Health
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Miller-Meeks could provide decisive vote on Republican Medicaid cuts
US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks will be a decisive vote in House Republicans’ plan to make massive cuts to Medicaid. Estimates say the cut could leave 8.6 million Americans uninsured by 2034. House Republicans are working on a controversial budget bill that includes sweeping changes to Medicaid, the health insurance program that one in four Americans…
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How Trump’s federal freeze on Title X is looming over Iowa like a storm cloud
The Trump administration’s sudden cuts to Title X funding could affect family planning services for low-income Iowans soon. “This funding really is important for a lot of Iowans.” On the Friday before Easter, Allison Smith, executive director of the Family Planning Council of Iowa, isn’t thinking about cooking a fancy dinner—she’s worried about her clients…
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Iowa Republicans’ bill to criminalize vaccine providers advances amid funnel week chaos
MRNA vaccines were key to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Senate Republicans cooked up a bill to criminalize the providers of numerous widely-used immunizations. But at the last minute, the bill’s sponsor said the language may be scrapped for something new entirely. Iowa Republicans are barreling through funnel week. If a bill hasn’t passed committee…
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Iowa Legislators advance bill to put free menstrual products in schools
A House Republican bill advanced that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products to students. The bill has bipartisan support, but the state won’t reimburse schools after three years. Legislation is advancing in Iowa this year that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products in at least half of school restrooms…
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VA shifts explanation as agency dismisses over 1,000 employees; Iowa cuts unclear
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has dismissed more than 1,000 probationary employees just weeks after assuring stakeholders that a federal hiring freeze would not impact operations, raising questions about consistency in the agency’s messaging. Iowa has two major VA health systems in Des Moines and Iowa City. The Veterans Affairs department claimed in January…
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Guest post: Don’t give Bayer a free pass when Iowa has high rate of cancer
When the state of Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate and fastest growing rate of new cancer, we have no business handing agrichemical corporations a “get out of jail free” card for the dangerous products they put on the market.
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Struggling with your mental health after surviving a disaster? Here’s how to look after yourself
There’s the initial shock and chaos in a collective disaster like the deadly and destructive California wildfires. Here’s what you can do in the aftermath.
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Medical debt will no longer appear on credit reports for all Americans
This new rule will erase an estimated $49 billion in unpaid medical bills from the credit reports of roughly 15 million Americans, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency estimates that the new federal rule could help boost consumer credit scores by an average of 20 points.
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Misinformation about birth control is rampant on social media, alarming doctors
Doctors are concerned that misinformation about birth control might make some women get off it at a time when there are fewer options available for unintended pregnancies in the US.
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Guest post: Bohannan campaign showed anti-corporate greed message works
Christina Bohannan’s campaign website called for putting our Constitution over corporations, rejecting the corrupting influence of special interests, taking on corporate Big Ag and Big Oil giants, and fighting for a country in which people who work hard can rise above corporate greed. And it almost worked.
