Author: Al Cross
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Congress sends President Trump a huge, comprehensive, bipartisian bill to fight the opioid epidemic; he says he will sign it
By a 98-1 vote Wednesday, the Senate passed the final version of a comprehensive package to address the opioid epidemic and sent it to President Donald Trump, who is expected...
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Cheap knockoffs of popular Juul electronic cigarettes are latest FDA target to protect teens from vaping
Cheap knock-offs of the Juul electronic cigarettes popular with teens have been showing up in stores and online, “despite a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule banning the sale of new e-cigarette...
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Panel at health policy forum cites alternatives to opioids for pain, and the need for a culture shift on the topic
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky has a new law restricting painkiller prescriptions to three days for acute pain, but an anecdotal story from one of the state’s leading...
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Red Bird dental clinic fixes teeth of people in drug treatment, preparing them for work and cutting need for painkillers
A dental clinic in southeastern Kentucky, with help from dental-school students, is pulling teeth and providing dentures for residents of drug-treatment centers “in hopes of building their self-confidence and putting them...
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Share of uninsured Kentuckians in rural areas and small towns dropped to 13 percent from 40 percent after Medicaid expansion
OPINION By Emily Beauregard Executive director, Kentucky Voices for Health Medicaid expansion has made an overwhelmingly positive impact on rural Kentucky. Our state was among the top three leaders in...
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U.S. Medicaid boss defends work rules and other ‘community engagement’ requirements, says they will thwart dependency
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News The director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave a spirited defense of work rules and other “community engagement” requirements in state Medicaid programs,...
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Federal judge strikes down state law Bevin cited, requiring abortion clinics to have agreements for ambulance service
Kentucky abortion clinics do not need to have written agreements with an ambulance service and hospital for patient care in the event of an emergency, because such restrictions are unconstitutional,...
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Kentucky loses a health champion who advocated for health equity and community-based solutions; Dr. Gil Friedell was 91
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Dr. Gilbert Friedell, who was a fierce advocate for health equity and finding community-based solutions to the many health issues that plague Kentucky, died...
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Herald-Leader goes after understaffing at Ky. nursing homes
State Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester, opposes bills that would set minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes because those jobs can be hard to fill. “It’s a job that a lot...
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Congress agrees on bipartisan opioid package
Congress has agreed on a comprehensive package to address the opioid epidemic, which includes both law-enforcement and public-health measures. President Trump is expected to sign it. The 653-page bill has...