With Trump on the Way, Advocates Look to States To Pick Up Medical Debt Fight
Patient and consumer advocates fear a new Trump administration will scale back federal efforts to expand financial protections for patients and shield them from debt.
Illinois
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A Toddler Got a Nasal Swab Test but Left Before Seeing a Doctor. The Bill Was $445.
A mom in Peoria, Illinois, took her 3-year-old to the ER one evening last December. While they were waiting to be seen, the toddler seemed better, so they left without seeing a doctor. Then the bill came.
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Older Americans Living Alone Often Rely on Neighbors or Others Willing To Help
Diverse networks of friends, former co-workers, neighbors, and extended family are often essential sources of support for older adults living alone. Often it is the elderly caring for the elderly.
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As Nuns Disappear, Many Catholic Hospitals Look More Like Megacorporations
The nation鈥檚 Catholic health systems were largely founded and led by nuns with a mission to serve the sick regardless of their creed or financial means. Today, no nuns run any U.S. Catholic health system, while many of these hospitals pull in billions, according to their financial reports.
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Trump Wants Harris To Pay a Political Price for Generous Immigrant Health Policies
Several Democratic-led states have expanded public insurance programs to cover immigrants in the U.S. regardless of legal status. Donald Trump is trying to blame Kamala Harris for the policies.
By Joanne Kenen -
Older Men鈥檚 Connections Often Wither When They鈥檙e on Their Own
Older men who find themselves living alone tend to have fewer close personal relationships than older women. They鈥檙e vulnerable, physically and emotionally, but often reluctant to ask for help.
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Even Political Rivals Agree That Medical Debt Is an Urgent Issue
In red and blue states, state lawmakers from both parties are expanding protections for patients burdened by medical debt.
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Doctors Urging Conference Boycotts Over Abortion Bans Face Uphill Battle
A famed breast cancer surgeon has created a California alternative to a major Texas event. Yet many doctors believe boycotting medical conferences in states that criminalize abortion accomplishes nothing and can be harmful.
By Ronnie Cohen -
More Restrooms Have Adult-Size Changing Tables To Help People With Disabilities
Adults with disabilities and their caregivers are pressing governments and private businesses across the U.S. to help them avoid undignified public bathroom experiences.
By Tony Leys -
Harris鈥 Emphasis on Maternal Health Care Is Paying Dividends With Black Women Voters
Polls are showing renewed support from Black women voters for the Democratic ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris has backed key health priorities for Black women.
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Abortion Clinics聽鈥 And Patients 鈥 Are on the Move, as State Laws Keep Shifting
Clinics in states where most abortions are legal, such as Kansas and Illinois, are reporting an influx of inquiries from patients hundreds of miles away 鈥 and are expanding in response. Despite the Supreme Court鈥檚 overturning of federal protections in 2022, abortions are now at their highest numbers in a decade.
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Historic Numbers of Americans Live by Themselves as They Age
Longer life spans, rising rates of divorce, widowhood, and childlessness, and smaller, far-flung families are fueling a 鈥済ray revolution鈥 in older adults鈥 living arrangements. It can have profound health consequences.
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Thanks to Reddit, a New Diagnosis Is Bubbling Up Across the Nation
Social media has helped spread the word about a treatment that involves getting Botox in the neck. It鈥檚 for a condition that鈥檚 gaining awareness but still often dismissed: the inability to burp.
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Public Voices Often Ignored in States鈥 Opioid Settlement Money Decisions
In many places, victims of the opioid epidemic are silenced in decision-making about how to use opioid settlement money, a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by 吃瓜不打烊 and Spotlight PA found.
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Amid Medicaid 鈥楿nwinding,鈥 Many States Wind Up Expanding
The end of pandemic-era Medicaid coverage protections coincided with changes in more than a dozen states to expand coverage for lower-income people, including children, pregnant women, and the incarcerated.
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The Nation鈥檚 911 System Is on the Brink of Its Own Emergency
911 outages have hit at least eight states this year. They鈥檙e emblematic of problems plaguing emergency response communications due in part to wide disparities in capabilities and funding.
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Nursing Homes Wield Pandemic Immunity Laws To Duck Wrongful Death Suits
More than 172,000 nursing home residents died of covid. In lawsuits, some families who lost loved ones say they were misled about safety measures or told that covid wasn鈥檛 a danger in their facilities.
By Fred Schulte -
Their First Baby Came With Medical Debt. These Illinois Parents Won鈥檛 Have Another.
Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials.
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Paid Sick Leave Sticks After Many Pandemic Protections Vanish
The U.S. is one of nine countries that do not guarantee paid sick leave. Since the covid pandemic, advocates in states including Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska are organizing to take the issue to voters with ballot initiatives this November.
By Zach Dyer -
What Florida鈥檚 New 6-Week Abortion Ban Means for the South, and Traveling Patients
Florida has served as a haven for Southern pregnant women with little or no access to abortions. But the Florida Supreme Court upheld a six-week abortion restriction that begins in May 鈥 so now women across much of the South seeking abortions will have to look farther afield.