HEALTHCARE

Debbie Smith of Alamance County is one of roughly 3 million North Carolinians who suffer the burden of medical debt. She spoke with Cardinal & Pine about her story, the realities of debt, and what she hopes will be done about it.

Research from the Urban Institute and the Private Equity Stakeholder Project found that hospital market concentration, as well as private equity’s expanding role in billing, tracking, and collecting payments for health care, is exacerbating the country’s medical debt problem.

PFAS gets into our water when solvents and firefighting foam are used on military bases, or when companies like Chemours manufacture certain products. We now know this pollution has also made its way into our soils, foods, and even in our air.

A new analysis by the Center for American Progress Action shows the devastating day-to-day reality of state abortion bans. 

With a focus on western North Carolina, NCDHHS has introduced temporary measures to aid those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Under Harris’ plan, Medicare would cover the cost of in-home health care for seniors enrolled in the program, after a medical provider has determined that they are in need of help performing daily tasks. Harris’ proposal would also provide coverage for vision and hearing benefits under Medicare.

These actions include issuing advisories to prevent debt collectors from targeting families with illegal medical debt collection tactics and cracking down on certain collectors. The new efforts could have a major impact in North Carolina, where as many as three million people are affected by medical debt. 

Harris wants to expand the $35 monthly cap on insulin costs and a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs so that they apply to all Americans, not just seniors on Medicare.

Trump’s healthcare ‘concepts’ include repealing the Affordable Care Act, which would strip health insurance from more than 1.5 million North Carolinians, increase costs, and put people with preexisting conditions at risk of losing their coverage, the Harris-Walz report says.

When it comes to protection against flu and COVID, vaccines are necessary to tackle the latest strains of each. Here’s what you need to know.