Apr 01 Oregon governor signs a bill recriminalizing drug possession By Associated Press The new law rolls back the state's previous decriminalization efforts by making so-called personal use possession a misdemeanor. It also establishes ways for treatment to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties. Continue reading
Apr 01 Florida Supreme Court upholds 15-week abortion ban, but voters will soon have a say By Brendan Farrington, Associated Press The court ruled 6-1 Monday to uphold the state's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, meaning a ban on six weeks could soon take effect. But under a separate ruling, the court allowed a ballot measure on… Continue reading
Apr 01 U.S. defense official had 'Havana syndrome' symptoms during a 2023 NATO summit, the Pentagon confirms By Tara Copp, Associated Press Intelligence assessments have found that it is unlikely that Havana syndrome attacks were conducted by a foreign adversary. But intelligence agencies have varying degrees of confidence in that assessment. Continue reading
Apr 01 Hospitals must now obtain written consent for certain medical exams, new federal guidance says By Devna Bose, Associated Press The guidance requires written informed consent for breast, pelvic, prostrate and rectal exams for “educational and training purposes” performed by medical students, nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Continue reading
Apr 01 Texas patient diagnosed with bird flu after contact with cows presumed to be infected By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The only reported symptom was eye redness, and the patient is recovering. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low. Continue reading
Mar 31 Watch 10:09 What to know about Georgia's controversial approach to expanding Medicaid By John Yang, Sam Weber, Kaisha Young Since Medicaid was created 60 years ago, it’s been expanded again and again. Now, it’s the U.S. government’s biggest public health insurance program. For our series “America’s Safety Net,” John Yang reports on efforts to expand it even further with… Continue watching
Mar 30 Watch 8:43 As America's population ages, women shoulder the burden as primary caregivers By Ali Rogin, Claire Mufson, Satvi Sunkara Currently, 1 in 6 Americans is older than 65, a number that’s projected to rise to 1 in 4 by 2050. As older Americans’ needs for medical care and other support grow, women bear the biggest part of the burden… Continue watching
Mar 30 Watch 6:45 What's at stake for Americans at risk of losing Medicaid as unwinding continues By John Yang, Sam Weber, Kaisha Young Medicaid is the nation’s largest health insurance program, covering nearly 80 million people, or more than 1 in 5 Americans. For many people who have low incomes or a disability, or who are either very young or very old, it’s… Continue watching
Mar 28 Dairy cows in Texas, Kansas test positive for avian flu By Mike Stobbe, JoNel Aleccia, Associated Press The commercial milk supply is safe and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required to only allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from the sick animals… Continue reading
Mar 28 Mississippi is closer than ever to expanding Medicaid. What are the barriers? By Laura Santhanam In Mississippi, a state that reports the lowest life expectancy and highest poverty rate in the United States and ranks among the most uninsured states in the nation, Medicaid expansion could make a significant difference for hundreds of thousands of… Continue reading