Sebastián Martínez Valdivia
Sebastián Martínez Valdivia is a health reporter and documentary filmmaker who focuses on access to care in rural and immigrant communities. A native Spanish speaker and lifelong Missouri resident, Sebastián is interested in the often overlooked and under-covered world of immigrant life in the rural midwest. He has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri and a master's degree in documentary journalism at the same institution. Aside from public health, his other interests include conservation, climate change and ecology.
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A federal emergency declaration that has allowed children to receive continuous Medicaid coverage throughout the pandemic could end soon, and health providers are worried. -
Medicaid applicants in Missouri are facing average wait times to get their applications processed of nearly four months: well over the 45 days required by the federal government. -
Research suggests access to public health insurance can help curb recidivism. Reentry organizations in Missouri are working to enroll people in Medicaid after they leave prison to keep them from coming back. -
Legal advocates are going to court to seek benefits for Missourians who they say are being illegally shut out by a protracted application process. -
Republicans in the Missouri House are looking to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November which would allow them to control Medicaid expansion funding. -
Research has found Medicaid expansion is linked to lower rates of people reoffending, and a key aspect appears to be mental health care. -
The Board of Curators' decision not to require masks comes as the state experiences the worst COVID-19 infection rates it has seen since the start of the pandemic. -
The first U.S. omicron case was identified Wednesday – about a week after its discovery in South Africa. While there are concerns about the variant’s transmissibility, the number of mutations it possesses make it easier to detect than other strains. -
Through the first six months of 2021, nearly 800 Missourians died from opioid overdose; well over half the total number of deaths in 2020. Law enforcement and public health experts say the synthetic opioid fentanyl is largely to blame. -
An interview with Dana Farber oncologist Dr. Miranda Lam, about her research on Medicaid expansion and cancer mortality.
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While the state is accepting applications for Medicaid coverage under expanded eligibility, it says it can't start processing those applications before October 1. -
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem issued an injunction prohibiting the state from denying applications of people who qualify for Medicaid under expanded eligibility.
