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NC Senate budget revives Medicaid expansion debate, putting law in ‘conflict’ with House

The Senate budget unveiled Monday cuts state laws that regulate hospital competition, placing Medicaid expansion, and health coverage for thousands of low-income North Carolinaians, in conflict. During last year’s Medicaid expansion negotiations, a key agreement between the House and the Senate was Certificate of Need laws, which limit where hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities can be built. The Senate wanted to pass expansion with Certificate of Need changes but the House did not. But this year, there was a breakthrough, and in early March, the Senate and House announced that they had reached a compromise deal: Medicaid expansion…
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Gov. Reynolds signs bill intended to increase medical access in rural Iowa

Gov. Kim Reynolds signs House File 424 on Wednesday as state representative and hospital staff watch at the Washington County Hospital and Clinics in Washington, Iowa. The law will allow physician assistants to more easily address the health care needs of Iowa’s underserved communities. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette) Gov. Kim Reynolds smiles and claps with state legislators and hospital staff Wednesday after signing House File 424 at the Washington County Hospital and Clinics in Washington, Iowa. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette) WASHINGTON, Iowa — Physician assistants in Iowa will no longer be required to be supervised and have a written agreement with a…
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Crisis in health care stems from work conditions, not a shortage of workers

It’s all about working conditions. At least that’s what Massachusetts nurses are saying about their colleagues’ decisions to leave bedside care positions in the state’s hospitals to find other work environments. Massachusetts Nurses Association President Katie Murphy voices her concerns about the growing crisis in health care; she was a moderator at a virtual hearing on several legislative measures that would increase compensation, limit patient loads and address workplace violence held virtually on Monday, May 8, 2023. “The nursing shortage is not real,” said Katie Murphy, who is assigned to the intensive care unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in…
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Future-proofing the health and wellbeing of Canadian workplaces

The Benefits Together Conference Series provides a forum for meaningful dialogue on meeting the diverse health and wellness needs of employees TORONTO, May 4, 2023 /CNW/ – At an exclusive conference series in Halifax (April 19), Toronto (April 26) and Montreal (May 3), speakers and delegates came together to exchange thoughts, ideas and actionable strategies to support the health and wellbeing of today’s workforce. Alaina Mackenzie and Bernard Lord (CNW Group/Medavie Blue Cross) Hosted by Medavie Blue Cross, Benefits Together put access to care, mental health and diversity and inclusion into focus, while exploring the urgent questions and transformational trends…
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Masking requirements set to lift in most Manitoba health-care settings – Winnipeg

By The Staff The Canadian Press Posted May 3, 2023 3:49 pm Updated May 3, 2023 6:51 pm Descrease article font size Increase article font size Most of the masking requirements implemented at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic for health-care facilities in Manitoba are set to be lifted next week. Shared Health, which co-ordinates many health services in the province, says the change will apply to most visitors and patients who are going into acute and long-term care settings. Monika Warren, the chief operating officer of provincially coordinated health services at Shared Health, says the changes in masking requirements…
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What Does the End of the Public Health Emergency Mean?

The national Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 ends on May 11, 2023. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date. (To subscribe to our blog click here). The end of the public health emergency brings a variety of changes to the healthcare system. Most of the remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements will end for federal workers, contractors and foreign air travelers. The government is also lifting requirements for Head Start educators and healthcare workers. Free COVID-19 vaccines and tests will no longer be provided and…