Trump administration

Toni Henley says she is frustrated because her husband, Jeff, had to wait nearly a week to be tested for the COVID-19. Now he's being given hydroxychloroquine

Harnett County coronavirus patient now hospitalized, unproven drugs may be part of treatment

March 22, 2020 by Greg Barnes

Harnett County coronavirus patient now hospitalized, unproven drugs may be part of treatment - North Carolina Health News

Jeff Hensley, 57, started feeling ill on March 4, now his wife says he's being treated with hydroxychloroquine, an old drug that researchers hope will be a "hail Mary" treatment for coronavirus infection.

By Greg Barnes and Rose Hoban Update: Jeff Hensley returned home Sunday, according to a Facebook post his wife, Toni Hensley wrote. “[H]e is tired and weak and still short of breath but he will be recovering at home with his personal home nurse,” she wrote. A Harnett County man with the coronavirus has taken […]

Image of money with a caduceus superimposed on the bills. We're using this image to denote Medicaid managed care.

Federal proposal could change the face of Medicaid in North Carolina

January 31, 2020 by Sarah Ovaska

Federal proposal could change the face of Medicaid in North Carolina - North Carolina Health News

A Trump Administration announcement of lump-sum offer for adult Medicaid coverage draws fire from some quarters.

By Sarah Ovaska and Liora Engel-Smith The Trump Administration announced a proposal Thursday that could potentially transform how Medicaid functions in some areas. The proposal would let states opt into a lump-sum funding system to pay for the health care needs of low-income, working-age adults. The proposal is already drawing fire from critics and Democrats […]

shows a lake with pilings sticking up from the water. It's a lake contaminated with coal ash.

Researcher weighs in on Trump administration’s coal ash rule redo

November 15, 2019 by Coastal Review Online

Researcher weighs in on Trump administration’s coal ash rule redo - North Carolina Health News

Earlier this month, the US EPA announced amendments to the regulations for the disposal of coal ash. Environmentalists are saying the rollback gives industry permission to pollute longer.

By Mark Hibbs Coastal Review Online The Trump administration moved last week to rewrite part of Obama-era regulations addressing coal ash disposal, which entails risks that a Duke University researcher says are all too familiar in coastal North Carolina. But a Duke Energy spokesperson said the proposed changes will have no effect on the utility’s […]

Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches

October 22, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches - North Carolina Health News

Annual open enrollment for Medicare started Oct. 15 and concludes Dec. 7. State officials and advocates involved in Medicare benefits say glitches are slowing the process for consumers to sign up, even as the process gets more complex.

By Thomas Goldsmith A newly revised Medicare sign-up page can produce drastically inflated costs for some drugs, incorrect premiums for low-income people, and other “worrisome” results, say North Carolina health officials who work to make sure people over 65 get appropriate benefits. Top management at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as […]

Shows the computer home page for people to choose a Medicare plan

Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say

September 27, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

Controversy is roiling over the revised Medicare Plan Finder, an online tool for selecting optimal plans. Medicare says it’ll be fine after some tweaking, but some advocates say it has major problems.

By Thomas Goldsmith and Anne Blythe Advocates for older people contend that the online method many people and advisers use to select Medicare plans has gotten so difficult to navigate that beneficiaries will run into trouble trying to make their choices. Federal Medicare representatives maintain there’s real benefit to consumers in changes the agency has […]

shows a young man standing in front of a window, looking at the camera. He tells his story of being on PrEP.

Even when HIV prevention drug is covered, other costs block treatment

August 2, 2019 by Kaiser Health News

Even when HIV prevention drug is covered, other costs block treatment - North Carolina Health News

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, makes it possible to almost completely stop transmission of HIV, but it costs thousands of dollars each month.

By Michelle Andrews Kaiser Health News Three years ago, Corey Walsh, who was in a relationship with a man who was HIV-positive, got a prescription for Truvada, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent infection with the virus that causes AIDS. Walsh, then 23, was covered by his parents’ health insurance […]

A county map shows rates of HIV in Mecklenburg County, but gives no indication of who may be using PrEP

Zero new HIV cases: the goal for Mecklenburg County

May 21, 2019 by Yen Duong

Zero new HIV cases: the goal for Mecklenburg County - North Carolina Health News

Mecklenburg County, with one of the highest rates of HIV in the nation, is fighting the HIV epidemic with a community plan of action.

By Yen Duong Although antiretroviral drugs mean that HIV is no longer the ‘death sentence’ it was in the 1980s, the epidemic is not over yet, as 30-year old Charlottean Colin Jack knows well. “One of my best friends died at 28, two months after his birthday,” Jack said. “I wouldn’t have thought that would […]

shows an african american man standing as standing people around him applaud

New legislation would allow judicial discretion on drug crimes

April 22, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

New legislation would allow judicial discretion on drug crimes - North Carolina Health News

Amid the opioid crisis, some state lawmakers are looking for ways to lessen the number of people going to prison with long sentences for drug-related crimes.

By Taylor Knopf One of the latest pieces of national criminal justice reform legislation has made its way to North Carolina. The North Carolina version of the First Step Act would give judges more discretion when sentencing non-violent drug crimes. President Donald Trump signed federal First Step legislation into law in December, and other states […]

Hundreds of thousands of people may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water at Cape Lejeune from the 1950 to the 1980s. The Jacksonville base, covering 156,000 acres in eastern North Carolina, remains in operation today with a safe water supply. In this 2016 photo, members of the US Marine Corps and the US Navy, along with civilians, participate in a ceremony on base.

Border wall could divert money targeted for NC military bases

March 28, 2019 by Greg Barnes

Border wall could divert money targeted for NC military bases - North Carolina Health News

An emergency declaration signed by President Trump for his border wall could put a water treatment plant at Camp Lejeune and a new elementary school for Fort Bragg in peril.

By Greg Barnes The failure Tuesday by members of the U.S. House to override President Trump’s emergency declaration could mean millions of dollars being diverted from military bases in North Carolina and other states to build 57 miles of a border wall separating the U.S. from Mexico. When Trump made his declaration in mid-February, he […]

Legislature makes another attempt at creating association health plans

February 25, 2019 by Rose Hoban

Legislature makes another attempt at creating association health plans - North Carolina Health News

After failing to create alternative health insurance plans for small businesses last year, General Assembly members propose a new bill to make them legal in North Carolina.

By Rose Hoban Lobbyist Andy Ellen, who represents more than 25,000 store owners who are part of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association at the state legislature, says the greatest number of calls his organization receives is from small business owners looking for help getting health insurance for themselves and their workers. “We have some […]

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