Author: Heather Close
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New coronavirus cases in Kentucky continue to drop, but rate remains tops in nation and deaths from Covid-19 remain high
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News New coronavirus cases in Kentucky have dropped for three weeks in a row, but the state’s new-case rate remains first in the nation, and...
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House panel advances bill to make insurers pay for testing that doctor says can lead to ‘miraculous’ treatment of certain cancers
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to require private and public insurance plans in Kentucky to cover biomarker testing for cancer and screenings for genetic-based reactions to drugs...
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Hospitals and health clinics prepare to take a post-pandemic hit as Medicaid drops people who no longer qualify for the program
By Casey Quinlan States Newsroom Donald Lloyd, CEO and president of St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, has spent more than a year dealing with higher costs for food and medical...
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Regarding obesity as a disease raises questions about cost of drugs for treating it, and wisdom of diagnosing children too early Illustration by Shoshana Gordon, Axios
By Caitlin Owens Axios Doctors and medical experts are leading a rapid cultural shift around obesity, viewing it as a disease rather than a lifestyle choice. That shift is opening...
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Even with 76% of Kentucky counties at low risk of coronavirus transmission, state ranks first in nation for new cases in last week
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Three-fourths of Kentucky counties have a low risk of Covid-19 transmission, and only two of the 120 counties are at high risk, according to...
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Opioid panel head says rules Beshear signed are sufficient, and being more specific would aid ‘the most powerful and privileged’
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The executive director of the state Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission spent a fair amount of time at its latest meeting assuring attendees, both in...
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State Supreme Court refuses to restore injunction blocking two laws, so in almost all cases abortion remains illegal in Kentucky
By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News Abortion in Kentucky remains illegal in almost all cases while a lawsuit by the state’s two abortion providers over the issue...
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Medicaid isn’t off the budget-cutting table, but seems resilient because it covers so many and is vital for rural hospitals
Now that President Biden and Republicans agree they won’t cut Medicare and Social Security, the federal-state Medicaid program will be on the table as Republicans try to get concessions for...
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18,000 Kentuckians have died as a result of Covid-19, state says
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News New cases of the coronavirus in Kentucky have dropped for two weeks in a row, but deaths from the virus have increased, bringing the...
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In 2006, Congress ordered HHS to integrate health-data systems; it still hasn’t been done, and that causes problems
“The pandemic highlighted ineffective data infrastructure across the U.S. health system,” reports Sam Whitehead of Kaiser Health News. “Coronavirus case reports sent by fax machine. Clunky tech for monitoring vaccine...