Author: Melissa Patrick
-
87 cases of whooping cough reported in Kentucky during the last five months of 2015; best prevention is vaccination
Health officials are reminding people to get vaccinated for whooping cough, formally called pertussis, noting that there were 87 cases reported in Kentucky between August and December last year, The Courier-Journal reports....
-
Bill requiring high-school students to learn CPR goes to Senate floor; House has passed similar legislation in previous sessions
UPDATE: SB33 passed the state House on consent March 28 and now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. UPDATE: SB33 passed the state Senate on Jan. 28 by...
-
Bevin gives much lower estimate for ending Kynect, says Medicaid expansion depends on agreement with federal officials
Gov. Matt Bevin (Photo via www.bizjournals.com) Gov. Matt Bevin said it will only cost the state “one to two million dollars at the most” to dismantle Kynect, the state’s online...
-
Unique clinic at Anderson County Health Department, started to help Medicaid patients, risks closing due to Medicaid’s slow pay
The Anderson County Health Department‘s walk-in clinic, the only one of its kind in the state and maybe the nation, might have to close its doors if it doesn’t resolve...
-
Kindred agrees to pay $125 million for Medicare fraud claims against subsidiaries it bought after most wrongdoing occurred
Louisville-based Kindred Healthcare Inc. has agreed to pay $125 million to settle federal allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy, according to a U.S. Department...
-
Humana says claims from Obamacare plans will exceed premiums paid; still determining size of loss
Louisville-based Humana Inc. said it expects its medical claims will exceed the premiums collected on its Affordable Care Act plans in 2016, but hasn’t yet determined the full amount of...
-
Attorney General Andy Beshear says dismantling Kynect, which his father created as governor, would be ‘really bad policy’
Attorney General Andy Beshear Attorney General Andy Beshear, whose father former Gov. Steve Beshear implemented Kynect, the state’s online health insurance marketplace, opposes Gov. Matt Bevin’s decision to shut it...
-
Deadline to buy health insurance and avoid penalty is Sunday, Jan. 31; a relative few people may qualify for exemptions
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentuckians have until Jan. 31 to sign up for subsidized health insurance through Kynect, the state’s online insurance marketplace, or face a penalty when...
-
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month; here are some lifestyle tips to help avoid them
Kentucky’s Department of Public Health is working to raise awareness to help prevent birth defects this January during National Birth Defects Prevention Month, an issue that affects about 7,000 Kentucky...
-
162,000 Ky. Medicaid members are slaves to tobacco, but only 17% of them use their smoking-cessation benefits
By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News Ten percent of Kentuckians on Medicaid are dependent on tobacco, but fewer than 2 percent — less than one in five...