Government
FDA approves first over-the-counter oral contraceptive
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has approved the country’s first daily birth control pill that can be used without a prescription, a move that reproductive health advocates celebrated after more than 20 years of advocating for an over-the-counter option. The contraceptive, called Opill, is a progestin-only oral pill that could soon […]
Cameron to CEOs: End race-based hiring. Beshear to Cameron: Condemn ally’s ‘racist comments.’
Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday morning with a statement from Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Kentucky’s Daniel Cameron on Thursday joined a coalition of Republican attorneys general in warning the country’s top executives of “serious legal consequences” if their companies advance “diversity, equity, and inclusion” by discriminating on the basis of race. A letter […]
Legislative hearing on Medicaid dental expansion canceled
A public hearing on Gov. Andy Beshear’s plan to have Medicaid cover more dental, vision and hearing services for adults scheduled Friday, July 14, has been canceled. The hearing by the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee was to have been held at 1 p.m. in Frankfort for comments on Beshear’s plan that expands Medicaid to pay […]
Calls up 22% in year since Kentucky launched 988 crisis lifeline
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Almost a year after Kentucky launched a simplified, 3-digit suicide prevention hotline number – 988 – Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that more people are calling and texting crisis counselors.? The number, which replaced a […]
Cameron calls for $5,000 bonuses for Kentucky police, allowing murder charges in fatal overdoses
LOUISVILLE — Republican Daniel Cameron says that as governor he would oppose subpoena powers for civilian police review boards and support giving Kentucky law enforcement officers a $5,000 bonus to improve recruitment and retention. The proposals are part of a 12-point public safety plan that Cameron unveiled Tuesday and that focuses largely on Louisville.? Cameron’s […]
Hearing on Kentucky Medicaid dental, vision, hearing services rescheduled for Friday
A public hearing on Gov. Andy Beshear’s plan to have Medicaid cover more dental, vision and hearing services for adults has been rescheduled from Thursday, July 13, to Friday, July 14. The hearing by the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee will be held at 1 p.m. July 14 in Frankfort at the Capitol Annex in Room […]
EPA proposal could bring more scrutiny to toxic coal ash ponds, landfills in Kentucky
More ponds, landfills and impoundments in Kentucky containing the toxic byproducts of burning coal for electricity could come under federal oversight for water monitoring and cleanup under a proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.? The EPA is seeking comment on the proposal from stakeholders and the public in an online hearing Wednesday and is […]
Kentucky reports another record surplus. Will it lead to a third income tax cut?
Kentucky brought in a record $15.1 billion in general fund tax revenue during the last fiscal year — the most ever — buoyed by a strong jobs market, increasing salaries and wages and continued industry profits, the state budget director’s office announced Monday. Revenue in fiscal year 2023 exceeded budgeted expectations by about $1.4 billion, […]
Sports betting will begin in Kentucky Sept. 7, mobile betting on Sept. 28
LEXINGTON — Gamblers can begin casting legal sports bets at racetrack-related locations across Kentucky on Sept. 7 and through mobile apps on Sept. 28, under emergency regulations signed yesterday by Gov. Andy Beshear at the Red Mile. The legislature earlier this year made Kentucky the 37th state to legalize sports betting. The U.S. Supreme Court […]
Politics, pay and too few dentists: Barriers to healing the pain in Kentuckians’ mouths
At the Red Bird Mission dental clinic in Southeastern Kentucky, patients with few or no teeth now are eligible for dentures through an expansion of the state’s Medicaid dental services for adults. “People are tickled to death,” said Dr. Bill Collins, the dentist at the United Methodist Church mission in a remote corner of Clay […]
Louisville judge blocks state law barring some unions from collecting dues by payroll deduction
A judge has temporarily blocked a new Kentucky law barring some public-sector unions from being able to collect dues through payroll deductions.? Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards issued a temporary injunction July 3 against the implementation of Senate Bill 7 in a lawsuit brought by local unions in Louisville. SB 7, sponsored by Sen. […]
CDC to reduce funding for states’ child vaccination programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing funding to states for child vaccination programs, according to an agency email obtained by KFF Health News. The funding cut “is a significant change to your budget,” said the email to immunization managers, dated June 27 and signed by two CDC officials. The immunization managers who […]