Health

A cropped hand holding a vial of vaccine and syringe

Committee recommends pared back version of vaccine registry bill

BY: - February 14, 2022

Rather than spend more than $7 million attempting to contact all 790,000 people vaccinated and automatically included in the state’s immunization registry during six months of the pandemic, a House committee is recommending the state instead advertise the opportunity to have that vaccine record removed. With its 19-0 vote for a scaled back outreach effort, […]

Gray Pfizer sign on company headquarters in New York City.

COVID vaccine for kids under 5 delayed until at least April

BY: - February 11, 2022

WASHINGTON – A COVID-19 vaccine for young children will be delayed by at least two months as Pfizer and BioNTech gather more information on a three-dose regimen.  The disappointing news for many parents came after the Biden administration earlier had announced it was preparing to get the vaccines out to states as soon as it […]

A view of the NH Senate chamber

Bill would allow a man, without proving paternity, to halt a woman’s abortion

BY: - February 11, 2022

In a week where lawmakers heard several bills related to abortion, one stood out enough for longtime Rep. Marjorie Smith, a Durham Democrat seeking to repeal the state’s abortion law, to “congratulate” the sponsor for his novel attempt to do the opposite. “Usually you say there’s nothing new under the sun,” she said. “But this […]

‘It’s such an impossible decision’: Fatal fetal diagnoses and the state’s abortion ban

BY: - February 10, 2022

Michelle Cilley Foisy plans to tell House lawmakers Thursday about the death of her daughter Kayla, who would have turned 16 in December. When the story becomes almost impossible to tell, Foisy reminds herself she’s telling it for women who today don’t have the options she had when they learn late in pregnancy their baby […]

A glass of water being overfilled

As community grapples with contaminated water, cancer patients seek answers

BY: - February 9, 2022

Carol Williams doesn’t live in New Hampshire anymore, but she links her cancer to the 36 years she lived in Bedford, just over the Merrimack town line. Williams only recently learned that the drinking water at her house contained chemicals called per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, which can be harmful to human health. The […]

Exterior of the state liquor store

COVID-19 tests are now being sold at liquor stores – and that’s a concern for some

BY: - February 7, 2022

This story was updated on Feb. 7, 2022, at noon to correct the number of tests in each testing kit and on Feb. 23, 2022 at noon to remove inaccurate information about insurance reimbursement that had been provided by the state.  With the omicron variant persisting and at-home rapid COVID-19 tests in short supply, the […]

Mariah Blum standing at the nurses station

Travel nurses have been essential during the pandemic – but at a cost

BY: - February 4, 2022

This story was updated Feb. 4, 2022 at noon to with a clarification from Cheshire Medical Center that it was referring to national nursing vacancies, not its own vacancy rate.  Nurse Nick Caruso has worked in eight hospitals during the pandemic and, hands down, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon is his favorite. He likes the […]

Senate floor

Abortion ban repeal bill, rewritten as ultrasound clarification, passes Senate

BY: - February 3, 2022

In a 14-10 party-line vote Thursday, the Senate passed a significant rewrite of a bill seeking to repeal the state’s new 24-week abortion ban, changing it from a repeal to a clarification of the ban’s ultrasound requirement. Republicans also rejected four amendments from Democrats that would have scaled back the abortion ban by adding exceptions […]

Covid test kits

Free at-home COVID tests to be handed out to Medicare beneficiaries this spring

BY: - February 3, 2022

WASHINGTON – Starting this spring, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month at no cost. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday that eligible pharmacies and participating organizations will begin distributing the tests in the coming months to individuals on either original Medicare or in […]

A vial of covid vaccine

White House plans speedy delivery to states of COVID vaccine for littlest kids

BY: - February 3, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration is preparing to ship COVID-19 vaccines to the states as quickly as possible, should the Food and Drug Administration approve an emergency use authorization for kids under 5.  White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients said Wednesday that approval of the specially formulated vaccine would make 18 million young children […]

Representatives Hall, empty

Legislature looks at expanding access to Medicaid for immigrants

BY: - February 2, 2022

A bill before the Legislature would expand access to Medicaid for certain immigrants who are in the country legally, lifting a 5-year waiting period. House Bill 1578 would allow children and pregnant women legally residing in New Hampshire to access Medicaid if they are income eligible, a change advocates say is needed. In 1996, the […]

Dental instruments on a $100 bill

Senate committee shows support for expanded dental benefits under Medicaid

BY: - February 2, 2022

This story was updated February 2, 2022 at 12:50 a.m. with the of people who signed in to support and oppose Senate Bill 422 for Wednesday’s hearing. A nearly two-decades-long effort to give adults on Medicaid preventative dental benefits – not only those for costly emergency care – is again gaining momentum in the Legislature. […]