Health Care
Federal shutdown should not immediately threaten food aid for WA mothers and kids
Food aid for mothers and young children in Washington will not be immediately disrupted in the event of a federal shutdown, the state’s Department of Health said on Tuesday. The Biden administration on Monday warned that funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, could run short in many […]
Biden Administration to Ban Medical Debt From Americans’ Credit Scores
This story was first posted by KFF Health News. The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt last week, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. The regulations, if enacted, would potentially help tens of millions of people who have medical debt on […]
Washington Senate’s budget-writing panel gets a new leader
Sen. June Robinson, an Everett Democrat, was named Thursday as the new chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, the budget-writing panel responsible for developing tax policies and deciding how the state spends billions of dollars each year. Robinson, the committee vice chair for the operating budget and revenue the last three sessions, was […]
Efforts to roll back parts of Oregon drug decriminalization law gain momentum
This article was first published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. A coalition funded by prominent Oregonians, including retired Nike co-founder Phil Knight, plans to ask Oregon voters in 2024 to roll back some of Measure 110, the voter-passed law that decriminalized the use of hard drugs. The group, the Coalition to Fix and Improve Ballot […]
As paid family leave claims rise in Washington, the wait for benefits gets longer
Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program wants to hire 49 more employees to deal with steadily rising demand that has some people waiting over a month to receive benefits. The state Employment Security Department asked for authority to hire the workers in a 2024 supplemental budget request submitted to Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this […]
Animal tranquilizer xylazine rarely found in WA’s illegal fentanyl, study finds
A powerful veterinary tranquilizer infiltrating the United States’ illicit drug market is only present in a small fraction of Washington’s fentanyl supply, according to a new report. The study, released last week by drug testing laboratory Millennium Health, looks at the presence of xylazine, also known as “tranq,” in about 160,000 urine drug tests across […]
University of Montana working on vaccine for fentanyl, heroin overdose
This article was first published by the Daily Montanan. A vaccine to prevent overdosing on fentanyl and one for heroin are in the works at the University of Montana and partner institutions. Human trials are expected to start in early 2024 for both vaccines, according to UM. UM researcher Jay Evans, who leads a campus […]
Hospitals plead with Congress to avert $8 billion in cuts in Medicaid funding
WASHINGTON — Health care representatives from across the United States are urging Congress to halt cuts to funding that helps hospitals care for uninsured or low-income patients who rely on Medicaid. More than 250 hospitals and health systems appealed to House and Senate leadership in a letter Thursday asking the lawmakers to avert or delay a forthcoming […]
Price of illicit fentanyl in WA drops to as low as 50 cents a pill
You can now buy illicit fentanyl on Washington’s streets for as little as 50 cents a pill. That’s according to police and local advocates working with people who use drugs. They say fentanyl is selling for anywhere from 50 cents to $5 a pill, depending on location and dealer-user relationships. In Seattle, the price of […]
A men’s movement takes reins in a nationwide quest to end abortion
Wendell Shrock doesn’t believe in condoms. “We should leave the uterus to God,” the street preacher from Tennessee tells States Newsroom, in front of an abortion clinic outside of Atlanta, mid-morning in late July. Sweat drips from his cowboy hat into his salt-and-pepper beard that stretches halfway down his red-plaid shirt. The retired police officer […]
WA lawmakers push for greater access to fertility services for service members and veterans
New legislation introduced in Congress would ease access to infertility treatments for military service members.
Women with serious pregnancy complications sue over state abortion bans
Women and physicians in Idaho and Tennessee have sued their home states after they say they were denied abortion care despite being diagnosed with serious, life-threatening medical conditions while pregnant. The lawsuits are led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which also helped a patient in Oklahoma file […]