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Medicare expands mental health coverage

Dec 25, 2023
Loosened restrictions on who can bill the program for mental health services mean more options for Americans, especially in rural areas.
The Jan 1. change to Medicare will make some 400,000 providers, or 40% of the mental health workforce, eligible to bill the program.  
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty IMages

Climate change effects likely to include long-term inflation

Nov 14, 2023
The fifth National Climate Assessment says climate change will continue to nudge household spending higher in many categories — including health, food and home repair.
In June, smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted over New York City and obscured the Manhattan skyline. Increased air pollution could lead to higher health care costs.
Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of younger veterans go uninsured, new report finds

Nov 10, 2023
The Urban Institute has released a new report saying that roughly 400,000 veterans under 65 go without coverage. But expanded Medicaid could help.
"A little under 5% of veterans below age 65 remain without coverage,” said Jessica Banthin at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

How a weight loss drug's approval could affect insurance premiums

Nov 10, 2023
The FDA's approval of Eli Lilly's Zepbound could signal more insurers paying for the use of such drugs. Demand is great so the costs could be big and push up premiums.
Eli Lilly’s newly FDA-approved weight loss drug, Zepbound, is priced roughly 21% lower than competitor Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
Eli Lilly

Higher subsidies drive record ACA enrollment

Nov 9, 2023
The government has extended pandemic-era subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplace until 2025 — and even higher-income families are eligible.
Just about everyone looking for an ACA plan is eligible for a higher subsidy than before, said Vivian Ho at Rice University.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Feeling burnt out from COVID-19, one nurse turned to chainsaw art

Nov 6, 2023
"I got that first chainsaw and, I don't know, I just felt right at home," says Taylor White, a chainsaw carver in Maine.
One of White's most recent projects was a 10-foot-tall grizzly bear carving.
Courtesy Taylor White

Do the latest job numbers point to a coming recession?

Nov 6, 2023
The number of new jobs created each month has been trending down for the past year — but there is also a good amount of positive data in the latest report.
Overall, the number of new jobs created each month has been chaotic but generally trending down for 12 months.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Health care costs were a main driver of inflation in September

Oct 27, 2023
Rising costs for prescriptions and hospital services were felt in latest PCE report, though health inflation has been mild in the past year.
By the end of the decade, health care is expected to account for about a fifth of the U.S. economy.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Walgreens pharmacists are walking off the job to protest working conditions

Oct 11, 2023
Retail pharmacists deal with understaffing and burnout as their job responsibilities expand beyond dispensing medication.
The role and duties of pharmacists have only expanded throughout the pandemic.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Filipino nurses fill critical jobs as workforce shortage intensifies

Sep 11, 2023
Foreign nurses are in high demand to support patients in U.S. nursing homes and hospitals, but visa barriers remain in place.
Houston-area Filipino nurses Cristina Dimafiles and JohnRich Levine are veterans of the field.
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