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Congress eyes work rules for millions covered by Medicaid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a half million of the poorest Americans could be left without health insurance under legislation passed by House Republicans that would require people to work in exchange for health care coverage through Medicaid. It’s one of dozens of provisions tucked into a GOP bill that would allow for an increase in the debt limit but curb government spending over the next decade. The bill is unlikely to become law, though. It is being used by House Republicans to draw Democrats to the negotiating table and avoid a debt default. Democrats have strongly opposed the Medicaid work requirement provision, saying it won’t incentivize people to get a job and will drive up the number of uninsured in the country. Here’s a look at how the proposal might save taxpayers money but cost some Americans access to health care coverage. WHO WOULD BE REQUIRED TO WORK? The work requirements say able-bodied adults ages 19 to 55 who don’t have children or other dep...

Known for laughs, DC dinner spotlights risks to journalism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — known for its fun albeit ferocious jabs at Washington — took a more solemn tone this year as President Joe Biden acknowledged the several American journalists under siege in authoritarian countries around the world. “We are here to send a message to the country and, quite frankly, to the world: The free press is a pillar, maybe the pillar, of a free society, not the enemy,” Biden said in his speech. The president and first lady Jill Biden, upon arriving at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, met privately with the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia since March. He was charged with spying, despite strong denials from his employer and the U.S. government. Some guests wore buttons with “Free Evan” printed on them.Also among the 2,600 people attending the gala was Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice, who has not been heard from since disappearing at a ch...

Sudanese nationals in Canada can extend their stay for free: minister

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government says as of Sunday, Sudanese nationals can extend their stay in Canada as violence escalates in their home country. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Saturday morning that effective April 30, Sudanese nationals in Canada can apply to extend their stay or change their status as a visitor, student or temporary worker for free. The minister says this includes free open work permits so people can support themselves while in Canada. The government stopped air evacuations of Canadians from Sudan on Saturday as safety conditions deteriorated after evacuating approximately 375 people. The Sudanese capital of Khartoum has become the front line of a conflict between the country’s military commander and a powerful paramilitary group. The government says it’s also waiving the requirement to hold a passport or travel document for approval of a permanent resident visa to come to Canada, as some applicants outside Canada may not have access to th...

April end bright, dry, and warm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This final day of April dawned with sunshine and chilly air. Some lows in the Hill Country fell to the lower to middle 40s.Winds were light out of the southwest this morning with most wind speeds under 10 mph. This pales in comparison to the strong gusty winds out of the northwest to north Saturday with the following peak gusts:43 mph Taylor38 mph Burnet37 mph Austin-Bergstrom, Georgetown, La Grange, Pflugerville, and San Marcos.Gusty winds tonight RAIN TOTALS: See how much rain your neighborhood recorded Today will be sunny with highs well above the normal of 83°. Most maximum temperatures will peak in the upper half of the 80s to some low 90s in the Hill Country. Tomorrow will be warm, as well, although highs will be a few degrees lower due to clouds arriving late in the afternoon. Sunday will again be another dry day with the humidity dropping to the 20s this afternoon. It's short-lived, however, as southerly winds will return moisture from the Gulf. Humid ...

UnitedHealthcare says data attack may have impacted some Texas members

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Insurance provider UnitedHealthcare said some Texans enrolled in its health plans may be impacted in a "credential stuffing attack" that happened in February. UnitedHealthcare said people affected will receive mailed notifications starting April 28. Personal information impacted could include members' names, health insurance ID numbers, dates of birth, addresses, dates of service, provider names, claim information and group name/number. RELATED: ARA no longer in-network with UnitedHealthCare On Friday, the insurance company said suspicious activity was identified Feb. 22 on the UHC mobile app and believes the information was accessed between Feb. 19-25. The company said it determined April 10 that members' personal information may be impacted. The company said there was "no evidence that member login credentials used during the attack were accessed or obtained from any UnitedHealthcare system."UnitedHealthcare said it "took prompt action to investigate the matter,...

Cloudy and breezy Sunday, unseasonably cool Monday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS - We will see some sunshine early Sunday, but clouds will increase by late morning into the afternoon. It will be quite windy Sunday and much cooler than Saturday, with temperature highs around or just shy of 60 degrees. A few spot showers are possible east of the river. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Clouds gradually decrease overnight and winds ease a bit, but still breezy. Temps lows are expected to be in the lower half of the 40s. Monday will still be windy and unseasonably cool, but with more sunshine. Temps should be a few degrees higher than Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday get better as the day are set for sunshine, and the temps in mid 60s Tuesday and around 70 on Wednesday. Rain chances increase Thursday and Friday.

Colorado’s child care gaps laid bare by pandemic with never-ending wait lists, exorbitant costs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

The coronavirus pandemic, with its economic and social upheavals, underlined the country’s gaps and inequities in wages, health care, housing, education and child care.But while some pandemic-related problems have eased or improved, the price and availability of child care continue to create strains for families in Colorado and across the country as they strive to gain back ground.At the same time, educators and advocates say the needs highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic have prompted states and the federal government to provide more funding for things like child care. They see more awareness about how the lack of options for children and families can reverberate through communities and the economy.Clear Creek County Commissioner George Marlin has seen the effects when families are forced to juggle making a living with taking care of their children. The county has teamed up with the school and recreation districts, nonprofits and residents to open a child care center in wh...

Denver airport makes Food & Wine’s list of top 10 U.S. airports with best restaurants

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

Denver International Airport was recognized as “editor’s choice” in Food & Wine Magazine’s list of the 10 Best U.S. Airports for Food, as voted on by the magazine’s readers.“Given that the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen has been around for 40 years, F&W editors are intimately acquainted with the Denver International Airport,” editors said in a story published this month. “Even when there are delays (and there are delays), the airport’s dining outlets offer everything you could want from a travel-day meal, whether you need to cry over a burrito at Cantina Grill, grab some jerky from a stand-alone kiosk or reward yourself with a treat from Voodoo Doughnut.”The colorful Root Down restaurant on concourse C at Denver International Airport. (Denver Post file)The rankings are part of the magazine’s Global Tastemakers Awards.“Readers voted based on travel completed within the past three years, on categories includin...

Colorado’s ambitious plan to reform eating disorder treatment facilities rolled back

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

Amid a surge in eating disorder diagnoses in Colorado, budget-minded lawmakers stripped language from a bill Monday that would’ve more tightly regulated facilities that treat the disease, a change welcomed by some providers and lamented by advocates.“In my advocacy mind, that just goes to, OK, so we’re choosing not to regulate care because it’s going to cost us something,” said Vincent Atchity, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “And in the meantime, substandard or unmonitored care will continue.”As it was drafted, SB23-176 would’ve required eating disorder treatment providers be specifically regulated by the state Behavioral Health Administration, and it would’ve barred a series of practices that patients have described as traumatic and harmful, including nude weigh-ins and the overuse of restrictive treatment. The bill would’ve also required facilities to provide trauma-informed care and to respect and provide accommoda...

How will court’s rebuke of Berkeley’s natural-gas ban affect the national movement it began?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:04 GMT

When Berkeley became the first U.S. city to ban construction of new natural gas lines in 2019, it pioneered an approach to reducing carbon emissions and pollutants that has since spread around the Bay Area and across the country.Now Berkeley has become a pioneer of a different sort, as an April appellate court ruling against the city’s ban is imperiling similar restrictions on natural gas and challenging the growing national electrification movement.While Berkeley’s ordinance winds its way through the courts, laws like it are stuck in legal crosshairs — including municipal code amendments in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. Cities intent on restricting the use of natural gas may need to find a different approach, said Amy Turner, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.The controversy is rooted in surprising ground: The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act, originally an oil-crisis-era attempt to regulate the nation’...