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How North Carolina made its hospitals do something about medical debt

State officials threatened to withhold public money from hospitals, pioneering a strategy that could become a national model

Sep 24, 2024

Rachel Prusak, executive director of the Oregon State Board of Nursing, speaks to the Oregon Behavioral Health and Health Care House on Sept. 23, 2024, about efforts to improve her agency's responsiveness to people seeking licenses. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Delays, poor service at Oregon health licensing boards being addressed, lawmakers told

A nursing board call center is helping responsiveness, but other agencies report mixed results as one lawmaker seeks to plug workforce gaps with out-of-state professionals

Sep 24, 2024
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MELISSA JOHNSON/CC BY 2.0

Federal regulator hauls huge drug middlemen into court over insulin prices

The Federal Trade Commission has accused three health care giants and their drug-supply middlemen of pushing patients to buy more expensive versions of the life-saving medication. The companies control access to where about 80% of patients get their medications

Sep 24, 2024

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Multnomah County new drug addiction program starts small

Oregon’s largest county has launched a new program to reach people in drug addiction

Sep 19, 2024

PHOTO BY SPENCER DAVIS/PIXABAY

Respiratory virus season looms, officials warn

State and county officials say they can’t tell how bad the fall and winter will be for the combination of COVID-19, RSV and the flu, but say measles and whooping cough are already surging

Sep 19, 2024
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Vickie Villegas sits in the waiting room at the West Coast Neurology office in Pasadena on April 24, 2024. She has faced steep health care costs since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Photo by Brandon Tauszik for CalMatters | CALMATTERS/ BRANDON TAUSZIK

California's cap on health care costs is the nation's strongest. But will patients notice?

California’s new cap on health care cost increases is regarded as the most aggressive in the nation. It includes potential fines against companies that exceed the limit.

Sep 19, 2024