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Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Republicans' $1 trillion Medicaid cut

Rural hospitals brace for financial hits or even closure under Republicans' $1 trillion Medicaid cut

OMAHA, Neb. — Tyler Sherman, a nurse at a rural Nebraska hospital, is used to the area's aging farmers delaying care until they end up in his emergency room.
Now, with Congress planning around $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years, he fears those farmers and the more than 3,000 residents of Webster County could lose not just the ER, but also the clinic and nursing home tied to the hospital.
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Mother sues Virginia funeral home, says maggots 'consumed' son's body
Mother sues Virginia funeral home, says maggots 'consumed' son's body

Yahoo

time14 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Mother sues Virginia funeral home, says maggots 'consumed' son's body

A Virginia woman is suing a funeral home for $5 million, plus interest, after she claims her late son's remains were consumed by maggots during his viewing. The woman, Tabitha Worrell, is suing Snellings Funeral Home and Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, according to court documents filed in circuit court and obtained by USA TODAY. In the lawsuit, Worrell's lawyers allege that Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home failed to properly care for her son's remains. Snellings Funeral Home is a member of the Hollomon-Brown family, and has been since Dec. 31, 1975, according to the funeral home's website. The funeral home did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment on July 1. Snellings Funeral Home and Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home provide funeral services throughout Virginia, including Chesapeake, about 25 miles west of Virginia Beach. After Worrell's son, Torreon Williams, died on May 2, 2022, in a car accident, she hired the company to arrange his memorial services, noting that she wanted an open casket viewing at the funeral home, per the lawsuit, filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court. Worrell made a down payment of $3,000, and the funeral home agreed to complete sanitary care and dress the body, per the lawsuit. On May 9, 2022, Worrell and other loved ones gathered for the viewing, where they noticed the doors to the facility were open and the facility was warm. As guests approached her son's body, Worrell and others noticed that 'his face, nose, and mouth, were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots,' the lawsuit reads. In the lawsuit, Worrell's lawyers allege that the maggots had been on and in her son's body for an extended amount of time. The lawyers said funeral home employees 'purposely ignored' the maggots, which had 'burrowed into holes in his cheek and mouth that had not existed.' When those at the viewing saw the maggots consuming Williams, they 'experienced shock and horror at the grotesque display of the body,' as well as "extreme emotional disturbance,' the lawsuit reads. According to the lawsuit, when funeral home staff got wind of what was happening, one employee approached the casket, put her hands on Worrell, and said, 'Don't you make a scene." A male employee also looked at the body and said, 'Flies got to him,' per the lawsuit. Among the claims the lawyers make in the lawsuit are that the funeral home failed to: Keep his remains in a properly sealed refrigeration environment. Keep insects, flies, and maggots from infesting his body. Clean and inspect their premises for insect infestation. Inspect, clean and maintain his body before his service. Make modifications to his display and presentation at the service. The lawyers said Worrell paid for services that were not performed in the proper manner, and they breached the contract they agreed upon with Worrell. According to her lawyers, Worrell experienced 'significant emotional distress, heartache, mental turmoil, and anxiety," as well as trauma, due to the situation. She suffers from nightmares, sleeplessness, flashbacks, depression, nausea, humiliation, embarrassment, grief, and horror due to what she experienced, her lawyers argued in the lawsuit. She now needs to pay for therapy, the court document continued. Worrell's lawyer, Kevin Sharp, said in a July 1 news release that Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home had duties to fulfill to Worrell, her son and loved ones. 'Hollomon-Brown was entrusted with the responsibility of providing this young man with a dignified viewing – one that would allow his family to mourn his passing with grace and respect,' Sharp wrote. 'Instead, Hollomon-Brown subjected them to an unimaginable horror – an experience so traumatic it continues to haunt them to this day.' Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mom sues funeral home, says maggots infested son's body at viewing

Mom Sues Hospital After 7-Month-Old Daughter Who Had a Heart Condition Allegedly Died Following a 9-Hour Wait
Mom Sues Hospital After 7-Month-Old Daughter Who Had a Heart Condition Allegedly Died Following a 9-Hour Wait

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time31 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Mom Sues Hospital After 7-Month-Old Daughter Who Had a Heart Condition Allegedly Died Following a 9-Hour Wait

A mom in Australia is suing a hospital after her infant allegedly died following a nine-hour wait Melissa Nowland's 7-month-old daughter Lexie Mae Nowland died in March 2022 The infant is believed to have died of sepsis meningitisA mom is suing a hospital, alleging negligence after her infant allegedly died following a nine-hour wait. Melissa Nowland is taking legal action against the Northern Territory government and Royal Darwin Hospital following the March 2022 death of her daughter Lexie Mae Nowland, according to a writ obtained by PEOPLE. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation was the first to report the news. Lexie, who had multiple heart surgeries at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne in the past, was transferred to the hospital in Northern Territory for inpatient management of her congenital heart condition in January 2022, per the document. After a four-day stay, the child was discharged, but she was then readmitted in March to have her feeding tube transitioned. During that time, Lexie was also treated for vomiting, fever and agitation by the hospital's emergency department, according to the writ. Lexie had a review scheduled for the following morning after she was discharged for that visit, but when Melissa called the hospital with concern about her daughter's health that night, she claimed she was advised to just arrive for Lexie's review early the next morning, per the document. The following day, however, the writ alleged that Lexi "did not undergo clinical review by a pediatric consultant until" hours later, and the infant suffered a cardiac arrest during that time. Lexie was resuscitated, but she then suffered another cardiac arrest hours later. Lexi was eventually pronounced dead that night. According to Australian crowdfunding website MyCause, Lexie died of sepsis meningitis. Melissa is now suing the government on behalf of herself, the baby's father and her two sisters, alleging that the hospital failed to "properly assess, treat and manage" Lexie's condition and provide aid for "suspected sepsis, dehydration/fluid and electrolyte disturbance." The treatment that was given, the mother further alleged, "fell below a reasonable standard of care." In a statement to PEOPLE, a Northern Territory Health spokesperson said, "As this matter is part of legal proceedings, NT Health is unable to provide comment." The writ claims that "the defendant's negligence caused or materially contributed to the deceased's death." "By reason of the defendant's negligence, the plaintiff has suffered nervous shock and has and will continue to suffer injury, loss and damage, including psychiatric injury," the document continues. Melissa also alleged that the hospital "failed to appreciate" her daughter was "at risk of acute deterioration," failed to advise her to visit the emergency department ahead of her death and failed "to [recognize] the parental concern in respect of [her] condition." She is suing for damages for psychiatric injury, compensation and burial costs. Read the original article on People

Trump officials promise to cure America's chronic insurance headaches — but experts say there's no magic pill
Trump officials promise to cure America's chronic insurance headaches — but experts say there's no magic pill

Yahoo

time41 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump officials promise to cure America's chronic insurance headaches — but experts say there's no magic pill

If your doctor recommended a test or treatment only for your insurance provider to demand more paperwork first, you're not alone. That obstacle, known as prior authorization, has become a notorious bottleneck in the U.S. health care system, delaying care and frustrating both patients and providers. About 16% of insured adults say they've run into issues with prior authorization, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. And it's more than just an inconvenience — it's part of a larger problem. Americans pay more for health care than anyone else in the world, but still face worse outcomes and declining life expectancy, even as premiums, prescription prices and hospital costs continue to climb. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Now, federal officials say help may be on the way. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that several of the country's largest insurers have pledged to overhaul the system and reduce delays. While that sounds promising, some experts are urging caution. "I think the question is whether this is actually going to come to fruition," said Miranda Yaver, a health policy professor at the University of Pittsburgh, in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR). "We'll have to see to what extent they make good on their promise, because right now, it is a pledge." Prior authorization has long been one of the most unpopular parts of the U.S. health care system. Despite years of promises from insurers to fix it, little has changed. At a press event on June 30, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz acknowledged that this isn't the first time insurers have promised to streamline the process. So what's different now? 'There's violence in the streets over these issues,' Oz said, referencing the 2024 killing of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — a tragedy that shook the health care industry and sparked widespread outrage. The man charged with Thompson's murder, Luigi Mangione, had long posted his struggles with insurance denials and mounting medical debt. He frequently wrote about living with chronic back pain and expressed anger over being denied the treatments he believed he needed. A survey by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago found that about 7 in 10 adults believe insurance denials or the profits earned by health insurance companies bear at least 'a moderate amount' of responsibility for Thompson's death. **Read more: No millions? No problem. With as little as $10, here's how you can access this $1B private real estate fund of diversified assets usually only available to major players Federal health officials say the process should become faster, clearer and less frustrating by the end of the year. The Department of Health and Human Services, alongside AHIP, the main lobbying group for insurers, says the initiative includes six key changes: Move prior authorization online, replacing outdated systems with streamlined digital platforms. Cut red tape by reducing the number of services that require prior approval. Make approvals portable so patients don't have to start over when they switch insurance mid-treatment. Boost transparency so patients and providers get timely updates on decisions and know how to appeal. Fast-track the routine care by granting instant approvals for common treatments. Require that licensed medical professionals review all clinical denials. Still, officials acknowledge this won't be a simple fix. Even as agencies work to reduce bureaucracy, they're facing their own obstacles. The Trump administration and some Republican lawmakers are backing proposals that would require certain Medicaid recipients to regularly prove they are working to keep coverage. Whether these reforms lead to meaningful relief or just more promises remains to be seen. This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Money doesn't have to be complicated — sign up for the free Moneywise newsletter for actionable finance tips and news you can use. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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