khn.org
Pandemic Swells Medicaid Enrollment to 80 Million People, a
'High-Water Mark'
Phil Galewitz

The pandemic-caused recession and a federal requirement that states
keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled until the national emergency ends
swelled the pool of people in the program by more than 9 million over
the past year, according to a report released Thursday.

The latest figures show Medicaid enrollment grew from 71.3 million in
February 2020, when the pandemic was beginning in the U.S., to 80.5
million in January, according to a KFF analysis of federal data. (KHN
is an editorially independent program of KFF.)

That's up from about 56 million in 2013, just before many states
expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. And it's double the
40 million enrolled in 2001.

Medicaid, once considered the ugly duckling compared with the
politically powerful and popular Medicare program, now covers nearly 1
in 4 Americans. In New Mexico, the ratio is more than 1 in 3.

Together, Medicaid and Medicare cover 43% of Americans.

apnews.com
Woman treated for burns after attack with unknown liquid

ABINGDON, Md. (AP) -- A woman was treated for apparent chemical burns after she said two people yelled homophobic remarks and threw liquid at her, the Harford County Sheriff's Office said.

The Baltimore County woman told deputies that it happened in the Home Goods store parking lot in Abingdon on Thursday afternoon, according to a news release posted on social media. The woman said two people in a small black car yelled homophobic remarks at her, then threw an unknown liquid at her before driving off.

At first, the woman believed the liquid was water and she continued with her day, but an hour later, her skin began itching and she went to a local urgent care for treatment of what appeared to be chemical burns.

She reported the incident to police that night.