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When David Engler, a resident of Portland, Oregon, decided he did not want to have children, he asked his health insurance provider about the cost of a vasectomy. Engler says a representative with his insurer told him the procedure would be free, but he received a bill for $1,080. | KRISTINA BARKER/KFF HEALTH NEWS

If lawsuit ends federal mandates on birth control coverage, states will have the say

Portland man's failure to get vasectomy coverage illustrates the byzantine patchwork of rules consumers face, even as a lawsuit tries to strike down federal coverage requirements for private insurers nationwide

Jul 9, 2024

Smoke rises from the Darlene 3 Fire near La Pine, Oregon on June 25, 2024. | COURTESY/DESCHUTES COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

How to prepare for wildfire smoke

Wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Oregon in recent years. With wildfire season underway, there are ways to prepare and stay safe

Jul 9, 2024

The silhouette of two children under a mister in the evening.

CHILDREN COOL UNDER A MISTING STATION DURING NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AT BEAVERTON CITY PARK. PHOTO COPYRIGHT: PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP/JAIME VALDEZ (USED WITH PERMISSION)

5 suspected heat-related deaths reported across western Oregon

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office reported Monday that it’s looking into four possible heat-related deaths between Friday and Sunday. Another suspected heat death has been reported in Coos County

Jul 9, 2024

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Federal officials allow Oregon to offer Medicaid services to those behind bars

The new program aims to close health care gaps when people are released and tackle addiction problems

Jul 5, 2024

Bonner General Health is a 25-bed critical access hospital, meaning it receives financial help from the federal government to maintain essential services, in Sandpoint, Idaho. More than a year ago, OB-GYNs left the hospital and Bonner General announced it was closing its labor and delivery unit. | (JAZMIN OROZCO RODRIGUEZ/KFF HEALTH NEWS)

Idaho’s OB-GYN exodus throws women in rural towns into a care void

At least two hospitals in Idaho have ended labor and delivery services in the 15 months after the state criminalized abortion in 2022, and during that same time period, the number of OB-GYNs practicing in Idaho dropped by 22%

Jul 2, 2024

DAIRIES WITH MORE THAN 700 COWS, LIKE THIS ONE IN PENNSYLVANIA, ARE KNOWN AS CONFINED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS./LANCE CHEUNG/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

As bird flu spreads on dairy farms, an ‘abysmal’ few workers are tested

Dairy workers are in rural areas, often with little access to transportation and no sick leave

Jul 2, 2024

Hayden Rooke-Lee, from left, Rep. Ben Bowman of Tigard and Sen. Deb Patterson of Salem take part May 10 at a Salem City Club discussion about private equity takeovers of medical clinics and proposed legislation for the 2025 session. | PHOTO COPYRIGHT: PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP/PETER WONG (USED WITH PERMISSION)

Advocates seek limits on corporate control of medical clinics

Rep. Ben Bowman expresses optimism and a work group is gathering steam on language intended to address the influence of corporate ownership on the practice of medicine

Jul 2, 2024
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Oregon Health Authority Sejal Hathi addressed agency employees in a video on her first day, Jan. 16, 2024 | SCREENSHOT FROM OHA VIDEO

New records show relations soured before Oregon Health Authority equity director’s firing

Leann Johnson criticized top agency leaders and filed formal complaints against them claiming discrimination and retaliation. In firing her, Director Sejal Hathi cited a backlog of unresolved civil rights complaints that equity managers attributed to understaffing

Jul 2, 2024

The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. | PIXABAY

The Supreme Court just limited federal power. Health care is feeling the shockwaves

As a result of the ruling, federal agencies are expected to be far more cautious with regulations, while those in effect are more likely to be challenged

Jul 2, 2024