Month: February 2015
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Beshear says Ky. rural hospitals ‘have a positive cash flow’ but he can’t prove it; industry says it sees ‘some improvement’
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky’s rural hospitals are profitable again, thanks to his expansion of Medicaid, but he offers little evidence...
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Bill would require Medicaid managed-care firms to pay contracted fees for ER visits; Senate hearing targets two companies
This story has been updated with comments from Wellcare of Kentucky. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. — Managed care is touted as a way to achieve value-based...
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Most Kentuckians don’t communicate with doctors electronically; most are confident about access to pricing information for care
Most Kentuckians don’t communicate with their doctor electronically, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The poll, taken Oct.8-Nov.6, found that 73 percent of Kentuckians have not communicated with...
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Kynect opens special enrollment period March 2-April 30 to give people without health insurance a chance to avoid tax penalty
The state health-insurance exchange, Kynect, is reopening enrollment in March and April to allow signups by Kentuckians who discovered that not having health insurance means they have to pay a...
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Humana plan members can join Weight Watchers free for six months, get ‘a significant discount thereafter,’ companies say
Humana Inc. and Weight Watchers International Inc. are teaming up to help employers attack the rising level of obesity and its health-related impacts. Employees in Humana-managed, employer-sponsored health plans now...
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Harrodsburg Herald, a weekly newspaper, does three-part series on tobacco issues in Mercer County and statewide
In a state where more than one of every four adults smoke, tobacco is an issue in every county, but it’s rare for weekly newspapers to take a detailed look...
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Beshear, in D.C., speaks bluntly about state’s health issues and ‘rank politics’ that keeps some states from expanding Medicaid
Beshear at the Brookings Insttitution By Al Cross Kentucky Health News An interesting thing sometimes happens to governors when they travel to Washington; they speak a little more freely than...
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Proposed nutritional guidelines add sustainability issues, in spite of Republicans’ warnings; eggs get a green light
A new draft of the federal government’s healthy eating guidelines recommends for the first time that Americans consider the “health of the planet along with the health of their hearts,”...
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UK gets approval to add 120 hospital beds, bringing its total to 945 and long-term building project’s cost past $1 billion
The University of Kentucky has received state approval to add 120 beds to its hospital complex, which will bring its total to 945 beds at UK Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children’s...
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Students in poor Louisville neighborhoods learn healthful behaviors in Farm to Family Initiative
A program to fight childhood obesity and foster healthy habits in Louisville’s under-served youth has seen positive results since its launch in October 2013, says KentuckyOne Health. Results include: 41 percent...