Health
NC environmental officials petition EPA to classify four PFAS as hazardous
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality joined two other states in asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate several PFAS as toxic air pollutants. PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” affect soil, groundwater, and surface water, and can contaminate public and private drinking water sources. Along with the New Mexico Environment Department and the New […]
What’s IUI? What’s IVF? A look at the fertility treatments the Walz family is talking about
The broader scope of fertility treatments entered the spotlight this week after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared that they had children through a less commonly known procedure. Since Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Walz as her running mate, he has discussed his family’s fertility journey during speeches in Pennsylvania, Nebraska […]
FDA greenlights new COVID vaccine after a summer of rising numbers of cases
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine intended to address severe symptoms of the virus ahead of the cold and flu season. The new booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer follow a summer of increasing COVID-19 cases and are designed to better address the variants that are […]
NC doctors voice concerns over Trump’s healthcare plans
North Carolina doctors held a press conference Thursday to discuss concerns about former President Donald Trump’s plans to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act, and to enact a national abortion ban. The event came just a day after Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance held a rally in Asheboro […]
Amid Medicaid ‘unwinding,’ many states wind up expanding
This story first appeared on KFF Health News. Trisha Byers left behind one crucial item when she moved to North Carolina last year to be closer to her family after suffering a brain injury: health insurance. In Massachusetts, Byers, 39, was enrolled in Medicaid, the government health program that covers low-income people. But she was […]
‘Perfect storm’ of crises is leading to cutbacks in abortion care, advocates say
Advocates for abortion access say compounding crises of abortion bans, rising economic costs and systemic health care issues are beginning to cause significant funding challenges and potential disruptions to reproductive care of all kinds. Several people described it as a “perfect storm” of problems with the U.S. health care system, particularly post-pandemic, and the rise […]
Telehealth abortion still on the rise, especially in states with shield laws, report shows
Both the overall number of abortions and the use of telehealth abortion care continue to increase in the United States, according to the latest #WeCount report released Wednesday. Telehealth made up 20% of all abortion care in the first three months of 2024, and the monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 for the first time […]
Folwell: State Health Plan needs $250 million from the legislature, plan for financial stability
The health insurance plan covering teachers and state employees needs the legislature to reimburse it for COVID costs and to develop a strategy to address rising healthcare costs over the long term, state Treasurer Dale Folwell told reporters Tuesday. The legislature has only reimbursed the plan about half of its COVID-related expenses, Folwell said, and […]
Rhetoric versus reality: Addressing common misconceptions about abortion
Reproductive rights has taken center stage in the first post-Roe presidential election that presently features a longtime advocate for reproductive rights in possible Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, opposite former Republican President Donald Trump, whose three appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices helped overturn federal abortion rights. Although Trump’s former health staffers have co-authored the […]
Political rhetoric about third trimester abortion is misleading, experts say
It’s an oft-repeated talking point of anti-abortion rights groups and Republican politicians, before and after the June 2022 Dobbs decision — that those who are supportive of abortion rights also must be in favor of abortions that happen during the last weeks of pregnancy, or even “after birth.” Former President Donald Trump brought it up […]
North Carolina ranks 33rd in new national scorecard on women’s health, reproductive care
A new state-by-state scorecard of women’s health released this week by the Commonwealth Fund raises concerns over the care women receive and the ripple effects of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The “2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care” is based on 32 measures of state health systems […]
Proposed first-ever federal standards for maternal care met with mixed response from hospitals
As part of President Joe Biden’s initiative to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve health outcomes in underserved communities, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced new policy proposals that would require hospitals to adhere to more rigorous maternal care standards or risk losing their ability to participate in Medicare. According to the proposed […]