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COVID-19 Pandemic Drove Record Medicaid Enrollment In 2021

A record number of New Yorkers relied on Medicaid for health care in 2021, with monthly enrollment exceeding seven million for the first time, according to a new report by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. While enrollment has grown by about 5% per year over the last 15 years, increasing from about one in seven New Yorkers in 1998 to one in three in 2021, state budget projections rely on expectations for significant enrollment declines that may not materialize. “Federal and state Medicaid policy changes over the past decade have contributed to a steep decline in the number of ...

Headlines That Generated Interest Highlight Eventful Year

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of five stories highlighting some of the most-read stories in The Post-Journal during the past year. Today’s story focuses on local news stories. There hasn’t yet been a buyer for Stateline Speedway, the venerable Busti racetrack that has provided ...

Hochul Warns Of January COVID-19 Surge

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Wednesday of a January surge in COVID-19 infections as hospitalizations from the virus continued to rise. More than 67,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 across the state on Tuesday, Hochul said, and about 6,700 were ...

US Children Hospitalized With COVID In Near-Record Numbers

SEATTLE (AP) — The omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing in the U.S. is putting children in the hospital in close to record numbers, and experts lament that most of the youngsters are not vaccinated. "It's just so heartbreaking," said Dr. Paul Offit, an ...

Feds Press Nursing Home COVID Boosters As Staff Cases Spike

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday pressed nursing home workers to get their booster shots amid a spike in COVID-19 cases among staffers and a concerning lag in booster vaccination for residents and staff. The omicron variant "is lightning fast, and we cannot afford ...

Counties Find State Mask Mandate Hard To Enforce

Counties wanting to uphold Gov. Kathy Hochul’s indoor mask mandate for businesses are finding it hard to do so, and county leaders say enforcing that mandate is impossible with such small public health departments. The state has now put the responsibility of enforcing this mandate on county ...