Author: Melissa Patrick
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Most adults on Medicaid qualify because Ky. expanded program; at risk as Republicans in Congress work to replace Obamacare
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News More than three-fourths of Kentucky adults on Medicaid were eligible only because Kentucky expanded its Medicaid program in 2014, according to a study done...
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Dr. David Stevens of Lexington, who led successful effort for Kentucky’s first local-government smoking ban, dies at 87
Dr. David Stevens (Lexington Herald-Leader photo) Dr. David Stevens, a retired orthopedic surgeon who was instrumental in getting a smoking ban in Lexington, died Monday at age 87. Stevens, a...
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Liberal group’s study says Obamacare repeal without replacement would cost the state jobs in 2019
Repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would not only take away health insurance from thousands of Kentuckians, but would also cause the state to lose about 55,949 jobs...
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Most Kentuckians support raising the age to buy tobacco to 21; studies say this would decrease youth and adult smoking rates
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News If increasing the minimum legal age from 18 to 21 to buy tobacco products would help decrease the smoking rate in Kentucky and the...
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Some in Ky. worry about changes to Obamacare, Medicaid; others dislike insurance mandate and say coverage unaffordable
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News As Republicans in Washington grapple with how to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Kentuckians are speaking out for and...
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Foundation asks Congress to consider that 70 percent of Kentuckians without health insurance are working
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky had the largest percentage decline in its uninsured population from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But 234,000 Kentuckians still don’t have...
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New state senator, a former hospital boss, says health system needs fundamental repairs to increase access and affordability
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Four state legislators held to their party-line opinions about Obamacare on KET this week, but one said instead of creating another “piecemeal” replacement for...
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Ex-Gov. Beshear opposes Medicaid block grants at U.S. Senate hearing, says any changes should be ‘deliberate and thoughtful’
Former Gov. Steve Beshear Former Gov. Steve Beshear urged lawmakers at a Feb. 1 U.S. Senate hearing to not turn Medicaid into a block-grant program and to move forward in...
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Kentucky ranks 49th again in report that measures well-being
Kentucky again ranked 49th in the 2016 Gallup-Healthways State of American Well-Being Rankings, based on polling about physical health, social connections, finances, community and sense of purpose. “West Virginia and...
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1/4 of Kentucky adults, 2/5 of those 18-45, have used e-cigs
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News One in four Kentucky adults have ever tried electronic cigarettes, with the largest percentage of those reporting use between the ages of 18 and...