Author: Melissa Patrick
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State Senate committee approves bill to remove insurance-company barriers to smoking-cessation treatments
Feb. 22 Update: SB89 passed 35-2 out of the full Senate and now heads to the House for consideration. By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentuckians could...
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Ky. uninsured rate has dropped significantly under Obamacare, but many struggle with maintaining stable coverage
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Many more Kentuckians have health insurance because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but more than one in five Kentucky adults under...
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Study analysis by Ky. critic of hospital safety estimates more than 200,000 preventable hospital-associated deaths each year
An analysis of two well-controlled studies estimates that the number of preventable hospital-associated deaths are over 200,000 each year, argues a commentary in the Journal of Patient Safety. In an...
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KET examines successful recoveries from opioid addiction, airs a forum to discuss Kentucky’s opioid crisis
Kentucky Educational Television is airing “Journey to Recovery,” a documentary that looks at Kentucky’s opioid epidemic and explores the state’s available treatment options through personal stories of recovery. The program,...
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Bill to ban tobacco products from school property and activities heads to full Senate after change to satisfy school officials
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. – The idea of a statewide ban on smoking in workplaces has hit roadblocks in the General Assembly, but a bill to...
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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...