A deer tick nymph crawls on a human body.
Andrew Nuss via Flickr
A deer tick nymph crawls on a human body.
Andrew Nuss via Flickr
From The Context, PA Post’s weekday email newsletter:
—Ed Mahon, PA Post reporter
WITF’s Brett Sholtis tells the story of Anson Flake, who contracted Lyme disease in the early 2000s and had major health problems and big medical bills as a result. Flake said he spent more than $50,000 of his own money to recover.
Now, Flake is an advocate for legislation that would require health insurers to cover treatment plans for Lyme disease or related tick-borne illnesses, regardless of whether the treatment plan includes short-term or long-term antibiotic treatment. Flake’s story is part of a larger question over whether “chronic Lyme disease” is real.
Since 2000, Pennsylvania has led the nation for the number of Lyme disease cases, PennLive’s Marcus Schneck reported earlier this year. The Inquirer’s Jason Nark describes how, if you find a tick on your body, you can get it tested for free.
More people died on Pennsylvania roads last year than the year before, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The number of fatal crashes rose for ones involving drug- or alcohol-impaired drivers, pedestrians and drivers aged 65-74. PennLive’s Charlie Thompson has more.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf had an amicable chat with protesters outside his home, WITF’s Katie Meyer reports. The demonstrators are worried about Wolf’s willingness to compromise with Republicans on getting rid of an about $50 million cash assistance program for the poor. Wolf has suggested using the money for housing assistance.
PennLive and the Wolf administration were involved in a lengthy battle over access to information on permit applications to grow or sell cannabis. Commonwealth Court recently ruled in PennLive’s favor, and Wallace McKelvey now reports on what that recently released information and testimony reveals.
The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.