Article Summary – Burn pits, which were commonly used to dispose of waste on military bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas locations, have been linked to an array of medical conditions among veterans, including cancer, asthma, and other serious diseases. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs routinely denied veterans’
Article Summary – A special federal rule put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed people to stay on Medicaid without proving eligibility and prevented states from removing them; this rule increased Michigan’s Medicaid enrolment to 3 million. However, since the rule was lifted last year, only about half of
Article Summary – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed the Michigan Family Protection Act into law, decriminalizing paid gestational surrogacy contracts and ending Michigan’s status as the only U.S. state where such contracts were illegal. The new law repeals a 1988 prohibition against paid surrogacy contracts, creating protections for surrogates,
Article Summary – Josie Badger, co-chair of Pennsylvania’s Family Care Coalition, is advocating for paid family and medical leave legislation for the approximately one in four adults in Pennsylvania living with disabilities. Legislation is currently being considered to create a universal paid family and medical leave program for full- and
Article Summary – The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is distributing nearly $12 million in federal funds to 40 school districts in the state to address student mental health. The funding is part of the Stronger Connections Grant Program, which is designed to provide mental health support for students,
Article Summary – The Western Wisconsin Health hospital in Baldwin, Wisconsin, is expecting a significant increase in births this year due to the closing of labor and delivery units in many rural hospitals across the state and the country. With federal funding, the hospital is expanding its labor and delivery
Article Summary – The Western Wisconsin Health hospital in Baldwin, Wisconsin, is expanding its labor and delivery unit despite many rural hospitals across the US closing such units due to financial constraints. This year, the hospital expects to deliver around 300 babies, some of whom are traveling up to 80
Article Summary – Maomoua Vue, a registered dietitian nutritionist for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Wisconsin, is creating educational videos in the Hmong language to encourage greater breastfeeding among the Hmong community. She has so far made three videos showing how to prepare for breastfeeding, the benefits
Article Summary – The US Department of Health and Human Services announced that 41 prescription drugs available through Medicare Part B will cost less due to the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in 2022. The law requires drug companies to pay into the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance Fund
Article Summary – Eric Hovde, a wealthy Republican business owner running against Democratic Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, is clarifying his position on abortion after criticism from progressive group A Better Wisconsin Together. The group’s radio ad references Hovde’s 2012 pro-life stance and endorsement from Wisconsin Right to Life, which
Article Summary – The Women’s Service Program, a new initiative in Pennsylvania, will provide up to $15.9 million over the next two years to reproductive health groups offering free health services including prenatal and postpartum care, menstrual health education, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. The program is designed to
Article Summary – Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg, along with two colleagues, has proposed a bill to exclude home care workers from federal minimum wage and overtime laws. The bill, backed by the Private Care Association, would reverse a 2013 Department of Labor rule that applied these protections to workers
