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Trump suffers first defeat but as always doubles down for the next fight; From Ohio to Azerbaijan: How COP29 could shape local farming; Funding boosts 'green' projects in Meadville, PA; VA apprenticeships bridge skills gaps, offer career stability.

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Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

New Legislation Expands Health-Insurance Access to Pregnant New Yorkers

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015   

ALBANY, N.Y. - Beginning Friday, pregnant New Yorkers can enroll in the state's health-insurance exchange at any time during their pregnancy.

Enrollment is usually only available during the period of October through December. But new legislation, co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, D-Queens, makes New York the first state in the nation where pregnancy is a "qualifying life event" that allows pregnant women to obtain health insurance and prenatal care at any time through the exchange; something Simotas says is crucial for a baby's development.

"It was mind-boggling to me that New York State and states throughout the nation would allow a woman giving birth to get insurance, but they wouldn't cover her while she was pregnant," says Simotas. "Why should a child be born into this world prematurely if it can be avoided?"

Simotas says the insurance industry was resistant to the legislation because of fears that expanding the list of health conditions that allow people to enroll outside of the designated period could cut into profits. Simotas says that's simply not true.

"The research is clear that a child that is born healthy costs insurance companies a lot less than a child that's born prematurely," she says. "It makes more economic sense to provide a mother, who may have issues during her pregnancy, with prenatal care."

Under the law, insurance coverage for a pregnant woman would be effective beginning the first day of the month in which the woman is certified as pregnant.


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