Hill Country News

Stacey Whitford applied for Medicaid for herself and her son in December. He needs the coverage for hearing aids but the family had to wait months before finally being approved on the last day of March. "It's just like hanging a golden ticket right in front of your face and saying, 'Here it is, but you can't touch it'," Whitford said in early March as their wait neared 100 days. (Christopher Smith/Kaiser Health News/TNS)

Patients’ perilous months-long waiting for medicaid coverage is a sign of what’s to come

Korra Elliott has tried to avoid seeing a doctor while waiting to get on Medicaid. She worries she can’t afford more bills without any insurance coverage. But in early March — five … more

Bram Sable-Smith and Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 4/9/22

Supporters of Dr. Paul Marik gather along St. Pauls Boulevard outside of the Norfolk, Virginia, courthouse on Nov. 18, 2021. Dr. Marik, a critical care specialist, sued Sentara Healthcare over its ban of the use of ivermectin in COVID-19 patients. Legislators in at least half the states are trying to protect medical providers from disciplinary action for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 or promoting unproven treatments, which some medical authorities say endanger the public. (Kaitlin McKeown/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS)

States weigh shielding doctors' COVID misinformation, unproven remedies

The controversy began in September, more than a year into the pandemic, when the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners issued a warning to doctors in the state: Spreading misinformation about COVID-19 … more

Michael Ollove, Stateline.org (TNS) | 4/9/22

Brandie Kurtz of Wrens, Georgia, said her son Wylie James Prescott had to wait more than a year after his autism diagnosis to begin behavioral therapy, even though research shows early treatment of autism can be crucial for children's long-term development. (Brandie Kurtz/Kaiser Health News/TNS)

Delays for autism diagnosis and treatment grew even longer during the pandemic

Wylie James Prescott, 3, had to wait more than a year after his autism diagnosis to begin behavioral therapy, even though research shows early treatment of autism can be crucial for children’s … more

Andy Miller and Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 4/3/22

Millions are at risk of losing health care coverage through Medicaid when the pandemic public health emergency ends. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Many Medicaid recipients could lose coverage as pandemic ends

Most of the nation will rejoice when the Biden administration lifts the public health emergency that has been in force since March 2020. But when that moment comes — probably this summer, … more

Michael Ollove, Stateline.org (TNS) | 3/12/22

Medical workers prepare COVID-19 tests at a testing site inside the Times Square subway station on Dec. 27, 2021, in New York City. (Scott Heins/Getty Images/TNS)

As politics infects public health, private companies profit

For some counties and cities that share a public health agency with other local governments, differences over mask mandates, business restrictions and other COVID-19 preventive measures have strained … more

Vignesh Ramachandran, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 3/6/22

The state Capitol building in Hartford, Connecticut. State legislators are considering requiring quarterly reports and hearings on infrastructure spending to prevent fraud. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant/TNS)

Fraudsters set to pounce on massive infrastructure money

Fraudsters stand to siphon off $120 billion or more of the federal infrastructure money flowing to states and local governments for roads, bridges, broadband and other projects over the next five … more

Jenni Bergal, Stateline.org (TNS) | 3/5/22

After stints at Firefly Aerospace and Blue Origin, Shane Cullen, a Vista Ridge grad, will intern at SpaceX next summer.

Rocket Launcher: Vista Ridge grad eager to analyze 'insanely' complex SpaceX rockets

It’s not exactly uncharted territory, any more. Nor is it any longer a realm occupied exclusively by polymaths.So, a Cedar Park kid is headed to the high frontier as a rocket scientist.“Anyone … more

Richard Stone | Editor at Large | 2/24/22

Even with Google, knowing stuff is crucial to basic reasoning

What’s the difference between socialism and communism? How does global warming occur? What’s an economy of scale? Easily Google-able questions — and parents’ own unhappy … more

Arianne Cohen, Rate.com (TNS) | 1/30/22

In some cases, it can be difficult to know whether a charge is unauthorized or "fraudulent," or whether it’s your issue to deal with. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Why you can be on the hook for credit card charges you didn’t make — and how to avoid it

Imagine you connect a credit card to a game on your child’s phone for convenience. A few weeks later, you find out thousands in charges were processed to your card in a matter of … more

Holly D. Johnson, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/30/22

Dr. Lisa Ravindra conducts a remote monitoring telehealth visit with patient Jenny Thomas, top of screen, at Rush River North in Chicago, on Oct. 5, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

Insurance focused on virtual visits? The pros and cons of a new twist in health plans

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people often relied on telemedicine for doctor visits. Now, insurers are betting that some patients liked it enough to embrace new types of health coverage … more

Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News (TNS) | 1/24/22

TurboTax has exited the IRS' Free File program. (Sharaf Maksumov/Dreamstime/TNS)

Want to file your tax return for free? TurboTax opts out of major program

TurboTax — which has been criticized for some sketchy tactics when it came to providing online access free of charge through the IRS site — is now shocking taxpayers by informing them … more

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press (TNS) | 1/24/22

In California, you can’t be sued for consumer debt older than four years. But making even a partial payment can restart the debt clock. (Kawee Srital On/Dreamstime/TNS)

Not all debt is collectable. Be mindful of the statute of limitations

Some businesses and debt collectors may want you to think your financial obligations will trouble you forever unless you come across with some cash. What they don't usually tell you is there are … more

David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 1/23/22

The Internal Revenue Service building is in Washington, D.C. Many 2019 tax returns filed on paper have not been processed yet, leading to complications for those filing their 2020 returns. (Chuck Myers/TNS)

Tax-efficient investing: 7 ways to minimize taxes and keep more of your profits

If you’re an investor, be sure to give special attention to the taxes you’ll have to pay on your investments. In many cases, you have ways to legally reduce, defer or even eliminate taxes … more

James Royal, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 1/20/22

An Atlanta restaurant employee received a letter from the Georgia Department of Labor accusing her of unemployment fraud. It was her employer's fault. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Days before Christmas, a letter: Repay your unemployment benefits

Not long before Christmas, Haven Whiteman got a letter from the Georgia Department of Labor. It shook the 28-year-old Atlantan, a former restaurant server assistant who had seen her regular pay and … more

Matt Kempner, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS) | 1/18/22

Nearly two years into COVID-19, sometimes it feels reasonable to ask if there will ever be a return to work, writes Laura Yuen. (Octavian Lazar/Dreamstime/TNS)

Laura Yuen: I started a new job in the pandemic. Will I ever get to meet my co-workers?

I'm one of the millions of Americans who quit their jobs last year. It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to have landed a remote gig with the kind of flexibility I've craved ever since becoming … more

Laura Yuen, Star Tribune (TNS) | 1/11/22

Generators can cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. But the industry resists rules to make them safer.

Three days after Hurricane Ida slammed ashore on Aug. 29, leveling homes and knocking out power along the Louisiana coast, Craig Curley Sr. maneuvered through a packed crowd at Home Depot to reach … more

By Lexi Churchill, Perla Trevizo and Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Mike Hixenbaugh and Suzy Khimm, NBC News | 12/20/21

Leander rental named "coolest" Airbnb in Texas by travel magazine

A Leander AirBnB rental has been named the "coolest" Airbnb property in Texas by the travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler.The accolade was part of the magazine's listing of the "coolest" Airbnb … more

By JOSH MONIZ, Senior Reporter | 12/20/21

Converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is one of the tax strategies for investors. (Dreamstime/TNS)

6 unusual year-end tax strategies for investors

Taxpayers have any number of deductions and credits that they can take to reduce their tax burden, but those looking to get a break for their investing activities have a more limited menu of choices. … more

James Royal, Bankrate.com (TNS) | 12/16/21

Vivian Bowers, the owner of Bowers & Sons Cleaners, a second-generation dry cleaner in South Los Angeles, irons a shirt. U.S. dry cleaning prices are up 6.9% year over year, higher than the overall inflation of 6.2%. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Small businesses eat the cost of inflation: ‘Keep the customer happy or you lose the customer’

For Vivian Bowers, owner of a South Los Angeles dry cleaner, inflation hit home when her wholesale cost for hangers soared by 48% in six months. Tom Bock, who runs an electric bike dealership in … more

Margot Roosevelt, Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times (TNS) | 12/9/21

Block House Creek cafeteria manager Jennifer Sullivan said that they were able to make the extra food needed for the feast while volunteers filled and distributed trays

FULL BELLIES AND THANKFUL HEARTS: Volunteers turn out to give kids a Thanksgiving feast

Leander schools hosted this year's Thanksgiving festivities through the help of 336 district-wide parent volunteers, after a semester of staffing shortages in departments like the cafeteria.

more

Lilly Chandler | HCN Contributor | 11/25/21

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