Shrinking Medicaid Rolls In Missouri And Tennessee Raise Flag On Vetting Process

State health officials say several factors, including the improved economy, are behind the 7 percent drop last year in Missouri and 9 percent reduction in Tennessee of Medicaid recipients. But advocates for the poor are worried the states’ efforts to weed out residents who are improperly enrolled has led to people mistakenly forced off the rolls.

Students With Addictions Immersed In The Sober Life At ‘Recovery’ High Schools

At one Seattle public school, students earn their diplomas while attending daily support groups and meeting with counselors to help them stay off drugs and alcohol. There are about 40 similar schools around the country, both public and private, and more are on the drawing board.

Call The Midwife! (If The Doctor Doesn’t Object)

Hospitals and medical practices are battling outdated stereotypes and sometimes their own doctors to hire certified nurse midwives. Research shows that women cared for by certified nurse midwives have fewer cesarean sections, which can produce significant cost savings for hospitals.

To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody

To get care for their 12-year-old son’s severe mental illness, Toni and Jim Hoy had to give up custody of him and allow the state of Illinois to care for him. It happens to hundreds, perhaps thousands of children each year. The exact number is unknown because two-thirds of states do not keep track.

Insured But Still In Debt: 5 Jobs Pulling In $100K A Year No Match For Medical Bills

An Arizona couple played by the rules and bought employer-provided health insurance. But after they had a baby this year, their out-of-pocket hospital costs and doctors’ bills climbed to more than $12,000 — and medical debt now threatens their new family.

The Year Of The Vape: Teen E-Cigarette Use Spikes

More than a third of high school seniors said they have vaped in the past year — up nearly 10 percentage points from the previous year. The dramatic jump comes despite efforts by public health officials, educators and lawmakers to reverse the e-cigarette trend among youths, including a recent proposal to ban retail sales of flavored tobacco products in California.

FDA Allows Food Makers To Fortify Corn Masa To Halt Birth Defects, But Few Do

The decision aimed at adding folic acid — a vitamin that can prevent devastating defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord — to flours, chips and tortillas hasn’t caught on with many makers of widely used corn products.