What the Slowing Vaccine Rates Mean for One Rural Montana County
In one northwestern Montana county where demand for covid vaccines is dropping well before widespread immunity is reached, people are split on whether the virus is a threat.
Mountain States Bureau
吃瓜不打烊 tells the stories of Colorado, Montana, and the rest of the region.
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5 Things to Know About Health Care Changes in Montana
The covid pandemic drove major changes to Montana health policies, including the permanent expansion of telehealth regulations, a pullback on local public health officials鈥 authority and the easing of vaccination requirements for workers and students.
By Matt Volz -
What a Difference a Year Makes in Colorado鈥檚 Case for a Public Option Plan
Before the pandemic, Colorado was building momentum to pass what鈥檚 known as a 鈥減ublic option鈥 health plan that would lower insurance premiums and force hospitals to accept lower payments. But now with hospitals and health care providers enjoying support as front-line heroes in the pandemic, state legislators have stripped the option from their bill.
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In Poisoned Montana Town, Warren Buffett-Owned Railroad Accuses Clinic of Medicare Fraud
BNSF Railway accuses the Center for Asbestos Related Disease of Medicare fraud by misdiagnosing and overtreating asbestos-caused illnesses, which the health clinic calls a cynical attempt by the company to limit its own liability.
By Sara Reardon -
鈥楻ed Flag鈥 Gun Laws Get Another Look After Indiana, Colorado Shootings
It鈥檚 unclear whether 鈥渞ed flag鈥 laws 鈥 which allow the seizure of guns from a person deemed dangerous 鈥 help prevent mass shootings or should have been applied to the suspects in recent shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Indianapolis.
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Only One Vaccine Is OK’d for Older Teens. It鈥檚 Also the Hardest to Manage in Rural America.
Of the three covid vaccines the U.S. government has authorized, only one is available to 16- and 17-year-olds: the Pfizer shot. It鈥檚 also the most complicated to manage in rural settings, with their small, dispersed populations. That forces some teens and their families to travel long distances for a dose 鈥 or go without.
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From Rotten Teeth to Advanced Cancer, Patients Feel the Effects of Treatment Delays
Health providers are seeing the consequences of pandemic-delayed preventive and emergency care, from longer hospital stays to more root canals.
By Bruce Alpert -
Public Health Experts Worry About Boom-Bust Cycle of Support
Congress has poured tens of billions of dollars into public health since last year. While health officials who have juggled bare-bones budgets for years are grateful for the money, they worry it will soon dry up, just as it has after previous crises such as 9/11, SARS and Ebola. Meanwhile, they continue to cope with an exodus from the field amid political pressure and exhaustion that meant 1 in 6 Americans lost their local health department leader.
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Snag a Vaccine Appointment, Then Face the Next Hurdle: How to Get There?
For some, a vaccine appointment a few hours away is no biggie. For others, it鈥檚 a major barrier to gaining protection from the coronavirus.
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What Covid Means for the Athlete鈥檚 Heart
As athletes at all levels resume their sports, what risks do their hearts carry if they鈥檝e had covid? Initial data shows the risk may be low but still possibly deadly.
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Montana Sticks to Its Patchwork Covid Vaccine Rollout as Eligibility Expands
Montana鈥檚 overstretched counties and tribal governments have developed a mishmash of policies and plans that require ingenuity and mutual support to work. A reporting project by KHN, Montana Free Press and the University of Montana School of Journalism finds the biggest test of that disparate system looms as vaccine eligibility expands. Plus: a county-by-county guide to vaccine availability in Montana.
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Durango鈥檚 Covid 鈥楥owboy鈥 Rounds Up Spring Break Scofflaws, Lines 鈥橢m Up for Shots
The city of Durango has hired an actor to bring his Old West acting skills to tackle a current problem: the Wild West of spring break, in which visitors from states such as Texas and Oklahoma flock to town. The 鈥渓awman鈥 cajoles them into wearing masks while vaccinators stand ready for out-of-town visitors.
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Getting a Prescription to Die Remains Tricky Even as Aid-in-Dying Bills Gain Momentum
Access to physician-assisted death is expanding across the U.S., but the procedure remains in Montana鈥檚 legal gray zone more than a decade after the state Supreme Court ruled physicians could use a dying patient鈥檚 consent as a defense.
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Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell
Clinicians at pediatric hospitals are experimenting with 鈥渟mell training鈥 among children who had covid-19 and have now lost this sense.
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Covid-Inspired Montana Health Insurance Proposal Wouldn鈥檛 Kick In for 2 Years
Montana is looking to join most other states in requiring small businesses to offer laid-off employees temporary continuity of their health care plans. But the bill, if it passes, likely won鈥檛 take effect in time to help people directly affected by the pandemic.
By Sara Reardon -
Need Amid Plenty: Richest US Counties Are Overwhelmed by Surge in Child Hunger
Hunger among kids is skyrocketing, even in America鈥檚 wealthiest counties. But given the nation鈥檚 highly uneven charitable food system, affluent communities have been far less ready for the unprecedented crisis than places accustomed to dealing with poverty and hardship.
By Laura Ungar -
For Spring Season, Young Athletes Get Back in the Game Despite Covid Risk
With schools opening up classrooms, millions of young athletes are also getting out on fields and courts. But pandemic precautions and delays are spurring conflicts among parents, coaches and doctors.
By Laura Ungar -
The Boom in Out-of-State Telehealth Threatens In-State Providers
Health provider conflicts, fraud and access disparity temper the covid telehealth revolution.
By Matt Volz -
A Year Into the Pandemic, Three Huge Losses in One Family
The Aldaco family of Phoenix suffered more than most in this year of unfathomable losses. Three brothers perished in the pandemic: Jose in July, Heriberto in December and Gonzalo in February.
By Will Stone -
What Childhood Vaccine Rates Can, and Can鈥檛, Teach Us About Covid Vaccines
Hesitancy toward routine childhood vaccines doesn鈥檛 necessarily predict hesitancy toward a covid shot.