Donald Trump at NRA event
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The Checkup: What could a second Trump term mean for Medicaid?

A big question for many people on election day will be how a new president could impact health care –– particularly Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income adults. Much has been made of Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page blueprint for if former President Donald Trump were to win the upcoming election. It’s authored by the…

IV

Hospitals brace for IV fluid shortages after Hurricane Helene closes N.C. manufacturing plant

Hospitals across the U.S. are bracing for a potential shortage of intravenous fluids, also known as IV fluids, after Hurricane Helene brought the country’s biggest manufacturing plant –– responsible for nearly 60% of IV fluid supply –– to a halt. It’s the latest example of a natural disaster’s impact extending well beyond its immediate human…

woman standing in front of a mural

The push for embryo rights worries IVF patients and doctors in the Midwest

Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.

Curbs can be a physical and social barrier for wheelchair users. One program teaches kids to roll past them

Curbs can be a physical and social barrier for wheelchair users. One program teaches kids to roll past them

Wheelchairs may seem straightforward to use, until you need to move up and down hills or stairs. Around 3.7 million people use a wheelchair in the United States. They push themselves an average of 2,000 to 3,000 times a day, but some don’t have access to formal skills training that helps them smoothly navigate the…

The Checkup: Are my eclipse glasses legit? How do I protect my eyes? And what symptoms to look out for

The Checkup: Are my eclipse glasses legit? How do I protect my eyes? And what symptoms to look out for

A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely obscures the sun’s bright surface. Parts of the Midwest including Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois are in the path of totality, which means people there will be able to see the spectacular moment the moon totally covers up the sun. With the excitement and anticipation surrounding…

Seniors who are hospitalized are at risk of a dangerous downward spiral. Some programs are trying to

Seniors who are hospitalized are at risk of a dangerous downward spiral. Some programs are trying to

On a recent morning, Celita Flowers, 68, sat on her red leather couch in the Waterloo, Iowa home she’s shared with her husband for the past 35 years. Her black toy poodle, Preston, nestled closely to her side. Flowers has eye and knee issues. In January, she got sick with COVID and pneumonia, ending up…

Report finds more than half of rural hospitals no longer deliver babies

Report finds more than half of rural hospitals no longer deliver babies

A new report found a growing number of rural hospitals no longer have labor and delivery services. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform analyzed federal data and found, as of last month, 55% of the nation’s rural hospitals no longer have obstetric care, and of the rural hospitals still providing care, one-third were…

As more rural hospitals stop delivering babies, some are determined to make it work

As more rural hospitals stop delivering babies, some are determined to make it work

At a time when many rural hospitals continue to make the tough choice to shutter their obstetrics units and stop delivering babies, Iowa Specialty Hospital’s OB unit is thriving. Jenn Mewes steps around construction equipment into Iowa Specialty’s brand new labor and delivery room in Clarion, Iowa. The new room is equipped with a bathtub,…