HEALTH CARE

High court upholds Obama health law

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld virtually all of President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul, including the hotly debated core requirement that nearly every American have health insurance.

By MARK SHERMAN , June 28, 2012

Sen. Johnson lauds senior citizens saving money under new health care law

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tim Johnson said an announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday regarding the significant amount of money seniors are saving on health care is welcome news.

By News release , December 13, 2011

Panels used to study SD health care

The South Dakota Legislature will face many decisions next winter regarding the future of health care services in South Dakota. The agenda has largely been already set by Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who has no less than five task forces and working groups in the start-up stages.

By Bob Mercer , May 03, 2011

Letters to the Editor

Please, buckle your kids’ seat belts To the Editor: Early in the morning last week, I was driving my personal vehicle dropping my son off at preschool. As I drove by an elementary school, I observed multiple kids roughly 5 to 10 years old without seat belts on. The kids I observed without seat belts on were very obvious. One of the kids was leaning in between the front seats of a passenger car, and another was riding in the front seat of a truck standing on the seat next to the driver. The drivers of both of these vehicles obviously knew their kids were not buckled up, and they obviously didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

February 05, 2011

Governor won’t yet reveal his plan for school funding; Medicaid consolidation planned

PIERRE — His predecessor proposed a 5 percent cut in general-education funding to South Dakota’s public school districts. The Associated School Boards of South Dakota’s leadership is telling members to brace for possibly a 10 percent reduction, based on rumors from legislators.
But what Gov. Dennis Daugaard has in mind remained a public mystery Tuesday, even after his first speech to the Legislature.

By Bob Mercer , January 12, 2011

Opinion: Repealing ACA would be an unfortunate move

As the election season evolves it is clear that health care and the reform legislation passed by Congress six months ago are a central issue. Though health care reform was seen as a priority by a large majority of voters prior to the 2008 election, polls now tell us that the public has a largely negative reaction to the new legislation (often referred to as the Accountable Care Act, or ACA).

By Tom Dean , October 08, 2010

Governor debate focuses on issues of health

South Dakota’s gubernatorial candidates clashed in a debate Thursday night about the federal health care overhaul and embryonic stem cell research, but both said they support banning smoking indoors and oppose medical marijuana.

By Dirk Lammers , October 08, 2010

New Sanford clinic ups ante on rivalry with Avera

A new Sanford clinic has opened in the Highland Mall in Mitchell, creating the health system’s third facility in the city.
Sanford Clinic Mitchell will provide obstetrics and gynecology services, including annual exams, pregnancy and high-risk pregnancy care, infertility, menopausal management and birth-control options. The clinic opened last Friday.

By Melanie Brandert , October 07, 2010

Chamberlain hospital gets $489,300 grant

CHAMBERLAIN – Sanford Health announced today it will receive $489,300 in funding over three years from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to establish a digital mammography center for underserved women living in central South Dakota.

June 28, 2010

Avera Queen of Peace receives $698,928 gift

Avera Queen of Peace Health Services in Mitchell announced this morning that it will receive $698,928 in funding over three years from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

By Staff reports , June 28, 2010

Letters to the Editor

Support Howie for governor of S.D. To the Editor: We have known Gordon Howie for many years. He is an entrepreneur. He owns a real-estate business and is a rancher. He knows how to manage a budget. He is pro-guns. He is pro-life. He is pro-family values. He is pro-God. He is pro-less government invasion in our lives and businesses. Is he perfect? Probably not.

April 17, 2010

Male nurses remain few in number

Taylor Olson can remember the day that he decided to become a nurse. His high school baseball teammate had just taken a pitch to the face and had fallen to the ground, seizing and bleeding. “A nurse happened to be in the stands, and she ran down and pretty much saved that kid’s life,” Olson said. “That really touched me as a young person to see how important nurses can be in everyday life.”

By Austin Kaus , April 17, 2010

Local group protests U.S. health care plan

Many motorists in Mitchell over the weekend saw signs along the side of the road that said “Stop Obamacare — Sign the Petition.”
Jay Sinkie, 19, of Mitchell, and several others stationed themselves in the former Old Home Bread parking lot and several other locations around Mitchell on Saturday with the signs.

April 05, 2010

South Dakota Editorial Roundup

Federal money would give state time to make decisions
We don’t like the idea of the federal government going deeper into debt in order to provide state governments with more money to cover their financial shortfalls. But we also don’t like the idea of forgoing our state’s share of that money, because we will all have to help repay it, whether or not we accept it.

March 27, 2010

Historic health care bill clears U.S. House

WASHINGTON — Summoned to success by President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled Congress approved historic legislation Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.
Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote. Republicans were unanimous in opposition, joined by 34 dissident Democrats.

By David Espo , March 22, 2010