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Medicaid insurers' contracts on the line in tight governor's race

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

One of America’s most competitive gubernatorial races could settle a heated argument over whether private insurance companies should run Medicaid.

The race is in Iowa, whose Medicaid program has been plagued with controversy since 2016, when the state hired national insurance companies to manage billions of dollars’ worth of benefits.

That...Read more

Libby O'Neill/Boston Herald/TNS

Mass. Gov. Healey announces first steps to lower health care costs, investment in primary care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — Massachusetts is setting out to lower health care costs with steps like investing more state resources in primary care, supporting nursing recruitment, and standardizing out-of-network service rates Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday.

“We know that healthcare costs are burdening people, families, employers, budgets at the state, ...Read more

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Phil Collins' brush with death: 'My organs were just seizing' because of alcohol abuse

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Phil Collins faced death two years ago, and has lived to tell the tale.

The Grammy-winning singer recalled to the Times of London how his "kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing" when he was was hospitalized in Switzerland in April 2024 because of alcohol abuse. At the time, Collins' five children — including "Emily in Paris" ...Read more

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Taco Bell met With Michigan on parasite weeks before recall

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Michigan health authorities were in touch with Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., about a parasitic outbreak in early July, weeks before the company officially alerted consumers.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services held a call with Yum on July 2 to discuss cyclospora, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg ...Read more

Tasha Poullard/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS

With McConnell still absent, Beshear dismisses theories about an Aug. 3 deadline

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday on social media that Aug. 3 has “no legal impact” on his options if a Kentucky U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant this year.

His statement comes amid rampant online speculation that Aug. 3 marks the deadline for holding a special election to complete the term of Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has been absent since his ...Read more

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Cyclospora cases have nearly doubled again in Missouri. See the latest numbers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Cyclospora cases in Missouri have nearly doubled for the second consecutive week, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The gastrointestinal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that’s caused havoc on thousands of people’s stomachs nationwide, with the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention Control ...Read more

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Vermont turns to the free market to lower health insurance costs

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Those who believe government can provide health insurance better than the free market need to look at Vermont.

For years, Vermont has geared its health-care policy toward creating a single-payer system. Perhaps that’s not a surprise given that the state keeps re-electing Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ardent socialist. As it turns out, it’s easier...Read more

Linda Robertson/Miami Herald/TNS

2 people in Michigan have died amid cyclosporiasis outbreak, perhaps first in US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DETROIT — Two people have died from the massive cyclosporiasis outbreak in Michigan, state health officials reported Monday, though they provided few details about the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The deaths appear to be the first reported by a state health department in the United States amid this summer's cyclosporiasis outbreak, ...Read more

Senior centers are often vital community hubs for older adults. Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images

In memory care deserts, senior centers can help close the gap in brain-related healthcare

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

About 90 miles north of Phoenix, the town of Yarnell nestles atop a winding mountain road. Phoenix, a sprawling city of more than 1.6 million people, has one physician for every 2,407 people. But in Yarnell and other rural areas in Arizona, the ratio is one for every 3,896. Like many rural residents across the U.S., people in this small town ...Read more

Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

How local hospitals treat heat stroke before it's too late

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

As temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley climbed to 110 degrees on a recent Wednesday afternoon, an elderly woman who had been outside became dizzy and then passed out.

The 78-year-old’s body temperature was about 105 degrees when she arrived at MountainView Hospital in northwest Las Vegas, said Dr. Clarence Dunagan. That’s far above the ...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: Tanning and tanning salon safety tips for young people

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Many young people are interested in tanning to achieve a certain appearance or to fit beauty trends promoted on social media. Recently, online movements such as “looksmaxxing” and “tanmaxxing” have encouraged teens to pursue darker skin tones through a variety of methods, some of which may be unsafe.

While a tan is often perceived as ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: Why leukemia type matters for treatment decisions

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My friend was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and I've learned there are several types. How do these differences affect her treatment options and decisions?

ANSWER: It's true — leukemia isn't a single disease. It's a group of blood cancers, and the exact type plays a major role in how it's treated. Understanding these ...Read more

(Laurie Udesky for KFF Health News)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

Hospice's bad reputation amid fraud crisis will hurt patients, industry experts warn

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Mark Vantrease regularly sees his Vietnam War buddies over breakfast, attends his grandchildren’s Little League games, and, when he’s up to it, tends to his lush front-yard garden, which is dotted with shells retrieved from his abalone-diving days.

Time is precious for him. Last year, doctors told the 76-year-old former truck driver that a ...Read more

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Abortion drug law in Louisiana heightens hemorrhage risk for pregnant patients

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Over the past decade, Louisiana hospitals began stocking specialized carts designed to treat hemorrhages, one of the most common pregnancy complications in the state. The plug-in cart can be wheeled from room to room and holds surgical tools and lifesaving medications to stem blood loss.

A state law passed in 2024 forced hospitals to remove a ...Read more

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Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, the U.S. suicide and crisis lifeline, or access online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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For months, Marie’s 11-year-old daughter wasn’t acting like herself. The fifth grader was often fatigued, sleeping more. She wasn’t eating enough, and spent more time alone.

“...Read more

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'This is revolutionary': New guidelines take aim at a syndrome impacting nearly 90% of US adults

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

It’s not every day that physicians coin a new name for a disorder — and that the disorder plagues a majority of Americans.

Last month, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology released guidelines for physicians on a syndrome it’s calling “CKM syndrome” or cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, which they ...Read more

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CDC, public health preparedness nominees advance in Senate

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to serve as a key assistant secretary, two leadership roles that the administration has struggled to fill.

The committee voted 12-11 along party lines to ...Read more

Trump has quietly throttled an agency devoted to the safety of American healthcare

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration has effectively shut down most of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s activities, closing the spigot on federal funding estimated to have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars over the past 27 years by improving medical practice.

In a July 15 letter, the small Department of Health and Human ...Read more

Linda Robertson/Miami Herald/TNS

Growth in daily Michigan cyclosporiasis cases slows in latest report

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DETROIT — The number of reported cyclosporiasis cases in Michigan since June 22 increased to 10,386 on Thursday, but the number of new cases reported daily continued to decline from last week's peak.

Health officials continue to investigate the state's worst outbreak of the parasitic illness that usually causes frequent, watery and explosive ...Read more

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Proposals to lower health costs get broad support in battlegrounds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — Voters in battleground states and congressional districts tend to voice support for proposals in Congress that would expand access to health care or lower drug costs — often irrespective of their party affiliation — according to new polling from the University of Maryland.

The poll, first shared with CQ Roll Call, surveyed ...Read more