Category: FEATURED
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Average premiums on most popular Obamacare plan in U.S. will drop 1.5% in 2019; go up 9% in Ky.; state still lower than average
Chart from Insider Louisville — The average premium for the most popular health insurance policy on the federal exchange, called the “silver plan,” will drop by 1.5 percent next year...
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UK gets $15 million grant to treat 900 drug users with hepatitis C in Hazard area to examine concept of ‘treatment as prevention’
Jennifer Havens — By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The University of Kentucky has received a five year, $15 million grant along with a $50 million donation in drugs, to treat hepatitis...
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As the FDA plans to approve sale of a super-strong painkiller, a Kentucky doctor with authority in the field objects
Dr. Raeford Brown — By Al Cross Kentucky Health News A Kentucky doctor with expertise in the field is objecting to the Food and Drug Administration‘s plan to approve for sale...
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UK Rural and Underserved Health Research Center symposium Nov. 12; topics include opioids, vaccines, hospitals, miners’ health
The Rural and Underserved Health Research Center is holding a free half-day symposium to discuss research in a wide range of topics, including: rural opioid misuse and suicide, pneumonia-vaccine disparities, the impact...
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Flu season is here, and Kentucky has already seen one death from it; health officials urge all 6 months and older to get a shot
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The 2018-19 flu season has barely started, but Kentucky has already reported its first flu-related death — in Lexington, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health...
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Providers didn’t give reason for prescribing opioids 1/3 of the time; study says better documentation could decrease prescribing
An analysis of medical records from 2006 to 2015 found that doctors didn’t record a diagnosis for opioid prescriptions almost one-third of the time. “The findings help support criticism by...
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Look beyond premium costs when choosing a Medicare plan; Medicare Advantage may not be an advantage for you
By Trudy Lieberman, Rural Health News Service Making decisions about Medicare coverage has never been easy. Over the years the task has become more complicated as Congress has moved to...
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Need for improved staffing in nursing homes and hospitals was among timely topics at annual Health Watch USA conference
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Several speakers at the Oct. 4 Health Watch USA Healthcare Transparency and Patient Safety Conference in Lexington talked about the importance of adequate staffing in nursing...
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Legislators say nursing-home staffing issues need a hearing soon, but co-chair of health panel suggests there’s no time before 2019
State legislators want a hearing on nursing home staffing in Kentucky, following a series of stories in the Lexington Herald-Leader that showed how some residents have died as a result of neglect. “A Republican leader...
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Smoke-Free Coalition will lobby for state law to ban tobacco products and e-cigs from all school property and activities
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Concerned that historic declines in youth tobacco use will be undermined by the “exploding popularity” of Juul and other e-cigarettes, Kentucky’s Coalition for a Smoke-Free...