Andy Miller - Kaiser Health News

Georgia is among 35-plus states that have used an under-the-radar federal funding mechanism to boost payments for hospitals and other providers under Medicaid. But oversight makes it hard to tell if the “directed payments” program is meeting its goals.

The Florida Legislature balked this year at a bill that would decriminalize fentanyl test devices, which remain illegal in about half of the states under drug paraphernalia laws adopted decades ago, drug policy experts say.

The latest iteration of President Joe Biden’s social-spending package would close the health insurance gap for at least 2.2 million people, including more than 400,000 in Florida, where political opposition has blocked Medicaid expansion.

Health care workers already bore the brunt of workplace violence in the U.S. Now, tensions from an exhausting pandemic are spilling over into hospitals.

Nursing home operators acknowledge that large numbers of staff members are not getting the shots but fear a federal vaccination mandate could drive away workers in a tight labor market.