Health
Covering topics such as abortion, pandemic response, health care policy, public health, substance use and addiction and Medicaid.
It will be one of the most noticeable ways climate change threatens human health in the years to come. It could cause as many as 27,800 U.S. deaths per year by 2050.
Ten states have yet to expand eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. Doing so would save lives, improve financial well-being, save states money and support regional economies.
Women across the state are dying from pregnancy-related causes at the highest rate that has been documented by the state in the past decade. Between 35 and 40 mothers die every year.
The state prison system’s medical provider, Wellpath, backed out of its contract with the Department of Corrections after spending millions in unanticipated costs, mostly due to prison violence.
Last May, Oregon became the first state to veer away from the CDC’s COVID-positive recommendations to stay home for five days and wear a mask for another five. Now, the CDC is considering revising its policy to follow Oregon’s.
Legislatures across the nation are confronting several social issues including crime, drug use, immigration and poverty. These issues will continue to hold resonance, of course, in the November elections.
At least 19 states are directing money from Medicaid into housing aid and addressing the nation’s growing homelessness epidemic. Homelessness jumped last year to 12 percent nationally.
The Biden administration wants to help remove all lead service lines in the U.S. within the next decade. A new report from the Center for American Progress highlights progress in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The nation currently has more than 1,000 federally designated primary care shortage areas. More than 180 areas have had a primary care shortage for at least 40 years.
The home health-care industry is lucrative — but lightly regulated.
What you need to get up to speed in terms of how state lawmakers are addressing education, energy, health, housing and even international affairs.
The overdose reversal medication is only required in larger high schools under current law. The bill is a response to rising opioid-related deaths among young people.
Companies are still trying to get their workers back into offices across the nation, while the percentage of San Antonians working from home continues to decline. By comparison, more than twice the share of workers are still remote in Austin.
Washington provided $800 billion in pandemic relief. With most of that money spent, states now face major funding gaps for Medicaid, while school districts, child care providers and transit agencies are also struggling.
Future in Context
Mental health, climate and workforce are at the core of a complex cluster of issues confronting lawmakers this year.
The state has settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of low-income students of color from Oakland and L.A. They claimed the state offered insufficient support for remote learning.
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