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A new domestic violence shelter in Bozeman, Montana, reflects efforts nationwide to rethink the model that keeps survivors of abuse in hiding. But there are no guidelines for bringing shelters out into the open, leaving each to make it up as they go.
Before the covid-19 public health emergency ended, Medicare advocates around the country noticed a rise in complaints from beneficiaries who received at-home covid tests they never requested. Bad actors may have used seniors鈥 Medicare information to improperly bill the federal government 鈥 and could do it again, say federal investigators.
A study of roughly 2,700 shootings in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia found that racial disparities in gun injuries and deaths widened during the covid-19 pandemic. Researchers looked only at assaults, excluding accidents or incidents of self-harm.
New York and California have passed laws requiring disclosure of ingredients on menstrual product packaging. Advocates want more transparency across the U.S.
An EEG can help diagnose conditions like epilepsy, sleep disorders, and brain tumors. But a design flaw and outdated Eurocentric practices make the test less effective on thicker, denser, and curly hair types, potentially excluding or deterring some people from getting screened.
Billions of dollars are headed to state and local governments to address the opioid crisis. Policy experts and advocates expect the federal government to play a role in overseeing the use of the money. Failure to do so, they say, could lead to wasted opportunities. And, since Medicaid helps pay health care costs, the feds could have a claim to portions of states鈥 opioid settlements.
The private equity-backed practice has been known to demand more than $100,000 in charges or penalties. One patient is fighting back.
The full health risks of wearing apparel made with PFAS, also known as 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥 are still unknown. But states are taking action so clothing makers will remove them.
A U.S. District Court case is being widely followed because the judge鈥檚 decision could overturn the FDA鈥檚 approval of mifepristone two decades ago. With abortion rights polling well even in red states, anti-abortion activists are increasingly turning to the courts to achieve their aims.
Missouri is considering making it a felony to jack up temporary health care staffing prices during a statewide or national emergency. It鈥檚 one of at least 14 states looking to reel in travel nurse costs, after many hospitals struggled to pay for needed staffers earlier in the covid pandemic.
Consumer and patient advocates push for new federal rules to protect Americans from debt collectors and force hospitals to make financial assistance more accessible.
Mayor Eric Adams鈥 announcement this year to provide abortion pills free of charge at four of New York鈥檚 sexual health clinics is the city鈥檚 latest move on abortion access. Other jurisdictions are also taking steps.
Washington state regulators found formaldehyde, lead, and arsenic in lipstick, powder foundations, skin lotions, and hair products marketed to and popular with women of color. Now legislators there are seeking to ban the products and, like at least a dozen other states, make up for lax federal rules.
Abortion is a top issue for state lawmakers meeting for their first full sessions since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Because morning sickness is common, severe nausea in pregnancy can be minimized by doctors or the patients themselves. Untreated, symptoms can worsen 鈥 and delays lead to medical emergencies.
As flexible treatment options spurred by the covid pandemic wane, patients relying on medications classified as controlled substances worry that without action to extend the loosened rules, it鈥檒l be harder to get their meds.
Noise pollution is a growing problem that isn鈥檛 confined to the ears: It can cause harm throughout the body. California is taking baby steps to address the increasing din from traffic and illegally modified cars, but public health experts urge lawmakers to act more boldly.
This strategy 鈥 now in place in at least 10 states 鈥 is part of an effort to curb accidental opioid overdose deaths by patients who take these powerful medications.
In El Paso County, where five people were killed in a mass shooting at a nightclub in November, officials have filed relatively few emergency petitions to temporarily remove a person鈥檚 guns, with scant approvals.
An examination of billing policies and practices at more than 500 hospitals across the country shows widespread reliance on aggressive collection tactics.
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