February is American Heart Month, a time when people of all ages can focus on their cardiovascular health. This year, The CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is shining a light on high blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Health experts say many workers are missing out on benefits they already pay for because they don’t fully understand their health plans. They recommend reviewing coverage at the start of the year to save money and make better choices about care.

As health insurance costs hit record highs, some Illinoisans are facing a nearly 30% increase in their premiums. With more than half of Americans not aware of what their plan includes, experts are urging residents to learn about and use the benefits they’re paying for.

Proposed federal budget cuts could eliminate the only institute in the country dedicated to nursing research and key training programs. Opponents of the cuts say they would put Missouri’s nurse pipeline and patient care at risk, just as the state faces ongoing medical workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas.

A Missouri lawmaker is reviving a bill to let qualified DACA recipients obtain professional licenses, a move supporters say could help ease worker shortages and keep trained graduates in the state.

A new amendment to Illinois’ Victims Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) protects employees from employer retaliation if they use work-issued devices to document instances of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence. The change, effective Jan. 1, was prompted by a fatal out-of-state case and aims to strengthen workplace protections

Missouri is expanding access to Narcan through vending machines and porch-style boxes, with the city of Springfield serving as one example of how wider naloxone access could help save lives, statewide.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has delayed tougher wastewater treatment standards for coal-fired power plants, a move critics say could slow reductions in toxic pollution. The delay affects facilities nationwide, including in Missouri.

According to a YouGov poll, 31% of Americans made New Year’s resolutions or set goals for 2025. That means about 81 million Americans were determined to learn something new, make a lifestyle change, or set a personal goal in an effort to better themselves. Were you one of them? Did you abandon that goal by February?

Advocates of affordable healthcare warn that proposed Medicaid changes could result in coverage losses for thousands of Missourians, not because they’re ineligible, but due to paperwork and administrative hurdles. They point to past coverage losses and growing strain on rural hospitals as concerns mount ahead of a possible January government shutdown.