Una línea de ayuda de Wyoming conecta a quienes llaman con una variedad de servicios humanos y de salud, incluída ayuda con el seguro médico durante la inscripción abierta. El 211 de Wyoming recibe entre 20 y 30 llamadas al día, según la subdirectora de la organización, Olivia Schon. Luego, los especialistas conectan a las personas que llaman con los recursos adecuados de una base de datos de casi 3.000 opciones, que van desde pequeñas organizaciones sin fines de lucro hasta programas estatales y federales. Schon dice que los principales temas por los que la gente llama son los programas de asistencia para el pago de alquileres y servicios públicos, la inseguridad alimentaria y el transporte a los proveedores de atención médica. Ella dice que las conversaciones iniciales a menudo revelan más áreas en las que la persona que llama puede necesitar ayuda.

"Tenemos un promedio de cuatro veces la cantidad de referencias que salen según las llamadas telefónicas entrantes. Entonces, llaman con cual es su primer problema y luego se van con mas de una solución a otros problemas que también tienen," dijo Schon.

Cuando las personas que llaman necesitan ayuda para inscribirse en un seguro médico, se les conecta con el "programa hermano" del 2-1-1 de Wyoming, Enroll Wyoming. La inscripción abierta comienza el viernes.

La tasa de inscripción en seguros médicos en Wyoming a través del mercado ha aumentado un 75 por ciento desde 2020, según KFF. En una ronda de financiación federal anunciada en septiembre para navegadores de seguros médicos, Enroll Wyoming recibió una subvención de uno punto cinco millones de dólares para seguir ofreciendo sus servicios de forma gratuita. Caleb Smith, de la organización, dice que tomar decisiones importantes sobre la atención médica puede resultar intimidante.

"No hace daño tener a alguien que este de su lado, que esté dispuesto a actuar como su defensor para asegurarse de que tenga respuestas a sus preguntas, que tenga lo que siente que necesita para poder tomar una decisión informada y empoderada," dijo Smith.

Wyoming 211 está disponible marcando 211.

People who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, will be dropped from their CoveredCA health plans at the end of August.

The move comes after the Trump administration changed a Biden-era definition of "lawfully present" to revoke health care eligibility for thousands of immigrants.

Christine Smith, policy and legislative advocate for the nonprofit Health Access California, said people only have a few weeks to get medical appointments in before their coverage ends.

"If you're enrolled in Covered California and you're a DACA recipient, the Trump administration just ended your coverage," Smith emphasized. "People should use as much of your health care as you can before the August 31st deadline."

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defended the move, saying it will save taxpayers money. CoveredCA estimated the change affects about 2,400 DACA recipients in the state who make too much to qualify for Medi-Cal and have jobs not providing health insurance. They can still buy private insurance but it is much more expensive. People who prepaid for their coverage can seek a refund.

Smith predicted it will be a blow not just to those who lose coverage but to the state's health care system as a whole.

"The lines in the ERs are going to be longer because people are not going to be able to get affordable preventive care," Smith projected. "They're just going to get sicker and then end up in the ERs. People will overall incur more medical debt. Hospitals will have more uncompensated care."

The change is nationwide. As of mid-July, about 538,000 people in the DACA program across the U.S. are ineligible to enroll in any state-based insurance marketplace and are unable to access premium subsidies or cost-sharing assistance.

Artificial intelligence is appearing more prominently in many aspects of life and research suggests older populations are curious, yet remain wary of using the technology in their everyday lives.

According to Stats Indiana, there are more than 1.5 million Hoosiers aged 65 and older, or 18% of the state's population. Experts said it is likely the demographic will use AI in some form in the next few years, either by choice or necessity.

Dr. Shaun Grannis, vice president of data and analytics for the Regenstrief Institute on Aging, said AI offers real benefits.

"It can reduce loneliness through conversation, provide reminders for medications and appointments," Grannis outlined. "It can support cognitive stimulation via games, storytelling, news updates."

The technology can also offer a low-pressure way to access information on public services, he added, which is valuable for those with mobility issues or those who feel intimidated by technology.

Grannis cautioned any tool which can be used for good can also lead to problems. He noted AI can create a false sense of companionship and mask social isolation. Overdependence is a legitimate concern, he argued, if the technology becomes a "crutch" for all forms of interaction.

"All cognitive activities or decision-making, it can actually lead to and create a negative feedback loop, lead to a decline in engagement and even basic self-management skills," Grannis explained. "This is risky."

Grannis believes one solution is designing AI systems to complement, not replace, human interaction. He stressed it can be done though building broader support ecosystems including family, friends, caregivers and community services. Grannis emphasized it would encourage real-world activity, prompting the user to go for a walk, call a grandchild or attend a local senior event.

If you have an extra five minutes, you can save a life because you can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation at no cost from a new mobile, hands-only CPR kiosk.

The new kiosk is in the lobby of Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. The machine's touch screen gives a brief overview of hands-only CPR and you can practice right there, on a mannequin.

Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, cardiologist at St. John's, said it is an easy way for people to get more comfortable giving chest compressions in an emergency.

"It's a lot like a video game but of course, a lot more important than a video game," Tadwalkar pointed out. "It gives real-time feedback about the depth and rate of compressions, proper hand placement, which are all factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR."

The American Heart Association operates the St. John's mobile kiosk and a stationary model at L-A-X with support from the hospital. Santiago Canyon College in Orange County also has a mobile hands-only C-P-R kiosk now through September, sponsored by Edwards Lifesciences.

Steven Munatones, an Orange County business owner, said he survived what's known as a "widowmaker" heart attack which led to cardiac arrest nine years ago, thanks to his 17-year-old son, who gave him immediate CPR with instructions from a 911 operator.

"You don't have to put your mouth to anybody's mouth," Munatones explained. "You just put your hand on their chest and pump. He saved me, and others can do the same, anywhere. So, it's absolutely a lifesaving, heroic act that anybody can do."

Statistics show 350,000 Americans suffer from cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year and about 90% die, in part because they do not receive CPR. About 70% of those cardiac arrests happen at home, so people often depend on family or friends to give CPR before an ambulance arrives.