Author: Al Cross
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Economic upturn boosts share of Kentuckians on employer-based health coverage; health reform boosts number on public plans
Half of Kentucky’s working-age adults now get health insurance through their employers, up from 37 percent two years ago, reversing a downward trend that began with the Great Recession. Meanwhile,...
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At least 14 counties had vaccination rates in 2011-12 below level experts say is needed to protect kindergartners from measles
As concern about the spread of measles from lack of vaccination grows, many Kentucky counties probably have vaccination rates below the minimum that experts say is needed to create “herd...
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Feb. 15 is deadline to get health insurance; those who don’t can be penalized up to 2 percent of their annual income
Sunday, Feb. 15 at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline to buy private, subsidized health insurance through Kynect, the state-run marketplace created under federal health reform. If your annual income is...
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Johnson foundation, Appalachian commission, Foundation for a Healthy Ky. to examine bright and dark spots in Appalachia
The Appalachian Regional Commission, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky are working on a three-year health-research project to determine factors that can support a...
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Kynect private-insurance enrollment runs through Feb. 15; exchange works to get taxpayers information to prove coverage
With the close of open enrollment coming Feb. 15, state officials are making a final push to get Kentuckians to enroll in Medicaid or buy private, subsidized health insurance on...
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Health care changes are driven by more than reform law; Beshear says patients need rewards for changing their behavior
“Your doctor’s visits might get longer, you deductibles probably will be higher and you might be paying cash to be treated at a Wal-Mart near you as Kentucky adapts to...
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Are nutrition rules for schools and day-care centers too much regulation, or steps in the right direction, toward better health?
Commentary by Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News The Paducah Sun’s editorial on Jan. 20 said the Obama administration has overstepped its bounds by expecting child day-care centers to follow stricter nutrition standards....
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Heavy use of e-cigarettes may deliver big doses of formaldehyde, which can be a cause of lung cancer, study suggests
Vapor produced by electronic cigarettes can contain a surprisingly high concentration of formaldehyde—a known carcinogen that can cause lung cancer through prolonged exposure—researchers reported Wednesday in a study published in...
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Officials of hospitals and state government to discuss future of Ky. health care at Jan. 29 ‘summit’ In Frankfort
State government and the Kentucky Hospital Association will co-host a summit for hospital CEOs, hospital board members and other elected officials and decision makers on the future of health-care delivery...
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1/4 of Ky. adults say they have tried e-cigs; just over half of adults (but not the e-cig users) want them taxed and regulated
More than four in 10 Kentucky adults under age 30 have tried electronic cigarettes, and the older and better off economically Kentuckians are, the less likely they are to have...