The rate of uninsured Americans has been declining, thanks to the Affordable Care Act and expansion of Medicaid in many states. But a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that having health insurance doesn’t always mean the care you need will be covered, even if that care is provided in-network. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/08/insurancedenials-2way-web.mp3 Listen to…
CHAMPAIGN — Thursday was the first day of school for most Champaign Unit 4 students. Students at International Prep Academy welcomed the second year of fully in-person classes after the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was very, very cool, because we got to do tons of new activities,” says fifth grader Annayaretze Martinez. “At…
Tanya Hovey came down with COVID in April 2020. Before the infection, she ran a photography business, was active in her church, loved to garden and cycled several times a week. She was never hospitalized for COVID and thought she was recovering. But her symptoms kept coming back. She would feel fine for two or…
WORCESTER, Mass. — Millions of students are heading back to college for their third full academic year since the COVID pandemic hit. But as students move into their dorms and sign up for classes this year, things are different. On many campuses, the masking restrictions are gone. Classes are being held in-person, testing requirements are…
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/08/monkeypox-and-kids-2way-web.mp3 Monkeypox has been found in nearly every state across the U.S. The White House declared it a public health emergency just a few weeks after the World Health Organization designated monkeypox a public health crisis of international concern. Anyone can get monkeypox through close physical contact and sharing personal items with an infected…
EFFINGHAM — The cost of living isn’t cheap in Illinois. For many, energy costs are a particular concern this summer with hot weather and high inflation. Some constituents are looking for answers. “I had a disabled veteran call me the other day…and he said his electric bill from Ameren went from in round numbers…$200 a…
Around two days a week, Natalee Hartwig leaves her home in Madison, Wisconsin, before her son wakes up, to travel across the border into Illinois. “Luckily it’s summer,” said Hartwig, a nurse midwife at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. “For now he can sleep in. But any getting ready that has to happen will be on…
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s278/audio/2022/08/0804-abortion-bm-web.wav CARBONDALE, Ill. — Addison Pesek sits on the curb of a 1950s-era Dairy Queen, the small ice cream shop’s neon glow washing over her and her family on a recent summer evening. Dozens of local residents wait in line to order from the Carbondale staple as the 22-year-old enjoys a cup of ice cream…
While addressing CPAC, one of the largest conservative conferences in the nation, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Oakland) defended her 2021 bill, “Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act.” She described it as having two benefits: “To ensure that our girls have opportunities in athletics, and that we protect our girls in their private spaces.” Nikita Shepard…
CONNERSVILLE, Ind. — Charmin Gabbard cares deeply about people struggling with addiction because it’s a struggle she can relate to. In her 20s, Gabbard had three DUIs in five years. Two of those violations resulted in prison sentences. She was eager to turn her life around. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/08/transportationsud-web.mp3 Listen to this story here. But when she…
CHAMPAIGN — An adult employee at a daycare facility in Rantoul has come down with monkeypox. The “patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public,” the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Friday. They’re currently investigating the case. According to The News-Gazette, it’s the state’s first case of monkeypox at…
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Karen Warpenburg is fighting an almost invisible enemy that’s claiming the lives of a growing number of people in her southern Indiana community: the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Ingesting a tiny amount of the drug can be lethal. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/08/fentanyl-feature-web.mp3 Listen to this story here. But it’s not that people are seeking it…
HELENA, Mon. — Republican Montana state Rep. Ed Buttrey was a key player in expanding the state’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. Now, he’s worried a policy change by the Biden administration could, within a few years, mean the end of an expansion that currently provides more than 100,000 low-income Montanans access to…
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker issued a public health emergency declaration and declared Illinois a disaster area in response to the monkeypox virus Monday, a move his office said would help mobilize resources. The governor’s office said the proclamation will aid in moving vaccines to the most impacted communities and will allow the Illinois Department…
URBANA – US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Thursday morning that he will work remotely after testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the 77-year-old said he is vaccinated against the illness. “Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms,” said Durbin. “Consistent with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine and…