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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

25 Hours, Dozens of KY Voices for Accessible Health Care

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Tuesday, June 27, 2017   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Folks from around Kentucky say they want their voices to be heard when it comes to health care reform.

A 25-hour online hearing wrapped up Monday afternoon featuring more than 100 Kentuckians who say Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are not listening to their concerns about the Republican plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

Jeanie Smith, a mother and teacher from Bowling Green who spoke as part of a mom’s panel, says it was great to hear from regular folks about how affordable health care is transforming and in some cases saving lives.

"When we have good health care, we're able to have good, healthy families and strong communities,” she states. “These stories that are coming out are just really powerful because these are your neighbors, these are the people that you go to church with, the families that you're teaching their kids in school."

One panelist described how health insurance allowed her to have blood work done that uncovered a rare form of cancer that is now being treated.

Another spoke of how the Affordable Care Act has improved access to addiction treatment that was not available before, and others raised concerns about jobs that could be lost under the GOP bill.

More than 1,000 people tuned in to watch the People's Emergency Health Care Hearing. Stories and videos are available online at hearourhealth.org.

On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office said the Senate GOP health plan would raise the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million by 2026.

Smith says some of the most vulnerable people in the Commonwealth would lose coverage.

"Children would significantly be impacted,” she points out. “Seniors would also be hurt. A lot of hard working Kentuckians won't be able to afford health care coverage.

“They won't be able to afford prescriptions that they need. We're going to see really negative impacts if this bill was to pass."

McConnell has said he would like a vote on the bill before the July 4 recess, and is speaking with senators about possible modifications to the current draft.





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