States struggle to help patients navigate insurance hurdle known as ‘step therapy’
Pharmacist George Tadross takes care of a customer at MAC Pharmacy in Cleveland in May 2024. Insurance companies, and the pharmacy benefit management companies that handle prescriptions for them, often…
Trump claims ‘great unity’ after talks with congressional GOP
Former President Donald Trump is applauded by U.S. Senate Republicans before giving remarks to the press at the National Republican Senatorial Committee headquarters on June 13, 2024. Trump, the presumptive…
Blue Cross cancels documentary screening that links big NC hog farms to public health ills
An open-pit lagoon is filled with waste from a hog farm in Duplin County, North Carolina. Credit: Courtesy of The Smell of Money René Miller rests in a recliner in…
Rev. Elissa Johnk: Overdose prevention centers save lives; they must be tried
This commentary is by Rev. Elissa Johnk. She is lead minister at First Congregational Church in Burlington. I currently serve as minister in a beautiful spot in downtown Burlington. Our…
Trump and Gov. Youngkin meet for the first time and more Virginia headlines
The state Capitol. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) • “Trump, Youngkin meet for first time as GOP eyes winning Virginia in November.”—Fox News • “Lawsuit seeks $20M from Roanoke County man who…
School suspension bill has merit, but raises uncomfortable questions
Leah McGhee tells state senators that her son was wrongfully suspended for mentioning ‘illegal aliens’ in a class. (Photo: NCGA video stream) The post School suspension bill has merit, but…
Stuck in idle: Kentucky Speedway falls short of once high hopes 4 years after last NASCAR race
The Kentucky Speedway is now home to Ford trucks awaiting distribution after NASCAR abandoned the track in 2020. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Tim Sullivan) SPARTA — By the end of…
Legislation seeks protections for free speech against retaliatory lawsuits
Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) speaks on the House floor on June 21, 2023. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) Lawmakers have put forward legislation that would make it more challenging for people…
Virginia House and Senate will take up military tuition benefit on different days
The Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. (Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury) For much of the past week, some Virginia political leaders have been conveying a message that the General Assembly will undo…
Biden Title IX regulation targeted by Republicans in Congress
The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Thursday, June 13, 2024 approved a measure that would roll back a final rule by the Biden administration on Title…