bill that aims to restrict both medical care for trans youth and transgender athletes. The bill will now move to the Senate, where it will need a three-fifths majority to complete the override.
The country’s first mental health court was established in Broward County, Fla., in 1997. By 2022, there were more than 650. However, some experts are concerned about their effectiveness in actually helping those in need.
From “ghost networks” to denial of doctor-prescribed care, insurance companies put too many obstacles in the way of people who need help. State policymakers need to take action, and voters will support them.
We’re now experiencing the second-biggest wave of infections since omicron. Yet we cling to complacency and the false belief that the virus will burn out and go away.
According to unofficial numbers released by the state, organizers have collected 910,946 signatures, nearly 20,000 more than necessary to reach the signature threshold. The measure’s language still must be approved by the state supreme court. If it passes, abortion rights would be enshrined in the state’s constitution.
Alcohol killed 1,547 residents last year, not much fewer than the 1,799 who died from drug overdoses. While the state increased penalties for fentanyl possessions, voters expanded access to alcohol in grocery stores.
The new rules will require employers to develop plans for medical attention and take action at certain levels of air quality. The change comes after two years of temporary protections.
Idaho ranked last in the country for physicians per capita before the pandemic and the doctor shortages and an aging workforce have only worsened the situation.
The nine hospitals in the system increasingly find themselves short on beds and staff, with seven of the hospitals routinely exceeding 95 percent bed capacity. At least 20 percent of staff in the system did not believe their facility was a safe space for patients.
In the last decade, the state’s retention rate of physicians post-residency has declined. The Legislature hopes that funding 700 additional slots for medical school graduates, at $100,000 each, will incentivize the doctors to stay.
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