Latest Health News

1Apr
2020

As Unemployment and COVID-19 Cases Rise, Who Will Pay for Care?

As Unemployment and COVID-19 Cases Rise, Who Will Pay for Care?WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The coronavirus pandemic is spreading across the United States at the same time that millions have been laid off from their jobs. That raises the obvious question -- how will those newly unemployed folks pay for medical care if they become infected with the coronavirus? Recent bills passed by Congress ensure that people won't have to pay out of pocket for any COVID-19 testing, even if they're uninsured, but there's nothing that would cover treatment costs for people without insurance. However, provisions in the Affordable Care Act -- including the Medicaid expansion and the insurance marketplaces -- have created a safety net that should help many of the unemployed get the medical coverage they need, experts say. Horror stories are...

U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Could Reach 240,000, Task...

1 April 2020
U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Could Reach 240,000, Task Force WarnsWEDNESDAY, April 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The White House coronavirus task force delivered a tough statistic to Americans late Tuesday, warning that the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 could climb to 240,000, even with social distancing policies in place. During a media briefing Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump warned citizens to brace for a "hell of a bad two weeks," the Associated Press reported. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said. "This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we've ever had in our country. We're going to lose thousands of people." Still, public health officials suggested that number could drop if everyone followed national social distancing guidelines to the letter. "We really believe we can...

Parents, Arm Your Kids Against COVID-19 With Good...

31 March 2020
Parents, Arm Your Kids Against COVID-19 With Good Hand-Washing HabitsTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- What's the best thing you can teach your kid as the new coronavirus races around the globe? Proper hand-washing habits, a leading pediatricians' group says. As early in life as possible, you should get your children into the habit of washing their hands often and thoroughly, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends. All day long, children are exposed to bacteria and viruses when they touch a playmate, share toys or pet animals. Once their hands pick up germs, children can quickly infect themselves by rubbing their eyes, touching their nose, or placing their fingers in their mouth. Hand-washing can stop the spread of infection, and children should be encouraged to wash their hands throughout the day, the AAP advises. Help or...

FDA Approves Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19, Despite...

31 March 2020
FDA Approves Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19, Despite Little Proof They WorkTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- With little evidence that the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can prevent or treat COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to distribute millions of doses of the medicines to hospitals across the country. "These drugs will be distributed from the Strategic National Stockpile to states for doctors to prescribe to adolescent and adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible," the FDA said in a statement released March 28. Use of the two drugs is controversial, however, because of widely recognized and potentially serious side effects. Under the FDA's plan, fact sheets outlining "the known risks and drug interactions" of...

'Fever Tracker' Suggests Social Distancing Is Already Working

31 March 2020
`Fever Tracker` Suggests Social Distancing Is Already WorkingTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The concept is simple, yet elegant: Use fever readings from thermometers to create a database that can show public health officials whether social distancing is curbing the spread of coronavirus. A San Francisco medical technology company has been doing just that, and the latest news is heartening: The number of fever readings have dipped as Americans stayed at home and away from each other. Up to 250 million people in 29 states are now under some collection of social distancing measures, the New York Times reported. To see if those measures were making any difference, Kinsa Health used data from its 1 million thermometers connected to the internet to create a national map of fever levels on March 22. Within one day, the company spotted...

Dirty Air Might Raise Your Odds for Dementia

31 March 2020
Dirty Air Might Raise Your Odds for DementiaTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smog drives up dementia risk, particularly for older men and women with heart disease, according to a new Swedish study. For more than a decade, researchers tracked exposure to air pollution and dementia cases among nearly 3,000 Stockholm residents aged 60 and up. Lead author Dr. Giulia Grande noted that exposure to dirty air has long been linked to an increased risk for lung and heart disease. "More recently, several research groups have started to focus on the damages of air pollution on the brain -- for example, its impact on cognitive functions in older adults," she said. The current research builds on that work. Participants were 74 years old on average and nearly two-thirds were women. All were free of dementia when the study...

Don't Fall Prey to COVID-19 Scammers

31 March 2020
Don`t Fall Prey to COVID-19 ScammersTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a wave of scammers looking to take advantage of older adults, experts warn. Social distancing has created an easy playground for "fraudulent telemarketers and internet scammers," said Karen Roberto, a gerontology expert from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. "Elder financial abuse costs older Americans more than $3 billion annually, but we know the losses to elderly victims extend far beyond dollars and cents," she said in a Virginia Tech news release. "Elder financial abuse and exploitation endangers the health and well-being of older adults and invariably, their quality of life." Here are Roberto's tips for not being taken advantage of: Stay socially engaged. "Socialize -- remotely -- with family members...

Fitness Key to Long-Term Weight Loss Success

31 March 2020
Fitness Key to Long-Term Weight Loss SuccessTUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The more fit you are when you start a weight-loss program, the more weight you could lose, a new study says. "This research could help us improve the design of our weight-loss programs and suggests that adults with very poor fitness may benefit from additional exercise support during a weight-loss program to achieve higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and improve long-term weight loss," said lead researcher Dr. Adnin Zaman. She's an instructor/fellow at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. The study included 60 overweight and obese adults who were part of an 18-month weight-loss program. It combined a calorie-restricted diet, group-based behavior support and six months of supervised exercise. During...

What You Should Know If Your Surgery Has Been Put on Hold

TUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Thousands of elective and semi-elective surgeries -- including heart and chest operations -- are on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. If your heart...

Blood Test Could Spot 50 Different Cancers

TUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test for dozens of cancers is in the works. Researchers say their test can detect more than 50 kinds of cancer at early stages and...
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