Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
Could Alexa Be Trained To Recognize Gasping Sounds Associated With A Cardiac Event?
During cardiac events, minutes can make a difference between life and death. Can there be an upside found to the fact that Alexa and other digital assistants are always listening? Meanwhile, one expert wonders if artificial intelligence will become the asbestos of health care.
Long-Term Use Of Opioids To Address Chronic Pain More Common Among People Who Are Obese
People in higher BMI categories were also more likely to use stronger opioids that were similar to morphine, a new study finds. News on the opioid epidemic comes out of Oklahoma, New Hampshire and California, as well.
Missouri Provides Details On ‘Failed Abortions’ That Triggered Investigation Into State’s Last-Remaining Clinic
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the last-remaining abortion clinic in the state are in a court battle over the facility’s license. The state provided details about its claims that three procedures done there required additional surgeries and another led to life-threatening complications. Jesse Lawder, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood of the …
Revised Number Of Poor Elderly Or Disabled Georgians About To Be Dropped From Medicaid Climbs To 30,000
Lawyers for patients who are fighting the cutoff are skeptical that renewal notices really went out to 99% of the people as state officials said. Medicaid news comes out of Oklahoma and Montana, as well.
Suicide Rates For Teens Reaches High-Water Mark Driven In Part By Sharp Uptick Among Older Teenage Boys
For girls and young women, suicide rates have mostly followed a steady upward trajectory since 2000, but for boys it turned up sharply starting three to four years ago. Not since 1980 — when the HIV/AIDS epidemic touched off widespread despair among young gay males across the United States — has the suicide rate for …
California Bill To Curb ‘Doctor Shopping’ For Vaccination Exemptions Dialed Back Following Concerns From Governor
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had hinted that he had qualms about the plan authored by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) designed to cut down on fraudulent medical exemptions for vaccinations. Pan’s original plan gave the final authority to a state official instead of a doctor. Pan and Newsom worked together to find a compromise.
In Debate Over What To Do About Surprise Medical Bills, Alexander Hints At Support For In-Network Guarantee
Although many lawmakers agree that patients need to be protected from surprise medical bills, there are different ways that could go and many stakeholders who have strong opinions on what the solution should be. At a hearing on Wednesday, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander said that requiring hospitals to guarantee …
State Highlights: New York Lawmakers Expected To Ban ‘Gay Panic’ Defenses In Murder Cases; Texas, Florida Cut Back On Charging Students In School Shooting Threats
Media outlets report on news from New York, Florida, California, Iowa, New Hampshire, District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Oregon and Wyoming.
Attempts To Slow Aging By Taking Popular Diabetes Drug Might Be A Roadblock To Healthy Living, Research Finds
A new study on metformin provides researchers with reason to think more cautiously about its use for healthy people looking for ways to reduce inflammation and other changes that can take place during aging. Certain benefits of aerobic exercise, a key to healthy aging, were halted when the Type-2 diabetes drug was prescribed with exercise …
First Edition: June 19, 2019
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
In Tennessee, Blackberry Farm Takes Over a Mountain
Can you call it a wellness retreat if you’re drinking and not hiking? Blackberry Mountain says yes. (Just maybe put down your phone.)
Good Health Goes Beyond Having A Doctor And Insurance, Says AMA’s Equity Chief
Part of Dr. Aletha Maybank’s medical training left a sour taste in her mouth. Her superiors told her not to worry about nonmedical issues affecting her patients’ quality of life, she said, because social workers would handle it. But she didn’t understand how physicians could divorce medical advice from the context of patients’ lives. “How …
Why You Should Take A Peek At Your Doctor’s Notes On Your Health
When Pamela DeSalvo read the clinical note from her doctor’s visit, the words on the page hit her hard: “clinically morbidly obese.” She knew she was overweight, but seeing those three words together shocked her. It also inspired her to start losing weight. “I needed to see it in black and white, what I actually …
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Can You Shop Around For A Lower-Priced MRI?
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen. Special Reports An Arm and a Leg May 23 Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But you’re not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. “An Arm and a Leg” is a podcast about these issues, and its second season is …
An Anti-Aging Pill? Think Twice
The diabetes drug metformin, sometimes taken to slow aging, may blunt the health benefits of exercise.
California Vaccine Bill Amended To Appease Governor
A California lawmaker on Tuesday made substantial changes to his contentious vaccine bill after Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials raised concerns that the measure was too strict and gave too much power to bureaucrats to decide which children could skip their routine shots. State Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) amended his measure, SB 276, …
Senators Agree Surprise Medical Bills Must Go. But How?
Two years, 16 hearings and one massive bipartisan package of legislation later, a key Senate committee says it is ready to start marking up a bill next week designed to contain health care costs. But it might not be easy since lawmakers and stakeholders at a final hearing Tuesday showed they are still far apart …
Tiny Love Stories: ‘Our Families Couldn’t Know’
Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words. For this issue, we sought stories from our Indian readers.
A Misfit’s Guide to Navigating the Office
It’s possible to survive — and even thrive — as a misfit without forcing yourself into a round corporate hole. Here’s how to embrace your weird and successfully navigate the workplace.
Heat Stroke Vs. Heat Exhaustion—A Doctor Explains the Difference
Your body is like a thermostat: It’s constantly working to regulate your temperature, making sure you don’t get too hot or too cold. It usually does a pretty good job of staying as close to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit as possible (obviously way higher than the thermostat in your home), but on particularly hot and humid …
Your 7-Day Money Challenge
Let us help you work through the essentials of your financial to-do list. Tackle a simple money task each day for a week to strengthen your financial well-being.
Different Takes: Trump Health Initiative Gives Small Businesses, Workers More Control Over Health Care Dollars
Editorial pages focus on how to stem the high cost of health care.
Viewpoints: Hospitals Come Up Short By Failing To Treat Opioid Use Disorders; Warnings About How Medical Professionals Could Operate In States With Assisted Dying Laws
Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
State Highlights: R.I. Lawmakers Unveil Plan To Fund 911 Call Takers For CPR Training Following Deaths; Southern States Grappling With Threat Of Increased Tobacco Restrictions
Media outlets report on news from Rhode Island, Colorado, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, Minnesota, Louisiana, Massachusetts, California, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan and Maryland.