Natalie Krebs
Natalie Krebs is the health reporter for Iowa Public Radio in Des Moines. She previously worked as an independent producer in west Texas where she covered issues related to the environment, immigration and health care. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Twenty states — including Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska — have joined a lawsuit suing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over a federal requirement increasing minimum staffing levels for nursing homes. -
An Iowa law that bans abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy is poised to go into effect next week. The law could have rippling affects on abortion care across the Midwest. -
Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights. -
Many hospitals are shuttering their labor and delivery units because insurance companies and Medicaid aren't reimbursing hospitals enough to cover the cost of births. -
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent out a letter to the governors of 44 states — including Missouri and Kansas — that are not meeting federal standards for processing SNAP applications. -
Most Midwest states, including Missouri and Kansas, have a cap on the amount that juries can award in non-economic damages for medical malpractice cases. But some question whether caps help — or hurt — those seeking justice for medical errors. -
With the end of pandemic-era housing protections, Midwest states are ramping up evictions again, which is causing a growing public health crisis. Since March 2020, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment has increased nearly 18% percent in Missouri. -
A new federal designation would allow struggling hospitals to end inpatient services, but some have concerns about how that could affect rural health care. -
Missouri is among the Midwestern states with some of the country's highest rates of cancer mortality for Black residents. Public health advocates have worked for years to close the racial gap, but some worry the pandemic will delay progress. -
Nationwide, COVID-19 disproportionately affected communities of color — in part because the U.S. relies on immigrant workers in food and agriculture.
