As the pandemic winds down, anti-vaccine activists are building a legal network
Steve Kirsch, a tech entrepreneur turned anti-vaccine activist, at a conference in Atlanta for future COVID and vaccine-related litigation that he helped organize and fund. Lisa Hagen/NPR Steve Kirsch is a tech entrepreneur who made hundreds of millions of dollars after founding an early search engine and helping invent the optical computer mouse. Recently, he […]
State alleges HealthPartners illegally denied mental health coverage, says the company is cooperating
Updated: 2:00 p.m. Minnesota officials hit Bloomington-based insurance and health care company HealthPartners with a consent order for allegedly violating laws related to mental health parity. State and federal laws prohibit health insurance companies from evaluating mental health diagnoses or treatments more stringently than they do for other forms of care. “This is one example […]
Biden administration warns consumers to avoid medical credit cards
Doctors’ offices often offer special medical credit cards as a solution to paying off large medical bills. But patients may end up paying far more for their bills when they have to pay interest down the road. Fly View Productions/Getty Images The Biden administration on Thursday cautioned Americans about the growing risks of medical credit […]
Minnesota patients and providers navigate ‘historical peak’ of drug shortages
For months, providers and patients across the U.S. and in Minnesota have been dealing with a shortage of a medication commonly used to treat people with breathing issues. Liquid albuterol supplies have been on the Food and Drug Administration’s shortage list since October. A situation that became more challenging after a manufacturer of the drug, […]
U.S. approves 1st vaccine for RSV after decades of attempts
The U.S. approved the first vaccine for RSV on Wednesday, shots to protect older adults against a respiratory virus that’s most notorious for attacking babies but endangers their grandparents, too. The Food and Drug Administration decision makes GSK’s shot, called Arexvy, the first of several potential vaccines in the pipeline for RSV to be licensed […]
The healing benefits of getting outdoors
Minnesota has a lot of grassroots groups getting into the grass and into the roots. MPR News host Angela Davis speaks with two Minnesotans who are helping others experience the joys of the outdoors and the health benefits. Spending time in nature can improve mood, emotional health, mental health, attention and memory. Getting outside doesn’t […]
Schools ended universal free lunch. Now meal debt is soaring
Oakville Elementary School students go through the lunch line on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Oakville, Mo. Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio Pat Broz has been serving meals to students in the Mehlville School District outside of St. Louis for almost 30 years. On a recent day at Oakville Elementary School, the kindergarteners sliding trays […]
America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it
A new advisory outlines how a national strategy could tackle the problem of loneliness in the United States. Getty Images There is an epidemic of loneliness in the United States and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to a new advisory from […]
Why viral reservoirs are a prime suspect for long COVID sleuths
Scientists haven’t unraveled the cause of long COVID. But evidence is growing that an ongoing viral infection could be driving the symptoms, at least in some patients. Gary Waters/Fanatic Studio Brent Palmer’s first inkling about long COVID started in the early days of the pandemic, before the term “long COVID” even existed. Some of his […]
Proposed shift in funding for older adult services worries rural providers
A proposed revision in the funding formula for programs that serve older adults in Minnesota is raising concerns in rural areas of the state. The Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging covers 21 northwestern Minnesota counties. Director Heather Pender expects a change in the state formula for distributing federal funds for programs will mean a […]