Cost of Living

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In California, Democrats Propose $25 Minimum Wage for Health Workers

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Union-aligned Democrats were set to introduce legislation Wednesday mandating a statewide $25 minimum wage for health workers and support staffers, likely setting up a pitched battle with hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis clinics. State Sen. María Elena Durazo’s bill would require health facilities and home health agencies to give raises to many … Read more

‘The Country Is Watching’: California Homeless Crisis Looms as Gov. Newsom Eyes Political Future

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Driving through the industrial outskirts of Sacramento, a stretch of warehouses, wholesale suppliers, truck centers, and auto repair shops northeast of downtown, it’s hard to square California’s $18 billion investment in homeless services with the roadside misery. Tents and tarps, run-down RVs, and rusted boats repurposed as shelter line one side of … Read more

Her Credit Was Ruined by Medical Debt. She’s Been Turned Away From Doctors, Jobs, and Loans

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“It’s like you’re being punished for being sick.” Penelope Wingard Penelope Wingard, 58, Charlotte, North Carolina  Approximate Medical Debt: More than $50,000  Medical Issue: Breast cancer  What Happened: After a year of chemo and radiation, in 2014, Penelope Wingard finally heard the news she’d been praying for: Her breast cancer was in remission. But with … Read more

Her Apartment Might Have Put Her Son’s Health at Risk. But ‘I Have Nowhere Else to Go.’

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ATLANTA — When Louana Joseph’s son had a seizure because of an upper respiratory infection in July, she abandoned the apartment her family had called home for nearly three years. She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. Mold can trigger and exacerbate lung … Read more