States Jostle Over $50B Rural Health Fund as Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Trigger Scramble

States are battling for their piece of $50 billion in federal rural health funding, but it’s not just hospitals vying for the money. Tech startups and policy demands are raising the stakes as Medicaid cuts loom.

Nuclear Missile Workers Are Contracting Cancer. They Blame the Bases.

People who maintained the nation’s land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced.

She Had a Broken Arm, No Insurance — And a $97,000 Bill

Deborah Buttgereit knew piecing together the broken bone in her elbow would be expensive. But complications the doctor deemed a surprise, midsurgery, drove the total bill tens of thousands of dollars above the original estimate.

Ticks Are Migrating, Raising Disease Risks if They Can’t Be Tracked Quickly Enough

Doctors need to know when to screen for tick-borne diseases in their communities. But it’s getting harder for local health departments to get funding for tick surveys as federal public health grants from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dry up.

Las garrapatas migran y aumentan los riesgos de enfermedades si no se las rastrea con rapidez

El cambio climático provocado por los humanos ha acortado los inviernos, lo que hace que las garrapatas pasen menos tiempo en hibernación y tengan más meses de actividad para engancharse a animales y personas.

Climate Activists Cite Health Hazards in Bid To Stop Trump From ‘Unleashing’ Fossil Fuels

Buoyed by a Montana court ruling upholding state residents’ right to a “clean and healthful environment,” nearly two dozen people ages 7 to 24 hope to block the Trump administration’s executive orders on energy.

Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom

As states prepare to implement changes to Medicaid required by President Donald Trump’s recent tax-and-spending law, tribal leaders say they are concerned Native American enrollees could lose their coverage, despite exemptions made by Congress.

Experts Say Rural Emergency Rooms Are Increasingly Run Without Doctors

Some doctors and the groups that represent them say physicians’ extensive training leads to better emergency care, and that some hospitals are trying to save money by not hiring them. They support new laws in Indiana, Virginia, and South Carolina that require physicians to be on-site 24/7.

New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway for States

More than a dozen states are seeking their own versions of Medicaid work requirements. But the incoming federal standards pose questions around how much leeway states have to design their rules.

Tribal Health Officials Work To Fill Vaccination Gaps as Measles Outbreak Spreads

Native American tribes and health organizations are hosting clinics and calling patients to counteract low measles vaccination rates and limited access to health care as the disease spreads across the country.

Republicans Call Medicaid Rife With Fraudsters. This Man Sees No Choice but To Break the Rules.

Congressional Republicans successfully pushed to add hurdles to qualify for Medicaid by saying they would eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. This is the story of a Montana man who explains why he said he is breaking the rules to keep his health insurance and his job.

Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid — Even in GOP States

Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.

Insurers Fight State Laws Restricting Surprise Ambulance Bills

A Colorado bill banning surprise billing for ambulance rides passed unanimously in both legislative chambers, only to be met with a veto from the governor. As more states pass such legislation, some are hitting the same snag — concerns about raising premiums.