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Sunday,  April 27 , 2025

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Sarah Makowicki sits in the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, Conn., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

The skyrocketing cost of weight-loss drugs has state Medicaid programs looking for a solution

Sarah Makowicki sits in the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, Conn., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

April 6, 2025, 10:36am Health

States increasingly struggling to cover the rising cost of popular GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound are searching for ways to get out from under the budgetary squeeze that took them by surprise. Read story

David Potts is treated by James Flanagin, the only dentist in Leslie, Arkansas, who operates 
 out of a small clinic in the back of an antique store. About 25 million Americans live in 
 dentist shortage areas, according to new research from Harvard University. (Katie Adkins/KFF Health News)

With few dentists and fluoride under siege, rural America risks new surge of tooth decay

David Potts is treated by James Flanagin, the only dentist in Leslie, Arkansas, who operates 
 out of a small clinic in the back of an antique store. About 25 million Americans live in 
 dentist shortage areas, according to new research from Harvard University. (Katie Adkins/KFF Health News)

April 6, 2025, 6:05am Health

In the wooded highlands of northern Arkansas, where small towns have few dentists, water officials who serve more than 20,000 people have for more than a decade openly defied state law by refusing to add fluoride to the drinking water. Read story

John Estin Davis, former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, who was convicted of health care fraud, was granted clemency by President Donald Trump in 2021. At the same time, the Department of Justice was suing Davis for allegedly orchestrating a much larger health care fraud scheme. Davis and CPS later settled the lawsuit without any admission of wrongdoing.

Trump says he’ll stop health care fraudsters. Last time, he let them walk

John Estin Davis, former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, who was convicted of health care fraud, was granted clemency by President Donald Trump in 2021. At the same time, the Department of Justice was suing Davis for allegedly orchestrating a much larger health care fraud scheme. Davis and CPS later settled the lawsuit without any admission of wrongdoing.

April 6, 2025, 6:00am Health

Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme. Read story

Medicaid cuts could hurt older adults who rely on home care, nursing homes

April 6, 2025, 6:00am Health

Dr. Fred Levin has been watching with growing alarm the national debate around federal cuts to Medicaid. He’s responsible for the medical care of about 100 older adults at the Community PACE center in rural Newaygo, Michigan. For his patients, Medicaid isn’t just a safety net — it’s a matter… Read story

Mari Villar at a session with physical therapist C. Ryan Coxe at Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Villar has undergone 11 operations since a car smashed into her on a Chicago sidewalk, yet her health insurer allows only 30 physical therapy sessions a year.

Their physical therapy coverage ran out before they could walk again

Mari Villar at a session with physical therapist C. Ryan Coxe at Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Villar has undergone 11 operations since a car smashed into her on a Chicago sidewalk, yet her health insurer allows only 30 physical therapy sessions a year.

April 6, 2025, 6:00am Health

Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn’t healing properly. Katie Kriegshauser suffered organ failure during pregnancy, weakening her so much that she couldn’t lift her baby daughter. Read story

Community advocate Nikki Taylor, standing, joins local service providers, community partners and grassroots advocates Monday at Couve Collective Recovery Cafe in downtown Vancouver to discuss the sudden suspension of Columbia River Mental Health Services’ programs.

‘Let’s not panic, but let’s prepare for the future’: Clark County reeling from Columbia River Mental Health’s abrupt suspension of services

Community advocate Nikki Taylor, standing, joins local service providers, community partners and grassroots advocates Monday at Couve Collective Recovery Cafe in downtown Vancouver to discuss the sudden suspension of Columbia River Mental Health Services’ programs.

April 5, 2025, 6:14am Business

As Columbia River Mental Health Services explores ways to restore behavioral health programs it suspended last week, patients and advocates are still reeling. Read story

‘They won’t help me’: Sickest patients face insurance denials despite policy fixes

April 5, 2025, 6:02am Health

Sheldon Ekirch spends a lot of time on hold with her health insurance company. Read story

5 million could lose Medicaid coverage

April 5, 2025, 6:00am Health

Under an emerging Republican plan to require some Medicaid recipients to work, between 4.6 million and 5.2 million adults ages 19 to 55 could lose their health care coverage, according to a new analysis. Read story