Articles written by Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar
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COVID pandemic's end may bring turbulence for US health care
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures. Wi...
Roe lawyer Sarah Weddington helped redefine abortion rights
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sarah Weddington, who as a young lawyer from Texas won the Roe v. Wade case at the U.S. Supreme Court, is being remembered this week as a champion of feminism whose work impacted the nation's politics as views shifted on...
Alzheimer's drug cited as Medicare premium jumps by $21.60
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare's "Part B" outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 next year, one of the largest increases ever. Officials said Friday a new Alzheimer's drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care...
COVID vaccine for younger kids already being packed, shipped
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anticipating a green light from vaccine advisers, the Biden administration is assembling and shipping millions of COVID-19 shots for children ages 5-11, the White House said Monday. The first could go into kids' arms by midweek....
Biden lifts abortion referral ban on family planning clinics
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday reversed a ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics, lifting a Trump-era restriction as political and legal battles over abortion grow sharper from Texas to the U.S. Supreme Court. Th...
Census: Relief programs staved off hardship in COVID crash
WASHINGTON (AP) — Massive government relief passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic moved millions of Americans out of poverty last year, even as the official poverty rate increased slightly, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The official...
More COVID-19 shots, studies offer hope for US schools
WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials offered new hope for the safety of U.S. schoolchildren threatened by COVID-19 on Friday as Gulf Coast hospitals already full of unvaccinated patients braced for the nightmare scenario of a major hurricane causing a wave...
VA requires COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines, as the aggressive delta variant spreads and some communities report troubling increases in...
US restores transgender health protections denied by Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration declared Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that narrowed rights at the intersection of changing...
Biden expands 'Obamacare' by cutting health insurance costs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday that his $1.9 trillion rescue package would build on the promise of the Affordable Care Act, the hallmark legislation of Barack Obama's presidency that became law 11 years ago. Biden's...
HHS pick says pandemic is top job, but agenda is broader
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary nominee Xavier Becerra told senators Tuesday that confronting the coronavirus pandemic will be his first priority if confirmed, but he also pledged to expand health insurance, rein in prescription drug costs and...
Pentagon deploys troops to fuel COVID-19 vaccine drive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will deploy more than 1,100 troops to five vaccination centers in what will be the first wave of increased military support for the White House campaign to get more Americans inoculated against COVID-19. President...
Fauci sees vaccination for kids by late spring or the summer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see some kids starting to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the next few months. It's a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the virus. Vaccines are...
Biden: We'll 'manage the hell' out of feds' COVID response
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden pledged Friday to boost supplies of coronavirus vaccine and set up new vaccination sites to meet his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. It's part of a broader COVID strategy that also seeks to...
With virus surging, Biden to speed release of COVID vaccines
WASHINGTON (AP) — With COVID-19 surging and vaccinations off to a slow start, President-elect Joe Biden will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people, his office said Friday, a reversal of Trump administration policies....
US close on deal with Pfizer for millions more vaccine doses
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is close to a deal to acquire tens of millions of additional doses of Pfizer's vaccine in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies. A person with knowledge of...
On virus, Trump and health advisers go their separate ways
WASHINGTON (AP) — A multi-state coronavirus surge in the countdown to Election Day has exposed a clear split between President Donald Trump's bullish embrace of a return to normalcy and urgent public warnings from the government's top health...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's dubious claims on health care, court
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump isn't providing all the facts when he promises that people with preexisting medical problems will always be covered by health insurance if "Obamacare" is ruled unconstitutional. Eager to get conservative...
Cyberattack hobbles major US/UK hospital chain
WASHINGTON (AP) — Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the U.S. and Britain were down Monday due to what the company termed an unspecified technology "security issue." Universal Health Services Inc., which operates more than...
Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yet
WASHINGTON (AP) — If you're on Medicare, don't run to the mailbox looking for a $200 prescription drug card courtesy of President Donald Trump. Government officials said Friday that key details of Trump's election-year giveaway still have to be...
Single-dose vaccine tested as US experts say no corners cut
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the...
US experts vow 'no cutting corners' as vaccine tests expand
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the...
Business lobby raises concerns over Trump payroll tax break
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's leading business group on Wednesday raised serious concerns about President Donald Trump's move to defer Social Security payroll taxes for American workers, warning that the plan for a shot of economic relief during...
With no new law to curb drug costs, Trump tries own changes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unable to land the big deal with Congress to curb drug costs, President Donald Trump on Friday moved on his own to allow imports of cheaper medicines, along with other limited steps that could have some election-year appeal. At a...
With a jab at Trump, Pelosi unveils new 'Obamacare' bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Flicking a dismissive jab at President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a plan Wednesday to expand "Obamacare," even as Trump's administration is about to file arguments in a Supreme Court case to strike it down....