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Photo of 3057 Coney Island Avenue.
Eric Adams, the Erdogan Family, and a Brooklyn Medical Fraud Hotspot

One Brighton Beach property connects political donations, Medicaid scams, and a Turkish charity

Will Bredderman   ·   November 21, 2024
Photo collage of Tom Suozzi over North Shore University Hospital
Tom Suozzi, Clarapath, and the Biotech Boom He Didn’t Disclose

Suozzi’s unreported financial interest in a promising healthcare startup highlights blurred lines between politics and profit.

Will Bredderman   ·   November 14, 2024
The logo of a baby in a stroller lays above a background of dollar signs on bricks.
New York ‘Birth Grant’ Bill Would Pay New Parents With Medicaid Funds

A proposal from state Senator Andrew Gounardes would send some new parents $1,800 in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Julia Rock   ·   November 4, 2024
Former state budget director Robert Mujica sits at a table with a name card wearing a suit.
Former New York Budget Chief Robert Mujica’s Consulting Sparks Revolving Door Questions

New financial disclosures show when Mujica began consulting for the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Chris Bragg   ·   October 29, 2024
Someone rinses their hand with water from a rusty lead pipe in a park.
New York Is on the Hook for Billions to Replace Lead Pipes

New rules from the Biden administration require water utilities to replace all lead pipes. That could cost New York $2.5 billion or more, kicking off a fight over who pays.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 11, 2024
A $100 bill behind a transparent photo of an EKG reading.
Deaths Abound in New York’s Jail Infirmaries. So Do Profits.

More counties are turning to private corporations to run medical care in jails. The companies have deadly track records.

Laura Robertson   ·   July 18, 2024
A sign for the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center
How Upstate Retirees Fought Privatized Health Care And Won

Medicare Advantage plans are spreading across upstate New York, despite a reputation for denying care. In Cortland County, retirees kept it at bay.

Chris Stanton   ·   July 9, 2024
A nurse stands at a computer in a school nurse's office
Lacking State Funding, Rural Schools Struggle to Provide Remote Health Care

In rural school districts where doctors are hard to find, in-school telehealth services seemed like a good solution. Then New York state stopped funding them.

Bianca Fortis   ·   June 5, 2024
State Senator Gustavo Rivera, a major opponent of Hochul's cuts to Health Homes, speaks at a rally for health workers on April 17, 2023.
As Families in Crisis Struggle to Reach Services, Medicaid Cuts Threaten to Make It Worse

Hochul’s proposed Medicaid cuts include $125 million from Health Homes, a program that connects the neediest New Yorkers with medical care, food assistance, and more.

Eliza Fawcett   ·   April 9, 2024
In These State Prisons, Addiction Treatment Is Out of Reach

Stark disparities in access to life-saving medication for opioid addiction persist between facilities — and racial groups.

Spencer Norris   ·   March 22, 2024
Albany Capitol superimposed over 100 dollar bill money printer
Get Billions of Dollars to Pay for Medicaid With This One Weird Trick

New York legislators have a plan to claim billions in federal funding for health care, driving a fight between industry groups.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 21, 2024
Former state budget director Robert Mujica sits at a table with a name card wearing a suit.
Robert Mujica, Former Budget Chief, Advises Hospital Lobby on Budget

The former budget director’s role may break a law meant to keep ex-state employees from monetizing insider knowledge.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 29, 2024
Greater New York Hospital Association President Kenneth Raske sits at a table and gestures with a pen in front of an American flag.
How the Hospital Lobby Pummeling Hochul’s Budget Brought in a Billion Dollars

While the nonprofit Greater New York Hospital Association lobbied, a lucrative for-profit arm may have run up costs for hospitals.

Chris Bragg   ·   February 29, 2024
People gather outside a stone arch with sign that says "Hospital & Emergency Room" displaying letters A, C, D, F, G, H, and an emergency cross.
Retired Teachers Seek Union Shakeup to Dodge Medicare Advantage

In the New York City teachers union, anger over a plan to privatize retiree health care could send a longshot campaign over the edge.

Sam Mellins   ·   February 26, 2024
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stands at a podium next to a sign reading "treating addiction and preventing overdoses."
As Overdoses Soar, Addiction Treatment Funding Stagnates

Hochul’s budget would level off funding for addiction treatment — and use opioid settlement funds to fill the gaps.

Spencer Norris   ·   February 13, 2024
New York City Governor Kathy Hochul stands behind a podium reading "Combatting the Opioid Epidemic"
In Upstate New York, Treatment for Opioid Addiction Gets Harder to Find

The average New Yorker has to travel nearly 10 miles to access methadone, a New York Focus analysis found. Upstate, they have to go even further.

Spencer Norris   ·   January 23, 2024
Kathy Hochul stands with her hands spread at a podium reading "Combatting the Opioid Epidemic"
With Overdose Deaths at All-Time High, Hochul Ignores Calls to Declare Emergency

The governor has neglected to announce a public emergency over the increasingly deadly opioid epidemic. Observers are perplexed.

Spencer Norris   ·   December 14, 2023
New NYPD officers smile amid blue and white confetti at police academy graduation ceremony.
NYPD Instructs Officers to Tase, Pepper Spray People Experiencing Debunked Syndrome

Police training materials link the discredited “excited delirium syndrome” to synthetic marijuana use.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 12, 2023
As Overdose Deaths Mount in New York Prisons, Treatment Program Crawls

The prison department doesn’t track overdose deaths in its custody. A New York Focus analysis found that the overdose death rate has tripled.

Jake Neenan   ·   November 9, 2023
Exterior of a hospital with cars and motorcycles parked in front
Despite State Measures, New Yorkers Fear Health Care Over Medical Debt Lawsuits

Recent legislation has sought to rein in medical debt collection. But the bills don’t stop lawsuits in the first place — and some patients decline care out of financial concern.

Churchill Ndonwie   ·   October 27, 2023
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