(Politico) – The Paweleks’ struggles are emblematic of the problems that beset mining communities where health systems have been disrupted and distorted by the industry’s booms and busts, creating ripple effects that make it harder for people to access care, deepening inequities and worsening health outcomes in populations often predisposed to poor physical and mental health.

Mining companies offer good jobs with good benefits that can counterintuitively damage health care access. Health systems can grow dependent on those insurance plans to survive, and the benefits are in some cases so good that providers are reluctant to serve others in the community. (Read More)