skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Consumers, Employers and Small Businesses Say Health Reform Needed

play audio
Play

Tuesday, June 15, 2021   

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Consumers, employers, and small business owners in Wyoming and across the U.S. agree that it's time to go big on health care reform, according to new polls.

Frederick Isasi, executive director of the nonprofit Families USA, said Americans are fed up with paying exorbitant prescription drug prices and a host of other abuses.

He argued the biggest barrier to reform is the consolidating power of the trillion-dollar health industry, with hundreds of lobbyists in Washington DC and state capitals.

"So this really is a David and Goliath moment," Isasi asserted. "Where these very monied interests are working the system they have always worked to try to stop elected officials from doing what the American people want. And so this is a moment where the American people really have to raise their voices."

The health sector spends more on lobbying than any other industry, but Isasi argued they represent a minority view. Among respondents, 75% of voters want President Joe Biden and Congress to rein in abuses this year, and 85% of the nation's executives said the government should play a bigger role in providing health coverage and containing costs, a move they believe will be better for business.

One in three small businesses said getting all employees' health coverage during COVID-19 was a priority, but costs were a prohibitive barrier.

Isasi noted the surveys showed minds are more open today about the need to secure the health of all members of the community, regardless of their backgrounds.

"And there has been, I think, an awakening to the role of immigrant communities, and vulnerable communities, as front-line workers keeping our economy going during the pandemic," Isasi remarked.

In Wyoming, one in ten children do not have health insurance, and 15% of nonelderly adults lack coverage.

Isasi contended no one should have to forego health care due to costs, or choose between filling a prescription and paying their rent or mortgage. He added the ball is now in Congress' court to ensure families never have to make those impossible decisions.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021