The Nation鈥檚 911 System Is on the Brink of Its Own Emergency
911 outages have hit at least eight states this year. They鈥檙e emblematic of problems plaguing emergency response communications due in part to wide disparities in capabilities and funding.
Legislation
161-180 of 780 results
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California Leaders Tussle With Health Industry Over Billions of New Dollars for Medi-Cal
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pull funds earmarked for new investment in Medi-Cal to help plug California鈥檚 $45 billion deficit. A state budget passed June 13 by the legislature largely endorsed Newsom鈥檚 plan. Voters could settle the matter in an industry-backed initiative that has qualified for the November ballot.
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California Lawmakers Preserve Aid to Older, Disabled Immigrants
Lawmakers passed a budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 proposal to save nearly $95 million by eliminating in-home support services for qualifying older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. Advocates say Newsom鈥檚 plan would have cost more in the long run. Newsom has not indicated whether he鈥檒l veto.
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Heat Rules for California Workers Would Also Help Keep Schoolchildren Cool
Proposed state standards to protect indoor workers from extreme heat would extend to schools. The rules come as climate change is bringing more frequent and intense heat waves, causing schools nationwide to cancel instruction.
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Wins at the Ballot Box for Abortion Rights Still Mean Court Battles for Access
Michigan and Ohio serve as cautionary tales for states whose voters will decide abortion ballot initiatives this year: Even if the measures pass, it would take time to unwind conflicting laws.
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Health Worker for a Nonprofit? The New Ban on Noncompete Contracts May Not Help You
Provider groups are disappointed that the Federal Trade Commission鈥檚 new rule may not protect those who work for nonprofit hospitals and health care facilities, which employ the largest number of medical professionals.
By Harris Meyer -
Urged on by LGBTQ+ Activists, California Cities Weigh Stricter Smoking Rules
High rates of smoking in the LGBTQ+ community, and the ease with which young people can buy a range of nicotine products, is leading several Northern California cities to consider new restrictions on cigarettes, vapes, and cigars.
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鈥楽o Much Death鈥: Lawmakers Weigh Stricter Speed Limits, Safer Roads for Pedestrians
New York and Michigan recently passed laws allowing local jurisdictions to lower speed limits, and Los Angeles voters backed safer road designs, but enforcement often meets political resistance. The number of pedestrians killed or injured on the road remains high.
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Readers Issue Rx for Clogged ERs and Outrageous Out-of-Pocket Costs
51视频 Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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An Obscure Drug Discount Program Stifles Use of Federal Lifeline by Rural Hospitals
A disconnect between two federal programs meant to help keep hospitals afloat discourages struggling rural facilities from accepting the aid.
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After a Child鈥檚 Death, California Weighs Rules for Phys Ed During Extreme Weather
A California lawmaker wants the state to craft guidelines for how and when schoolchildren can play or exercise during extreme weather, including heat waves. The bill comes after a 12-year-old boy died after a physical education instructor told him to run as the temperature topped 90 degrees.
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First Responders, Veterans Hail Benefits of Psychedelic Drugs as California Debates Legalization
California lawmakers have modified a psychedelic drug bill that was vetoed last year, narrowing it to allow only supervised use of psilocybin mushrooms, ecstasy, and other hallucinogens rather than decriminalize more broadly. The current bill would establish new state agencies to regulate the program.
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Democrats Seek To Make GOP Pay for Threats to Reproductive Rights
Democrats running for office are using abortion rollbacks to galvanize voters, with abortion rights ballot initiatives amplifying their lines of attack. In Missouri, the leading Democratic candidate for the Senate also blames Republican Sen. Josh Hawley for threatening access to IVF.
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Paid Sick Leave Sticks After Many Pandemic Protections Vanish
The U.S. is one of nine countries that do not guarantee paid sick leave. Since the covid pandemic, advocates in states including Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska are organizing to take the issue to voters with ballot initiatives this November.
By Zach Dyer -
鈥楤reaking a Promise鈥: California Deficit Could Halt Raises for Disability Workers
Families of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on an expected pay increase for care workers. If the delay goes through, it could impede services and invite legal challenges from advocates.
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What Florida鈥檚 New 6-Week Abortion Ban Means for the South, and Traveling Patients
Florida has served as a haven for Southern pregnant women with little or no access to abortions. But the Florida Supreme Court upheld a six-week abortion restriction that begins in May 鈥 so now women across much of the South seeking abortions will have to look farther afield.
Abortion 鈥 Again 鈥 At the Supreme Court
Episode 344For the second time in as many months, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an abortion case. This time, the justices are being asked to decide whether a federal law that requires emergency care in hospitals can trump Idaho鈥檚 near-total abortion ban. Meanwhile, the federal government, for the first time, will require minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for 鈥渆xtra credit,鈥 the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.
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California Legislators Debate Froot Loops and Free Condoms
California state lawmakers this year are continuing their progressive tilt on health policy, debating bills banning an ingredient in Froot Loops and offering free condoms for high schoolers.
By Don Thompson -
Newsom Offers a Compromise to Protect Indoor Workers From Heat
After rejecting proposed rules to protect millions of workers in sweltering warehouses, steamy kitchens, and other hot workplaces, California Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 administration has offered a compromise to allow the protections to take effect this summer. But state and local correctional workers 鈥 and prisoners 鈥 would have to wait even longer.
Too Big To Fail? Now It鈥檚 ‘Too Big To Hack’
Episode 343Congress this week had the chance to formally air grievances over the cascading consequences of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, and lawmakers from both major parties agreed on one culprit: consolidation in health care. Plus, about a year after states began stripping people from their Medicaid rolls, a new survey shows nearly a quarter of adults who were disenrolled are now uninsured. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join 51视频 Health News鈥 Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner interviews Caroline Pearson of the Peterson Health Technology Institute.