Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

With rising elder care costs, the Great Wealth Transfer won't be so great

Older generations are spending down their nest eggs and leaving smaller inheritances to adult children, writer Annie Logue explains.
Many Americans, especially baby boomers, will have to spend much of their savings on health care as they age.
Getty Images

In our fragmented health care system, access to information may be the biggest risk

Jul 20, 2023
In "Fragmented," Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz writes about health care providers' struggles to access medical information and how it impacts patients.
"Our electronic medical records are extremely disorganized," said Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz, who discusses the time doctors waste searching for patient information in her book "Fragmented."
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Millions may soon lose Medicaid coverage

May 24, 2023
During the COVID public health emergency, states couldn’t kick anyone off Medicaid. Now, that continuous enrollment is coming to an end.
As of March 2023, nearly 95 million people had coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provide free or low-cost health insurance to low-income people. 
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

As the Family and Medical Leave Act turns 30, millions of Americans still lack access to paid leave

Feb 3, 2023
The U.S. is the only wealthy country in the world that doesn’t guarantee workers a single day of paid leave.
An estimated 44% of Americans are not entitled to paid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for NYC for Paid Leave

A $30 million gift to build an addiction treatment center. Then staffers had to run it.

Jan 19, 2023
The money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, but to stay running, the clinic is on its own.
Crossing Healthcare, an addiction treatment facility in Decatur, Illinois, received a $30 million grant to build the center, but had to fund staffing and programs by itself.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Hospitals explore virtual nursing to cover staffing shortages and fight burnout

Jan 11, 2023
With nurses facing burnout like never before, some hospitals are exploring remote work options that could keep experienced RNs on the job longer.
Ardent Health is partnering with care.ai to implement virtual nursing technology in each of its 30 hospitals, though the companies say they plan to use local nurses rather than beaming in people from out of state.
Courtesy care.ai

When should patients be admitted to a hospital through the ER?

Oct 20, 2022
A hospital giant faces questions about whether it's been too quick to admit patients to the hospital from the emergency room.
HCA is based in Nashville and has hospitals around the country. A member of Congress has asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to open an investigation into questions about its practices around hospital admissions.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

For public good, not for profit.

More health care workers will be able to provide abortions under a new Maryland law

Jun 29, 2022
Maryland is one of 19 states expanding access to abortion by widening the circle of providers, including physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
In addition to allowing qualified health care workers to perform abortions, Maryland's new law also provides $3.5 million a year to train abortion providers.
Nic Coury/AFP via Getty Images

What will happen to women of color in the COVID-19 workforce?

Jun 9, 2022
“In almost every single state, the first person to be vaccinated was a woman of color,” says the 19th’s economy reporter Chabeli Carrazana.
A registered nurse vaccinates an 83-year-old woman at her home in Manchester, Connecticut, in February 2021.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Formula One engineering paves the way for sustainable innovation

Jun 6, 2022
Motor sport is “the world's fastest R&D lab,” said Dr. Kit Chapman, author of "Racing Green."
Vladimir Rys/Getty Images