Author: Heather Close
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Legislature, Beshear pass law to protect independent pharmacies in Kentucky from commercial pharmacy benefit managers
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to address an unfair playing field between commercial pharmacy-benefit managers and independent pharmacists has been signed into law and will take effect...
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Respiratory-virus activity ticks up a bit, but hospital admissions fall; flu remains driver for respiratory admissions, ER visits in Ky.
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The state Department for Public Health says respiratory virus activity ticked up a bit in Kentucky in the last week of March, but remained...
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UK researcher wins $3.1 million grant to study proteins that go haywire and lead to dementia; one goal is early treatment of it
By Hilary Smith University of Kentucky A University of Kentucky professor has received a $3.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to continue her research that she thinks...
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Database lists opioid-settlement payments to local governments
How much money are your local governments getting from the settlements of lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors? You can track it using a new online database from KFF...
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Republicans talk about making Obamacare better, not repealing it, so it is ‘becoming a politically untouchable part’ of the safety net
Kentucky Health News “A law once derided as ‘Obamacare’ and demonized as a big-government power grab is becoming a politically untouchable part of the American safety net, like Social Security...
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Sports betting has taken off in Kentucky, but counselors for people with a gambling disorder remain in short supply in the state
Legal sports wagering launched in Kentucky in September. Residents can bet online and at brick-and-mortar venues like horse racetrack facilities, no longer needing to cross state lines. Some experts say...
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Paxlovid is effective against Covid-19, but many people eligible for it are not getting it; it’s free to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries
By Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels University of Kentucky A safe and effective medication designed to prevent mild to moderate Covid-19 infections from becoming more dangerous has been available for almost...
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State House kills bill that would have banned Covid-19 vaccine mandates, after it takes a fast, unusual trip through the Senate
Kentucky Health News A bill that would have banned Covid-19 vaccines from being required for employment, student enrollment or activities, or medical treatment and licensing, died a quiet death in the state...
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Beshear gets bill to limit vaping products to those OKd by FDA; Ky. Youth Advocates calls for enforcement of underage-sales law
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to reduce underage vaping by limiting legal sales to products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and creating a database...
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Anthem is among health insurers now covering anti-obesity drug if it is prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
One of Kentucky’s major health insurers is among the first that have “agreed to start paying for the popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy for certain people on Medicare with heart-related conditions,” The...