Month: February 2016
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Female legislator files bill to put restrictions on erectile-dysfunction medications to make a point about men pushing abortion bills
Rep. Mary Lou Marzian Fed up with a string of anti-abortion bills backed by religious conservatives, Democratic state Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville has filed a bill that would...
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New state insurance commissioner OKs Aetna-Humana merger without a hearing, drawing criticism from the left and right
Critics on the left and right are criticizing the new state insurance commissioner’s approval of the merger of health insurers Aetna Inc. and Louisville-based Humana Inc., “saying it deprived Kentuckians...
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Bill to make 21 legal age to buy tobacco products moves; one of several anti-tobacco bills from Rep. David Watkins, retired doctor
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to raise the legal age to 21 to buy any tobacco or vaping products in Kentucky was approved Feb. 11 by the...
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Bevin names hospital association executive Stephen P. Miller to be Kentucky’s new Medicaid commissioner
Stephen P. Miller image from hfmaky.org Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Stephen P. Miller, a hospital industry executive, as the state’s new Medicaid commissioner “As we work to redesign the...
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‘Go Red for Women’ events advise them to know heart-disease symptoms, their numbers, family history; and adjust lifestyle
Dozens of supporters showed up at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital Feb. 5 to celebrate the American Heart Association‘s “Go Red for Women” day and learned how heart disease affects women differently than...
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Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky CEO makes the case for a statewide law to ban smoking in most public places
Susan Zepeda The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which doesn’t lobby for or against particular legislation or endorse it, came close in a Feb. 11 “guest editorial” from its president...
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State House, which passed smoking ban last year, may wait until after March 8 special elections to act on this year’s version
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The politics of an election year could create obstacles for the recently filed bill to enact a statewide smoking ban. House Speaker Greg Stumbo...
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72 in Estill County have stomach sickness; 35 salmonella cases confirmed; eight people hospitalized; restaurant closes voluntarily
The Estill County Health Department reported Feb. 11 that 72 people in the county have reported “gastrointestinal illness,” 35 of them have tested positive for salmonella and eight have been...
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Louisville cancer center will offer new one-day breast cancer treatment for early-stage breast cancer patients
“A Louisville cancer center will be the first in the state to offer a one-day surgery and radiation treatment for early-stage breast cancer patients,” Boris Ladwig reports for Insider Louisville. This...