California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. The announcement, which was first reported by Politico, comes a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on … Read more

Audit finds Minnesota agency’s lax oversight fostered theft of $250M from federal food aid program

Audit finds Minnesota agency’s lax oversight fostered theft of 0M from federal food aid program

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota agency’s inadequate oversight of a federal program that was meant to provide food to kids, and its failure to act on red flags, created the opportunities that led to the theft of $250 million in one of the country’s largest pandemic aid fraud cases, the Legislature’s watchdog arm said Thursday in … Read more

With 1 out of 3 Californians on Medicaid, doctors push ballot measure to force state to pay more

With 1 out of 3 Californians on Medicaid, doctors push ballot measure to force state to pay 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

Supreme Court sides with Native American tribes in health care funding dispute with government

Supreme Court sides with Native American tribes in health care funding dispute with government

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sided with Native American tribes Thursday in a dispute with the federal government over the cost of health care when tribes run programs in their own communities. The 5-4 decision means the government will cover millions in overhead costs that two tribes faced when they took over running their health … Read more

In cities across the US, Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmacies

In cities across the US, Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmacies

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Parts of the north side of Montgomery are defined by what it has lost: restaurants, grocery stores and a convenient pharmacy, the latter of which closed five years ago. People who still live in the historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, like Sharon Harris, are frustrated. She goes to a different location of … Read more

California governor criticized for proposal to eliminate health benefit for some disabled immigrants

California governor criticized for proposal to eliminate health benefit for some disabled immigrants

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed he would not fix the state’s budget deficit by taking away health insurance from low-income adults living in the country without legal permission, calling the state’s policy “something I believe in.” But Newsom would eliminate an important health benefit for some low-income immigrants with disabilities, angering his … Read more

Despite surging demand for long-term care, providers struggle to find workers

Despite surging demand for long-term care, providers struggle to find workers

The hardest part of Culix Wibonele’s first job in long-term care was not getting injured. Originally from Kenya, Wibonele worked as a certified nursing assistant in Atlanta in 2014. She went to the homes of mostly older clients, helping them with everything from bathing to cooking. Wibonele worked alone and sometimes had to lift clients … Read more

Can Medicare money protect doctors from abortion crimes? It worked before, desegregating hospitals

Can Medicare money protect doctors from abortion crimes? It worked before, desegregating hospitals

ATLANTA — The Supreme Court’s pending Idaho abortion ruling may hinge on how federal spending power might protect doctors against a state’s criminal code. For guidance, the justices can look to the very beginning of Medicare in the 1960s, when the promise of federal funding finally persuaded hospitals in the Jim Crow South to desegregate. … Read more

Tennessee to become first state to offer free diapers for Medicaid families

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will soon become the first state in the country to offer free diapers to families enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program after receiving federal approval, state officials have confirmed. According to TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, families will be able to receive up to 100 diapers per month for children under two … Read more

A new South Africa health law aims at deep inequality, but critics say they’ll challenge it

A new South Africa health law aims at deep inequality, but critics say they’ll challenge it

JOHANNESBURG — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday signed into law a bill that aims to overhaul the healthcare system to address deep inequality, but it faces legal challenges from critics. The law introduces what is known as National Health Insurance, which will provide funds for all South Africans to access private healthcare. Currently, … Read more