WinnDems News

A report from the Government Accountability Office paints a picture of an already strained behavioral health system struggling after the pandemic struck to meet the treatment needs of millions of Americans with conditions like alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. http://dlvr.it/RymnQs

Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has allowed providers to continue operating despite repeated violations and harm to clients. http://dlvr.it/RyllvQ

The percentage of medical students who can’t find residencies is increasing every year. But as more graduates look for support, they might not realize that two organizations offering it are backed by anti-immigrant groups. http://dlvr.it/RyllvD

Even as the nation has moved on to vaccinating everyone 16 and older, the vast majority of people homebound due to frailty or age — and among the most vulnerable to covid’s devastation — have not yet been vaccinated. California offers a sharp lens on the challenges. http://dlvr.it/Rylltl

Covid-19 vaccinations do not infect recipients with shingles or any form of herpes virus, despite some misleading headlines. http://dlvr.it/Ryllpy

BNSF Railway accuses the Center for Asbestos Related Disease of Medicare fraud by misdiagnosing and overtreating asbestos-caused illnesses, which the health clinic calls a cynical attempt by the company to limit its own liability. http://dlvr.it/RyglHs

How do dozens of people living communally decide what to do during a public health crisis when members have varying tolerance for risk and different opinions about safe practices? http://dlvr.it/RyglDb

In the Los Angeles County Jail system, many inmates hope being vaccinated will get them transferred more quickly to state prison. Some just want to protect themselves against covid, while others are distrustful and refuse vaccination. http://dlvr.it/Rygl7d

Before the pandemic, Colorado was building momentum to pass what’s known as a “public option” health plan that would lower insurance premiums and force hospitals to accept lower payments. But now with hospitals and health care providers enjoying support as front-line heroes in the pandemic, state legislators have stripped the option from their bill. http://dlvr.it/Rygl3p

American Rescue Plan includes $39 billion for child care providers Laraine Bryson, CEO of Tri-County Urban League PEORIA – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced that Laraine Bryson, CEO of Tri-County Urban League in Peoria’s 61605 zip code, will be her virtual guest for President Joe Biden’s Joint Address to Congress on Wednesday, April 28, […] The post Bustos Announces Peoria Child Care Provider as Virtual Guest to Presidential Address appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/Ryf4Zj

Despite high mortality and infection rates, the counties of northeastern Ohio, where many Amish people live, have the lowest vaccination rates in the state. http://dlvr.it/Rybkjy

KHN Editor-in-Chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal helps accident victims avoid pitfalls in seeking medical care — a conundrum profiled in KHN-NPR's most recent Bill of the Month installment. http://dlvr.it/RyYl8W

Responsible for 34% of the nation’s covid death toll, nursing homes and long-term care facilities get slammed by their investors and are told to change. http://dlvr.it/RyWwhS

Covid patients who did not speak English well were 35% more likely to die, data from one Boston hospital shows. http://dlvr.it/RyWwgg

Presidential historians say that Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office — a somewhat arbitrary but frequently cited milestone — have included an above-average number of major accomplishments. http://dlvr.it/RyWwZN

Insurers voluntarily set the charges aside earlier in the pandemic — but that means those same health plans can decide to reinstate them. http://dlvr.it/RyS6cX

It’s unclear whether “red flag” laws — which allow the seizure of guns from a person deemed dangerous — help prevent mass shootings or should have been applied to the suspects in recent shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Indianapolis. http://dlvr.it/RyS6Wd

Local health officials have become the face of government authority as they work to stem the pandemic. That has made them targets for chilling threats from some of the same militia groups that stormed the U.S. Capitol. Santa Cruz leaders are among those whose daily routines now incorporate security patrols, surveillance cameras and, in some cases, firearms. http://dlvr.it/RyQzsL

WASHINGTON – The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) endorsed a slate of legislation in response to the events of January 6th, including a resolution introduced by Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a former reporter, to honor the journalists and news staff who risked personal injury and threats of violence in order to continue reporting from the Capitol […] The post New Democrat Coalition Endorses Bustos Resolution Honoring Journalists Following January 6th Insurrection appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RyJv42

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), along with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), today introduced bicameral legislation that increases federal investments in worker training and helps prepare workers for the jobs of the future.  The Investing in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act would ensure that American workers have the skills needed to […] The post BUSTOS, DURBIN, WARNOCK INTRODUCE BILL TO INVEST IN AMERICAN WORKFORCE appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RyJnv8

The covid outbreak in Michigan stands out on the U.S. contagion map, but odds are it will be repeated elsewhere. How vaccine hesitancy, relaxed restrictions and a coronavirus variant combined to create the worst outbreak in the country. http://dlvr.it/RyGhYn

The Biden administration has started to speed efforts to reverse health policies forged under Donald Trump. Most recently, the administration overturned a ban on fetal tissue research and canceled a last-minute extension of a Medicaid waiver for Texas. That latter move may delay the Senate confirmation of President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) seeks to fight back. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachel Cohrs of Stat and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too. http://dlvr.it/RyDfYq

Medical experts are struggling to define or explain the lingering, debilitating symptoms some covid patients experience. Part of the problem is the wide range of symptoms, but doctors say getting a better understanding will mean tracking patients and their outcomes and establishing clinical trials. http://dlvr.it/RyBmqt

Generous personal injury coverage on your car policy may not be enough to cover medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when auto insurance and health insurance policies differ. http://dlvr.it/RyBmqd

California stresses equity for minority groups. Texas is all about personal choice and liberty. Both are struggling to vaccinate Latinos and contending with vaccine hesitancy among conservative communities. http://dlvr.it/RyBmp9

A bill that would have allowed California cities and counties to once again pursue taxes on sugary drinks was just shelved in the legislature without a hearing. Public health advocates blame the political — and financial — clout of the soft drink industry. http://dlvr.it/Ry6jcN

Public health resources have shifted from one pandemic to the other, and experts fear steep declines in testing and diagnoses mean more people will contract HIV and die of AIDS. http://dlvr.it/Ry6jYN

Health providers are seeing the consequences of pandemic-delayed preventive and emergency care, from longer hospital stays to more root canals. http://dlvr.it/Ry2mFh

The Virginia hospital giant had already stopped suing patients with less than $107,000 in household income. http://dlvr.it/Ry2mDN

Lawmakers in California and other states are rethinking how they set and enforce speed limits, and they’re proposing to hand more power to local authorities to slow drivers in their communities. http://dlvr.it/Ry2m4G

Medicare Advantage company may face record penalty over alleged billing errors. http://dlvr.it/Ry1zzX

For some, a vaccine appointment a few hours away is no biggie. For others, it’s a major barrier to gaining protection from the coronavirus. http://dlvr.it/RxyqgF

At least 5,800 people have fallen ill or tested positive for covid two weeks or more after being fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. “I now tell everyone, including my colleagues, not to let their guard down." http://dlvr.it/RxqRhg

Podcast panelists discuss a range of health policy developments, from the latest in the covid vaccination effort to the HHS budget, among other things. http://dlvr.it/RxqGlR

Scientists who study the post-illness syndrome are taking a close look at patients' reports of this unexpected benefit of the vaccine. http://dlvr.it/RxnXCG

The simple answer is that enough remains unknown about covid transmission, post-infection immunity and the threat of emerging variants that masks are still advisable. http://dlvr.it/RxnXC2

For years, women with painful gynecological issues have faced long waits in ERs or longer waits to see their doctors. During the pandemic, women have increasingly turned to women’s clinics that handle urgent issues like miscarriage or serious urinary tract infections. http://dlvr.it/RxnX9D

A misguided federal program called the Unapproved Drugs Initiative, which put the FDA’s stamp of approval on old drugs, led to higher prices. It’s scrapped. So now what? http://dlvr.it/RxjhR6

As more people return to air travel, tension is mounting in airports nationwide. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson is among those that have responded to the pandemic-related stress and fear among passengers and employees by offering services such as meditation, chaplains and other help in their terminals. http://dlvr.it/RxjhNZ

Return to pre-Trump policy is second win of the week for abortion-rights backers. http://dlvr.it/RxgKlw

The messaging surrounding vaccine safety and efficacy may mean as much as the science. http://dlvr.it/Rxdwdc

The United States has undergone a cultural, definitional, practical shift on guns and what they are for. http://dlvr.it/RxdbZs

Changes would allow N95 sales for industries other than healthcare and signal an end to the hospital practice of reusing the masks considered essential for worker safety. http://dlvr.it/RxdbTC

New data released Tuesday from the CDC shows sexually transmitted infections reached an all-time high in 2019. The biggest spike was in syphilis cases, which rose 74% between 2015 and 2019. Leading the country in syphilis is California, where men who have sex with men make up half the cases. http://dlvr.it/RxcMQS

Frustration with the standardization of care across 51 hospitals, loss of local control and restrictions on reproductive health care have pitted Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian against the Providence chain. http://dlvr.it/RxYZvq

Dr. Robert Redfield, Trump’s CDC director, lends his scientific credibility to its Clean Air Systems subsidiary, which touts a “virus-killing ion technology” added to its fans. But indoor air quality experts question whether some of its technology works in the real world. http://dlvr.it/RxWzfk

Long-term care options are expensive and often out of reach for seniors and people with disabilities. The president has proposed a massive infusion of federal funding for home and community-based health services that advocates say will go a long way toward helping individuals and families. http://dlvr.it/RxTmKb

In this edition of “Explained by KHN” Emmarie Huetteman covers how the $1.9 trillion covid relief law will make health insurance coverage significantly more affordable for millions of people. http://dlvr.it/RxTmKC

A KHN examination of state vaccine statistics shows that more women than men have gotten covid vaccines. Experts cite demographic realities of those who were part of the initial rollout but also women’s greater likelihood to seek preventive health care. http://dlvr.it/RxTmDd

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) lead a call with fellow Illinois Congressional Members Reps. Bobby Rush (IL-01), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Sean Casten (IL-06), Danny Davis (IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (IL-14), and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), for Illinois townships […] The post Bustos Leads Call for Illinois Townships to Receive Aid Under American Rescue Plan appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RxLkRh

PEORIA – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced a $7,137,002 grant for Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc.’s Head Start programs from the Department of Health and Human Services. “This investment in local Head Start programs is key to making sure that Peoria’s children have access […] The post Bustos Announces More Than $7.1 Million in Federal Funding for Peoria Head Start appeared first on Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. http://dlvr.it/RxLkLr