The privately managed Medicare Advantage portion of Medicare is the subject of broad differences of opinion over its cost — including, regulators say, an eye-popping $15 billion in excess payments made in 2021.
Posted inEnvironment
Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part two
Several members of the community sent letters to the state expressing concerns with the Mountain Mist requesting a public hearing to address concerns about the mine’s impact, the quality and volume of the spring, the impact of blasting, runoff, dust and the potential loss of their property’s value.
Posted inEnvironment
Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part one
A McDowell County neighborhood’s concerns about the impact of a mining operation drew the attention of state regulators two years ago. In addition to the nuisance of living near a mine, residents of rural Hick Chapel worry the extraction of dimension stone from an open pit could impact their water source.
Posted inHealth
Teen girls ‘engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma,’ latest youth survey shows
The findings also confirm ‘ongoing trauma’ among lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer or questioning students, CDC official says.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Looming cuts to emergency SNAP benefits threaten food security in rural America
The cuts to SNAP benefits will uniquely hurt people living in rural America, said Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy for GRACE, a nonprofit run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul focused on reducing childhood hunger. A higher percentage of people depend on SNAP in rural areas compared with metro areas. Those areas already have higher rates of food insecurity and poverty.