Fewer than half of US adults under 50 can readily afford or access healthcare, analysis finds

The share of Americans who were either “cost insecure” or “cost desperate” when it comes to healthcare have both increased since 2022, a Gallup and West Health survey found. Health Care Dive.

Misdiagnosis Is A Big Problem For Older Adults. Here’s What Can Help

Errors in diagnosis are relatively common among older people. The reasons are many: older adults may have multiple conditions, take many medications, and illnesses can look very different in older people than they do in younger ones. Older adults may show different symptoms or none at all. And sometimes health care workers assume that whatever is bothering the patient is “because of your age.” All this can lead to older patients being either under-treated or over-treated. NPR.

CBS News: Drugs Used For Weight Loss Help People Stop Smoking, Study Finds

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, can help people lose weight — and a new study says it may also help people quit smoking. In the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday, researchers found semaglutide was associated with lower risks for tobacco use disorder-related health care measures, including reduced smoking cessation medication prescriptions and counseling. CBS.

Most Antibiotic Prescriptions For Kids’ Ear Infections Are Too Long, Study Finds

A study has found that three-quarters of antibiotic prescriptions for children with acute otitis media (AOM) ear infections were longer than recommended, researchers reported last week . . . . The American Academy of Pediatrics AOM guidelines, published in 2013, recommend durations of 5 to 7 days for children ages 2 years and older with uncomplicated AOM. But previous studies have found most children receive longer durations. 75% of prescriptions were for 10 days. CIDRAP.

SARS-CoV-2 Widespread In Virginia Wildlife, Likely From People

Deer mice, opossums, raccoons, groundhogs, Eastern cottontail rabbits, and Eastern red bats had signs of infection, and isolates from an opossum showed previously unreported viral mutations closely matching the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant circulating in people at the time, which the authors said suggests at least seven recent human-to-animal virus transmission events. The mutations could alter the virus’s effects on people. The team also identified two mice on the same day with the same variant, indicating that one mouse infected the other or that they both were infected by the same person. CIDRAP.

Blood tests for Alzheimer’s diagnosis were 91% accurate in new study

Blood tests so far have been used mostly in carefully controlled research settings. But a new study of about 1,200 patients in Sweden shows they also can work in the real-world bustle of doctors’ offices — especially primary care doctors who see far more people with memory problems than specialists but have fewer tools to evaluate them. AP.

Minnesota Ranked Best In Nation For Health Care, Study Finds

Minnesota’s health care system has long been recognized as one of the best in the country and a recent study has reinforced that viewpoint. According to a WalletHub study published Monday, Minnesota’s health care system is No. 1 in the nation, followed by Rhode Island and South Dakota. The study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: cost, access and outcomes. CBS.

Local note: Washington state was ranked 30th in the nation.