Colorado Health Month: Dec. 21, 2022
Rural Colorado Tries to Fill Health Worker Gaps With Apprenticeships
Kate Ruder
A Grand Junction program is training and retaining nurse and personal care aides in areas where the aging population is creating a need for them. But challenges remain for these workers.
Colorado Option’s Big Test: Open Enrollment
Markian Hawryluk
Critics were ready to bury the state’s new health insurance plans, based on a public option, when 2023 rate hikes were announced, but officials are confident people will be drawn to the plans’ benefits.
States Challenge Biden to Lower Drug Prices by Allowing Imports From Canada
Phil Galewitz
Colorado has joined Florida, New Hampshire, and New Mexico in seeking federal permission to import prescription drugs from Canada. President Joe Biden endorsed the approach in his 2020 campaign but has yet to approve any state plan.
In Rural America, Deadly Costs of Opioids Outweigh the Dollars Tagged to Address Them
Aneri Pattani and Rae Ellen Bichell
Some people say it’s reasonable for densely populated areas to receive more settlement funds, since they serve more of those affected. But others worry this overlooks rural communities disproportionately harmed by opioid addiction.
Mass Shootings Reopen the Debate Over Whether Crime Scene Photos Prompt Change or Trauma
Lauren Sausser
After almost every mass shooting, a debate is renewed over whether to publish the photos of the carnage the guns have inflicted.
After Tuition, Books, and Room and Board, Colleges’ Rising Health Fees Hit a Nerve
Phil Galewitz
Many colleges require students to have health insurance coverage, and the college option can be costly. In addition, some schools mandate that students pay a fee to cover health services on campus.
How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions
Fred Schulte and Holly K. Hacker
Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.
Are You an Optimist? Could You Learn to Be? Your Health May Depend on It.
Judith Graham
Multiple studies show a strong association between higher levels of optimism and healthy aging. We ask some dedicated optimists what might explain the connection.