WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday put final touches on consumer protections against so-called “surprise” medical bills. The ban on charges that hit insured patients at some of life’s most vulnerable moments is on track to take effect Jan. 1, officials said. Patients ...

OMAHA, Neb. — More than a year after U.S. health care workers on the front lines against COVID-19 were saluted as heroes with nightly clapping from windows and balconies, some are being issued panic buttons in case of assault and ditching their scrubs before going out in public for fear of ...

NEW YORK — The spread of COVID-19 vaccination requirements across the U.S. hasn’t had the desired effect so far, with the number of Americans getting their first shots plunging in recent weeks. And some experts worry that the move to dispense boosters could just make matters worse. The ...

ALBANY — Thousands of healthcare workers in New York faced with either getting the COVID-19 vaccine or losing their jobs received at least one dose as the statewide mandate neared, according to state figures released Tuesday. More than 650,000 workers at hospitals and nursing homes in the ...

ALBANY — With more than 50 mentally-ill residents having died at state-run psychiatric centers from coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, the lack of a firm vaccination mandate for employees of those facilities is generating concerns. Gov. Kathy Hochul said several times in ...

NEW YORK — Some of the nation’s most aggressive COVID-19 vaccine mandates are scheduled to take effect Monday in New York amid continued resistance from some to the shots, leaving hospitals and nursing homes across the state and schools in New York City bracing for possible staff ...