Month: July 2015
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Republicans question need for Kynect; Beshear administration officials say using federal insurance exchange would cost more
With the U.S. Supreme Court approving Obamacare subsidies on the federal health-insurance exchange as well as state exchanges, some Republican legislators in Kentucky say the state should close its exchange,...
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Drug overdose deaths rose 7.6 percent in Kentucky last year
Kentucky had a 7.6 percent increase in overdose deaths in 2014, while the number of deaths attributed to heroin stayed the same, according to the state’s 2014 Overdose Fatality Report....
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Common blood thinner Coumadin is causing deaths and injuries in nursing homes, prompting calls for more regulation
From 2011 to 2014, at least 165 nursing-home residents were hospitalized or died after errors involving blood thinner Coumadin or its generic version, warfarin, according to a ProPublica analysis of...
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Girls are more likely than boys to have overuse injuries while participating in high school sports
Overuse injuries make up more than 50 percent of athletic injuries and are most common in children ages 13 to 17. Girls are at a higher risk than boys of...
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Kentucky woman finally gets lung transplants
After months of waiting, the 24-year-old woman who received national attention over her financial and policy battle with Medicare and Medicaid to get lung transplants has new lungs and is...
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Feds fund Ky. campaign to promote shots for human papilloma virus, the most common sexually transmitted disease
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen joined public health officials in Frankfort July 13 to launch Kentucky’s new “Stop HPV Campaign,” to encourage parents to get...
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Cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages, eat natural foods and read labels to decrease the added sugar in your kids’ diet
A greater awareness about added sugars in food products has led many parents to make healthy food swaps for their children, granola bars for cookies, yogurt for ice cream, but...
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Adair paper’s health section is latest to appear in edition sent to all postal patrons; most stories are from Kentucky Health News
Kentucky newspapers appear to be publishing more special sections on health, supported by advertising from health-care providers. They often putting the sections into sample-copy editions that are mailed to all...
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It’s time to get school-age children vaccinated; state requirements are in place for kindergartners and rising sixth graders
An editorial in the Bowling Green Daily News about the importance of getting your child vaccinated before school starts is applicable to all communities in Kentucky. Health.com State law requires...
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E-cigs: How safe or how risky? Vox reporter looks at evidence
Electronic cigarettes are becoming more popular, but how safe or how risky are they? At this point, the bottom line about e-cigarettes is: “If you’re a chronic smoker looking for...