By Samantha Young, Kaiser Health News Prescription drug costs for California’s massive Medicaid program were draining the state budget, so in 2019 Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the private sector for help. The new Medicaid drug program debuted this January, with a private company in charge. But it was woefully unprepared, and thousands of low-income Californians were left…
By Andy Miller and Jenny Gold Wylie James Prescott, 3, had to wait more than a year after his autism diagnosis to begin behavioral therapy, even though research shows early treatment of autism can be crucial for children’s long-term development. His mother, Brandie Kurtz, said his therapy wasn’t approved through Georgia’s Medicaid program until recently,…
A virus unknown until a little more than a decade ago is circulating among lone star ticks in Georgia, Emory University scientists say. Heartland virus was first identified in Missouri in 2009 in two severely ill individuals. “We don’t know how many people are infected’’ with Heartland, said Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, associate professor in Emory’s Department…
By Lauren Weber and Andy Miller Matthew Southern, 35, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, is able to stay out of an institution because health aides paid through a Medicaid program assist him and his roommate with ordinary tasks. But amid a worker shortage worsened by the pandemic, Southern’s father, Dan, has had to step in…
By Markian Hawryluk Jenni Mahnaz admits she’s not much of a dog person. She’s mildly allergic and the only pet she had as a child was a hermit crab. But once she learned that specially trained dogs could help her daughters with their medical needs, she was willing to do anything to make it happen. Her…
By Jordan Rau and Andy Miller Medicare has penalized 21 Georgia hospitals for having the highest rates of patient infections and potentially avoidable complications. That’s up slightly from the 18 hospitals in the state that drew penalties in the last round of federal assessments. For the penalized hospitals, Medicare payments are reduced by 1% for…
By Emily Jones This coverage is made possible through a partnership with WABE and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Emory Medical School’s administration is making climate change a formal part of its curriculum. It’s the culmination of several years of student-led efforts to ensure…
By Max Blau ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Max Blau is an Atlanta-based ProPublica reporter who previously worked in partnership with Georgia Health News on a series of articles on coal ash. For the past several years, Georgia Power has gone to great lengths to skirt the federal rule requiring…
By Rebecca Grapevine and Andy Miller Tranisha Rockmore and her daughter Karisma waited at an Atlanta children’s hospital in July for their ride home. Karisma had been at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to have her gastrostomy tube fixed, Rockmore said. The 4-year-old, who has several severe medical conditions, has insurance coverage from Medicaid, which provides transportation to…
Close to 20,000 new Covid cases (including positives from antigen tests) were reported in Georgia on the last Wednesday of 2021, as new daily state records were being set. On the state virus map, metro Atlanta was covered by a deep, dangerous red color, signifying high rates of infection. People were scrambling to get Covid…