Brain Decline, Dementia Common Among Older American Indians

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• May 16, 2024
• Full Page

Higher rates of blood vessel-damaging conditions like hypertension or diabetes may be driving up rates of cognitive decline and dementia among older American Indians, new research shows.

The study found that 54% of American Indians ages 72 to 95 had some form of impairme...

Report Highlights Big Gaps in Cancer Outcomes Based on Race

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• May 15, 2024
• Full Page

U.S. cancer death rates are continuing to drop, falling by 33% between 1991 and 2020.

However, not all Americans are reaping the benefits from advances in cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, a new report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AA...

Melanoma Can Strike Black Americans, Often With Deadlier Results

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• May 14, 2024
• Full Page

Melanoma, while rare among Black Americans, is often detected later with devastating consequences, a new study finds.

Black people are frequently diagnosed with melanoma at later st...

Americans of Pacific Island Ethnicity Have Up to Triple the Rate of Cancer Deaths

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• May 1, 2024
• Full Page

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people have cancer death rates that are two to three times higher than they are in whites, new data shows.

The first-of-its-kind report, issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS) on May 1, focuses solely on the cancer risk of ...

Better Health Care Access Is Helping People With Down Syndrome Live Longer

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 19, 2023
• Full Page

Americans with Down syndrome have a critical lifeline in Medicaid insurance, new research confirms.

But the publicly funded insurance program will have to respond to rising numbers of older adults with Down syndrome, researchers say.

"As more people with Down syndr...

Dementia Diagnosis Takes Huge Toll on a Family's Finances

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2023
• Full Page

Dementia can take a big bite out of an American's bank account, robbing 60% of a patient's net worth in the eight years after a diagnosis, a new study says.

The average dementia patient will also see a doubling of out-of-pocket health care expenses in those first ei...

Non-White Kids With Recurrent Ear Infections Less Likely to Get Specialist Care

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2023
• Full Page

Which U.S. kids see specialists for ear infections and have tubes placed to drain fluid and improve air flow differs significantly by race.

Asian, Hispanic and Black children are much less likely than white kids to see ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors, new research sho...

Biden Administration Moves to Boost Health Care to the Homeless

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2023
• Full Page

A new rule allows health care providers to be reimbursed for treating homeless people wherever the...

Rite Aid Pharmacy Chain Files for Bankruptcy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2023
• Full Page

The drugstore chain Rite Aid has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, due largely to competition and thousands of lawsuits for its role in allegedly filling unlawful opioid prescriptions.

The company filed a notice Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sa...

Black Patients 42% More Likely to Die After High-Risk Surgery Than White Patients

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2023
• Full Page

High-risk surgeries are more deadly for Black and Hispanic Americans than for their white counterparts, new research reveals.

The study, of more than 1 million procedures performed in U.S. hospitals between 2000 and 2020, found that Black patients were 42% more likely th...

Kaiser Permanente Reaches Tentative Deal With 75,000 Health Care Workers

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• October 13, 2023
• Full Page

A tentative deal has been reached between Kaiser Permanente and its 75,000 health care workers following a three-day strike last week.

"The frontline health care workers of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are excited to have reached a tentative agreement with K...

When Health Care Access Is Equal, Race Gap in Prostate Cancer Survival Vanishes

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• October 12, 2023
• Full Page

Men of all races and ethnic groups who have prostate cancer fare equally well when access to care is identical, a new study finds.

The disparity in outcomes from prostate cancer between Black, Hispanic and white men disappears when treatment and care are the same, as it...

Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Union Workers Go on Strike

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• October 4, 2023
• Full Page

Health care workers who serve millions of Americans began a three-day strike on Wednesday after contract negotiations over staffing levels stalled.

More than 75,000 members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions began walking off their jobs as early as 6 a.m. in Vi...

Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Union Workers Could Strike on Wednesday

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 3, 2023
• Full Page

Health care workers who serve millions of Americans could strike Wednesday if Kaiser Permanente and union workers don't reach an agreement.

More than 75,000 members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are poised to strike, CNBC reported. The union, whos...

Biden Administration Says Insurance Issues With COVID Shots Mostly Fixed

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 29, 2023
• Full Page

Despite reports of trouble last week where some people may have been denied insurance coverage while seeking COVID shots at pharmacies, the Biden administration said Thursday those issues have been ironed out.

That issue is "largely, if not completely," resolved after U....

Childbirth Can Leave New Parents in Serious Medical Debt

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 29, 2023
• Full Page

New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt.

That's according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregna...

Stigma, Even Harm Common When Transgender People Meet With Doctors

• Sarah D. Collins HealthDay Reporter
• September 26, 2023
• Full Page

Transgender people have a tough time receiving adequate medical care due to issues like voyeurism, being treated as abnormal and even being denied care due to their gender identity, a new study finds.

"I would say what I read was not surprising at all, based on things I...

In Mississippi, a Huge Jump in Cases of Babies Born With Syphilis

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

The United States is experiencing an alarming wave of congenital syphilis, and one southern state saw a 1,000% rise in babies born with the infection between 2016 and 2022.

The number of babies born with the infection in Mississippi rose from 10 in 2016 to 110 in 2022. S...

Helping Undocumented Immigrants Find a Primary Care Doc Lowers ER Costs: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Helping undocumented immigrants in the United States connect with primary care doctors could be a money-saver, substantially reducing emergency department use and lowering health costs, a new study finds.

The findings are from a New York City program that helped arrange ...

Few Doctors, Spotty Internet: Finding Mental Health Care Tough for Many Americans

• Sarah D. Collins HealthDay Reporter
• September 20, 2023
• Full Page

Nearly one in five counties across the United States lack psychiatrists or internet service, making it difficult for around 10.5 million Americans to find mental health care, a new study shows.

The counties examined in the study were more likely to be in rural areas, ha...

In Public Spaces, Women Less Likely to Get CPR If Cardiac Arrest Strikes

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 18, 2023
• Full Page

CPR could save your life if you suffer cardiac arrest in a public place, but you're less likely to receive it if you're a woman, a new study finds.

The findings were presented Monday at the European Emergency Medicine Congress, in Barcelona.

"In an emergency when s...

Most Folks Who Need Colon Cancer Screening Aren't Reminded by Doctors

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 12, 2023
• Full Page

Many Americans are behind on recommended colon cancer screenings -- and their doctors often fail to remind them, a new study suggests.

The study, by the American Cancer Society, focused on a nationwide sample of more 5,000 Americans who were overdue for colon cancer scre...

Cancer Care Tougher to Access in U.S. If English Second Language

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 11, 2023
• Full Page

Much has been made of how a lack of English proficiency can interfere with a patient's ability to interact with their doctor and get the best health care possible.

But language barriers can prevent cancer patients from even getting in the door for a first visit with a sp...

U.S. Heart Deaths Linked to Obesity Have Tripled in 20 Years

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• September 6, 2023
• Full Page

Obesity taxes many parts of the body, but new research suggests the heart might take the hardest hit of all.

Between 1999 and 2020, deaths from heart disease linked to obesity tripled in the United States, and some groups were more vulnerable than others.

Spec...

Telehealth Services Can Help Women Access, Understand Medical Abortion

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 5, 2023
• Full Page

Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, many U.S. women lived far from a clinic where they could get abortion pills. Now, a new study suggests that telemedicine can help fill that gap.

The study focused on one reproductive health clinic in Washington sta...

Too Much Paperwork Is Delaying Cancer Patients' Care, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 1, 2023
• Full Page

Red tape is getting in the way of cancer patients receiving the treatment they crucially require, a new study has found.

Patients were 18% more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if they had to fill out a lot of paperwork, c...

When Parent Is in Prison, Kids' Heart Risks Rise

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 1, 2023
• Full Page

Along with having to deal with the social stigma of having a parent who is incarcerated, young adults in that situation may be more likely to develop signs of heart trouble, a new study finds.

The health impacts of having a parent who spent time in jail have been underst...

Segregation Has Close Ties With Lead Poisoning in Black American Kids

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• August 30, 2023
• Full Page

Young Black children living in racially segregated U.S. neighborhoods are at heightened risk of potentially brain-damaging lead exposure, a new study warns.

The study, of nearly 321,000 North Carolina children under the age of 7, found that those living in predominantly ...

Heart, Diabetes, Cancer Drugs on List for Medicare Price Negotiations, White House Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 29, 2023
• Full Page

The Biden administration on Tuesday named the first 10 medicines that will be subject to price negotiations between Medicare and participating drug companies.

The list represents the first step in a landmark program aimed at reducing the government's drug spending, and p...

1 in 5 U.S. Women Say They've Been Mistreated During Maternity Care

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• August 22, 2023
• Full Page

From receiving no response to cries for help to being verbally abused, 1 in 5 U.S. mothers say they were mistreated by a health care professional during pregnancy and delivery.

Rates of mistreatment during maternity care were higher among Black, Hispanic and multiracial ...

Race, Income Big Factors in Deaths After U.S. Hurricanes

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 16, 2023
• Full Page

Death rates skyrocket during extreme weather events among the most vulnerable Americans, especially those from minority groups.

A study looking at hurricanes over more than three decades showed that their impacts varied and were driven by differences in social, economic...

Just 1 in 5 Americans Struggling With Opioid Misuse Gets Meds That Can Help

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• August 7, 2023
• Full Page

The U.S. opioid abuse epidemic wages on, and overdose deaths continue to rise, yet just 1 in 5 people receives potentially lifesaving medication such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone to treat their addiction, a new study finds.

"These medications are effective f...

When Cancer Strikes Twice, Black Americans Face Higher Death Rates

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 7, 2023
• Full Page

Black Americans diagnosed with a second primary cancer after their first one are more likely to die than their white peers.

That's the takeaway from a

Memory Troubles? Your Race Could Affect How Soon You Get Diagnosis, Treatment

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 3, 2023
• Full Page

Black Americans are less likely to be seen at a memory clinic than their white peers. So too are folks from neighborhoods that are poor and lack educational and job opportunities, according to a new study.

That could mean later diagnosis and treatment for dementias lik...

Maternity Care 'Deserts' Common Throughout America, Report Finds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 2, 2023
• Full Page

More U.S. women are living in areas with little or no maternity care, raising concern about their ability to have a healthy pregnancy and birth.

New research from the March of Dimes shows a 4% drop in birthing hospitals throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, and d...

Minorities Miss Out on Brain-Imaging Studies for Alzheimer's

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• July 27, 2023
• Full Page

Americans in ethnic and racial minority groups are underrepresented in Alzheimer's research, a new study finds.

Still, the review of U.S.-based Alzheimer's disease brain imaging studies found the gap is closing.

Compared with white patients, Hispanic Americans ar...

Minorities, Women Are Shortchanged When It Comes to Statins

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• July 26, 2023
• Full Page

In yet another example of inequities in U.S. health care, new research indicates that many women and minority men who need statins to protect their heart aren't getting them.

"The recommendation to use statins to treat and prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular dis...