The New Old Age
A New Option for Long-Term Care Costs
Washington state has launched the first program to help cover home care and other supports. Several other states are paying attention.
Washington
1 - 20 of 203 Results
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Thousands of Medicare Beneficiaries Thought Their Drug Plan Was Free. Then They Lost It.
Thousands of people who had a Medicare drug plan with zero-dollar premiums last year got small premium increases this year â and didnât know it. They were dropped from their coverage for failing to pay amounts as little as $8, and most canât get it again until 2027.
By Susan Jaffe -
He Dreamed of Becoming a Physician Assistant. New Loan Rules May Thwart Him.
Starting in July, the government will cap what graduate students may borrow in federal loans, forcing many toward private lenders with higher interest rates. The borrowing limits will affect students pursuing healthcare degrees, and some clinicians and student loan experts worry they may impede efforts to diversify the healthcare workforce.
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Medicareâs AI Push Snarls Patients and Doctors in Errors and Delays
Medicare is testing the use of artificial intelligence to preapprove several healthcare services. Federal health officials say prior authorization can help reduce fraud and contain costs. But doctors and patients describe the trial as âhorrendousâ and full of red tape so far.
By Darius Tahir -
Tennessee Pharmacies Sell Potent Ivermectin, Led by Anti-Vaccine Doctor Whoâs Taken âBucketloadsâ
Four years after the Volunteer State enacted the nationâs first law allowing drugstores to sell ivermectin without patient-specific prescriptions, dozens of pharmacies dispense the drug in highly concentrated pills â many with the help of one anti-vaccine physician.
By Brett Kelman and Rachana Pradhan -
By September, Nearly a Third of Americans Will Live in States With Legal Aid in Dying
Despite widespread support in polls for legalizing aid in dying, the number of people who go through with the practice remains very small.
By Paula Span -
After Her Bout of Amnesia, a $59,000 Billing Dispute Wouldnât Go Away
Last spring, a woman started exhibiting unusual memory problems after a hike in Arizona. It turns out she was experiencing a disorder called transient global amnesia. She has fully recovered, but a dispute over nearly $60,000 in hospital charges has been a source of stress for over a year.
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Religious Anti-Abortion Center Finds Opportunity in Town Without OB-GYNs
A crisis pregnancy center in Sandpoint, Idaho, wants to expand womenâs healthcare three years after the labor and delivery unit at the townâs hospital closed and its OB-GYNs moved out of state.
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Eroding ACA Enrollment Portends Higher Insurance Rates
An uptick in people skipping Obamacare premium payments in many states suggests the Affordable Care Actâs rising costs â driven partly by lower subsidies to help people buy plans â are hitting home for 2026 enrollees. The trend adds to voter concerns about affordability ahead of the midterm elections.
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License To Deliver: Some Midwives Break the Law To Assist With Home Births
Some states bar professional midwives from attending home births if they donât have a nursing license. Their advocates say laws to allow midwife licensing would make home birth safer and more accessible, plus help address a maternity care shortage.
By Lisa Rab -
Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts
States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.
By Aaron Bolton, MTPR and Arielle Zionts -
Reckoning With State and Federal Cuts, Los Angeles Safety-Net Clinics Push for a New Tax
Across California and the nation, health providers, advocates, local officials, and state legislators are eyeing tax increases to offset a loss of more than $900 billion in federal Medicaid dollars as a result of the GOPâs One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In Los Angeles County, community clinics have banded together in support of a half-cent sales tax.
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Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump and RFK Jr. on Public Health
Scientists are cheering California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he builds a public health bulwark against health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.âs anti-vaccine stance and President Donald Trumpâs withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Still, federal cuts have sapped morale and left local health departments less prepared for outbreaks.
By Angela Hart -
Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are in Crisis
Mobile crisis units are trained to respond to emergency calls when people are experiencing delusions or hallucinations. But unlike police departments, which are generally funded by local taxpayers, mobile crisis teams donât have a single, reliable funding source. As a result, some are closing down, despite successful operations and local support.
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âYou Arenât Trappedâ: Hundreds of US Nurses Choose Canada Over Trumpâs America
More than 1,000 American nurses have successfully applied for licensure in British Columbia since April, a massive increase over prior years. Ontario and Alberta have also seen more interest from Americans.
By Brett Kelman -
State Lawmakers Seek Restraints on Wage Garnishment for Medical Debt
At least eight states are considering legislation to curtail wage garnishment over unpaid medical bills, as health care costs rise and more people become underinsured.
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Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care
The state recently became the third to offer a public option health plan through its Affordable Care Act marketplace. But researchers said itâs unlikely to fill the gaps left by sweeping changes at the federal level.
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Obamacare Sign-Ups Drop, but the Extent Wonât Be Clear for Months
Experts say Affordable Care Act sign-up data wonât be clear until people who were enrolled have paid â or haven't paid â their new, often much higher, premiums.
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Newsom Walks Thin Line on Immigrant Health as He Eyes Presidential Bid
Progressives are assailing Gov. Gavin Newsom for proposing to pull back coverage for some legal residents, such as refugees and asylum-seekers, while conservatives lambaste the California Democrat for using limited state funds on Medicaid coverage for immigrants without legal status.
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These 3 Policy Moves Are Likely To Change Health Care for Older People
Two Trump administration regulatory rollbacks affect nursing home staffing and home care workers, and a new AI experiment in Medicare has alarmed eldercare advocates and congressional Democrats.
By Paula Span