Health and wellness

Hospital margins ticked up in November, but 2022's bruising will linger well into this year straining some ratings.

A third of states lost population in 2021, a trend that is likely to continue and one that will have significant impact on the way in which state finance officials operate in the years to come.

North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell talks with The Bond Buyer's Chip Barnett about how the state's economy has remained in financially good health despite dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as well how the state deals with troubled municipalities. As chair of the debt affordability commission, he chats about bond issuance. He also discusses the ways to reform healthcare and increase transparency. (15 minutes)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear talks with Chip Barnett about economic progress the Commonwealth has made this year and how the state-local government partnership strengthened during the pandemic. He describes the heartbreaking human cost of the virus, the deadly toll it took on residents and why the Delta variant is a continuing cause of concern. (14 minutes)

California voters have approved a second infusion of bond funding for stem cell research.

Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Palos Health are the latest Midwest systems exploring a merger.

The numbers were not as bad as first forecast, with sales tax revenues, which account for 59% of the budget, inching up.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which has been on life support for years, is expected to close if the measure fails.

Officials at the country's largest municipal healthcare system are tracking COVID-19 costs as they face headwinds from the state and federal governments.