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Obamacare premiums likely to surge again next year

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Health insurance premiums are likely to grow more expensive next year for those who buy Marketplace plans, after increases this year.

Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027, which would be a double-digit hike for the second year in a row, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate ...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Diarrhea-causing stomach parasite has cases across 17 states

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Across 17 states, 145 cases of a parasite have been reported between May 1 and June 16, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The actual number of cases is also likely higher than the number of cases reported.

Cyclosporiasis spreads if germs from contaminated feces get into someone’s mouth. This can happen through ...Read more

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/ZUMA Press/TNS

GOP leaders tried to quell McConnell health questions. It's not working

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — As online speculation swirls over Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization and scant public updates from his staff, the Kentucky Republican’s top allies spoke up this week, insisting he remains alert. But those assurances have done little to quash demands for proof of life, including from the state’s governor.

The episode has...Read more

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McConnell ally addresses 'rumors' surrounding the senator's health condition

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

An ally of Sen. Mitch McConnell is denying some speculation circulating social media surrounding McConnell’s health condition after around three weeks of hospitalization.

Scott Jennings, a former McConnell adviser and conservative political commentator on CNN, is part of a handful of people saying that they’ve spoken with the Kentucky ...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Michigan officials race to find cause of parasitic outbreak as cases near 1,000

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DETROIT — State health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of a growing parasitic outbreak in Michigan, contacting all people who have tested positive for cyclosporiasis as cases near 1,000.

Since the outbreak started June 22, 992 reports of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Michigan as of Wednesday morning, according to the state'...Read more

Pauses in data collection and staff cuts have affected many CDC databases. James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via Wikimedia Commons

From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC’s public health data are creating dangerous blind spots for disease tracking and prevention

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Public health relies on data – whether it is tracking the effectiveness of a given year’s flu vaccine, monitoring blood lead levels around the country or estimating the prevalence of diabetes. This data forms the basis for decisions such as whether a community should expand screening for diabetes and which communities are at greatest risk...Read more

Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS

Kentucky Gov. Beshear wants more information on Sen. Mitch McConnell's health, hospitalization

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is asking Sen. Mitch McConnell to share information surrounding his health condition after being hospitalized nearly three weeks ago.

In a letter sent Tuesday morning to McConnell’s office, Beshear said Kentuckians have grown concerned about McConnell’s health and whether he can continue serving in office. He ...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Northwestern study shows transplants boost survival for patients with terminal lung cancer

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO — Laura Rotunno didn’t think she had much longer to live.

“My body has had enough,” Rotunno, of Deerfield, remembered thinking last year, under the weight of Stage 4 lung cancer. The color had drained from her face, she was on oxygen and it was difficult to leave her home.

That all changed, however, after May 30 of last year, ...Read more

Xin Huashefa/Xinhua via ZUMA Press/TNS

Ebola health workers strike in hardest-hit Congo towns as outbreak intensifies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Ebola responders in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s hardest-hit areas have been striking this week over unpaid benefits and deteriorating working conditions, complicating efforts to contain a virus that’s infected more than 1,700 people and killed at least 580.

The industrial action took place in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province,...Read more

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Affordable Care Act insurers want more premium increases as enrollment sags

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For the second year in a row, many Affordable Care Act insurers are proposing double-digit premium increases, driven by rising medical costs as well as policy changes by Congress and the Trump administration.

In preliminary filings with state regulators, insurers are seeking a median rate increase of 14% for 2027, according to an analysis of ...Read more

Ivermectin is a deworming drug intended for use in animals, including horses and cows.  AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Ivermectin isn’t a cancer miracle drug, but influencers claim otherwise – here’s how to avoid sprinting past scientific evidence

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Though researchers have been studying the animal deworming drug ivermectin for decades, there is no evidence that it’s a safe or effective way to treat cancer in people.

However, a June 2026 study put the topic back in the spotlight. After being downloaded more than 85,000 times before its official publication, the study gained ...Read more

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Feds to decide fate of $2 billion California plan to fund Medi-Cal

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The fate of the state’s $2 billion plan to maintain health insurance for low-income and disabled Californians is now in the hands of Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor and Republican administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

State Republicans appealed directly to Oz in a letter on Monday, asking him to reject Gov. ...Read more

How to protect assets when Medicaid is needed

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: My mom suddenly needs to be in a nursing home. Should I spend down her assets so she qualifies for Medicaid?

A: If you’re in a situation where your mother needs nursing home care, you may be thinking your only option is to spend down her assets so she can qualify for Medicaid. Unlike Medicare, Medicaid does pay for long-term care. But ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Are acai bowls healthy?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Acai bowls have become a staple of health cafes, fitness influencers, and social media feeds — often promoted as the ultimate “clean” breakfast or post-workout meal. But are açaí bowls actually healthy, or are they just smoothies served in a bowl with good marketing? The answer lies in how they’re made.

Acai nutrition

Acai berries,...Read more

What causes a slow heartbeat?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: What would cause a person to have a slow heartbeat?

A: First, let’s clarify what we mean by slow heartbeat. Doctors say someone has a slow heart rate (bradycardia) when the pace is lower than 60 beats per minute.

The most common reason to have a slow heart rate is taking a beta blocker medication or being physically fit.

The best reason ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Surprising causes of heart attacks in young women

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I know the symptoms of a heart attack can be different in women than in men. But are the causes different too? I have a friend in her mid-50s who had an unexpected heart attack. Are there causes of heart attacks in women that most people don’t know about?

ANSWER: A new Mayo Clinic study has found that many heart attacks in ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Rethinking aging: Why 'healthspan' matters as much as lifespan

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Mayo Clinic physicians are working hard to change how clinicians and patients think about aging. A new publication in Mayo Clinic Proceedings outlines a new framework for "healthspan" — the years of life spent in good health, with preserved function, cognition and independence.

The paper, coauthored by Christina Chen, M.D., a Mayo Clinic ...Read more

CVN courtroom video from the Whitfield v. St. Louis Children's Hospital, et al., trial/CVN courtroom video from the Whitfield v. St. Louis Children's Hospital, et al., trial/TNS

A mom said infant formula killed her baby. The manufacturer closed the file

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In September 2016, a distraught mother sent infant formula maker Mead Johnson a message:

"REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST!!!! DO NOT EMAIL OR MAIL ME ANY MORE!

"It is because of your animal based pre-term artificial baby food crap that you peddle to hospital NICU's that my son is dead from NEC."

The mother was referring to neonatal intensive care ...Read more

Brittany McGee/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer/TNS

South Carolina nearly approved ivermectin to be sold over the counter. How it was stopped

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Even though almost every incumbent running in the primaries moved onto the general election, the sniping between the South Carolina House GOP caucus and the Freedom Caucus carried over into a new set of summer arguments.

The latest gripes between the two factions that has divided state House Republicans is over whether people...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

CDC, Pa. health officials tracking an intestinal parasite that causes 'explosive' bowel movements

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

State and local health officials are tracking dozens of cases of an illness caused by an intestinal parasite with symptoms including "explosive" bowel movements.

Cyclosporiasis, caused by the parasite Cyclospora caytanensis, spreads through contaminated food and water.

Pennsylvania had recorded 28 cases this year as of last week, including 14 ...Read more