CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina Medicaid recipients can begin receiving over-the-counter birth control pills at no cost this week through hundreds of participating pharmacies. The oral conceptive Opill will be covered and available without a prescription to Medicaid enrollees starting Thursday at more than 300 retail and commercial pharmacies in 92 of the state’s … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review rulings that found the state’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory, Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Thursday. In April, the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-6 in the case involving … Read more
GROVE HILL, Ala. — One of the last remaining birthing units in southern Alabama will close next month to qualify for federal funding that will save the hospital’s emergency services, but doctors warn the move may cost newborns and pregnant women essential access to obstetric care. Nestled in rural Clarke County, the small, nonprofit Grove … Read more
ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration complied with the law when it declined to grant an extension to Georgia’s year-old Medicaid plan, which is the only one in the country that has a work requirement for recipients of the publicly funded health coverage for low-income people. The state didn’t comply with … Read more
ATLANTA — By now, Georgia officials expected their new Medicaid plan, the only one in the nation with a work requirement, to provide health insurance to 25,000 low-income residents and possibly tens of thousands more. But a year since its launch, Pathways to Coverage has roughly 4,300 members, much lower than what state officials projected … Read more
The share of people with medical debt in collections that shows up in their credit reports has fallen in the past decade. Yet unpaid balances due to health-care costs continue to burden individuals and families. In 2013, 19.5% of Americans had medical debt in collections, while 10 years later, in 2023, that share fell to … Read more
NEW ORLEANS — Employers who challenged some federal health insurance requirements cannot be forced to provide no-cost coverage for certain types of preventive care, including HIV prep and some kinds of cancer screenings, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled Friday. The ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is narrow, applying … Read more
LONDON — An investigation into a ransomware attack earlier this month on London hospitals by the Russian group Qilin could take weeks to complete, the country’s state-run National Health Service said Friday, as concerns grow over a reported data dump of patient records. Hundreds of operations and appointments are still being canceled more than two … Read more
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Health authorities in Ivory Coast launched mobile enrollment centers for the country’s universal health coverage program, which has been criticized since its 2019 inception over difficulties accessing benefits. Ivory Coast is one of a handful countries in West Africa that offers a universal health program. But, five years in, less than … Read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year agreed to a tax increase that aimed to do two things: Help balance a budget with a multibillion-dollar shortfall, and pay doctors more money to treat patients covered by Medicaid — the taxpayer-funded health insurance program for people with low incomes that now covers one out … Read more
