As demand for GLP-1 medications for weight loss surges and drug costs exceed $990 per month, state policymakers wrestle with coverage decisions and affordability concerns.
A recent survey found over half of rural ERs in the Dakotas lack 24/7 attending physician coverage, prompting reliance on physician assistants, nurse practitioners and remote consultant support.
Providers report denial rates up to 17.5 percent. To cope with the mounting financial pressure, some small clinics have stopped accepting Medicaid altogether.
Labor and delivery units have closed and recruitment has collapsed, with physician leaders warning the workforce loss could take decades to recover.
Revoking the 2009 endangerment finding would weaken regulation of greenhouse gases and shift more responsibility to states already bracing for climate impacts.
A Medicaid work rule tucked into the sweeping law is now being cast as a liability for Republicans in competitive districts.
Tucked into President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, the new rural health fund has state leaders rushing to design plans. But clinic advocates worry vague guidance and uneven distribution could dilute its impact.
With scorching temperatures blanketing nearly half the country, power providers brace for peak demand as cities issue health warnings and transit systems slow under the strain.
Under new federal law, states must verify millions of enrollees’ employment status. Some officials are worried about the administrative burden.
Despite warnings that the law criminalizes low-risk behaviors, the state remains one of just five that impose lengthy sex offender registration requirements after conviction.
Nitrate pollution is likely to force more water-use restrictions. Iowa’s problems are uniquely severe: It has plenty of water, but bans on car washing and lawn watering underscore the state’s long struggle with high nitrate levels.
After more than 1 million deaths, opioid mortality is dropping fast.
States are spending 15 percent of their home-generated revenue on the program, seeing their largest cost increases in 20 years.
One promising approach is a dedicated specialist to prevent ordinary pain management from turning into the kind of addiction that tears at the fabric of communities.
The state is devoting $50 million to a research consortium looking into the effects of ibogaine, an illegal drug being touted by surprising psychedelics champion Rick Perry, a former governor.
Hundreds of Alabama church leaders are being certified as substance use support specialists, gaining insight into the nature of these disorders and connections with professionals who treat them.
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