LocalHealthGuide - Part 199

January 16, 2019 Health Costs / Health Insurance

Patients turn to GoFundMe to pay bills

Medical fundraisers now account for 1 in 3 of the website’s campaigns, and they bring in more money than any other GoFundMe category.

January 16, 2019 Health Costs / Health Insurance

GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ In Health System Showing Up In Crowdfunding

“The system is terrible. It needs to be rethought and retooled. Politicians are failing us. Health care companies are failing us,” says CEO Rob Solomon.

January 16, 2019 Fitness / Injury Prevention / Public Health

Only 1 in 5 Seattle biker share riders use helmets, study

Only 20% wore helmets in the study, while more than 90% of cyclists wore helmets while riding their own bikes.

January 16, 2019 Health Costs / Health Policy

Seven in 10 Americans say healthcare system in “crisis” or having “major problems

Seven in 10 or those polled said the healthcare system in “crisis” or having “major problems, in response to a new Gallup poll. The results are in line with what the poll has found since 1994.

January 14, 2019 Methamphetamine / Opioids

Meth’s Resurgence Spotlights Lack Of Meds To Combat The Addiction

Even as the opioid epidemic continues, the toll of methamphetamine use, also known as meth or crystal meth, is on the rise, too.

January 14, 2019 Health Policy

The more women in government, the healthier a population

Compared to their male counterparts, female politicians are more likely to advance women’s rights, health care and family policy.

January 11, 2019 Alternative Medicine / Nutrition / Sleep / Supplements / Vitamins

Why you should stop buying vitamins and get more sleep instead

Research suggests that some high-dose supplements do little to prevent chronic disease among healthy individuals — and may do more harm than good.

January 11, 2019 Health Costs / Health Insurance / Health Policy

Health reads of the week

Must-read health care stories of the week from Kaiser Health News’ Brianna Labuskes.

January 11, 2019 Benzodiazepines / Opioids / Suicide

Opioid-Related Suicides and Overdose Deaths Have More Than Doubled Since 2000

Suicides and drug overdoses kill US adults at twice the rate today as they did just nearly two decades ago.

January 10, 2019 Health Policy / Nutrition / Obesity / Public Health

Seattle’s Soda Tax Almost Entirely Passed on to Consumers

Two-liter bottle of soda increased 64 percent; price of diet drinks jumped, too

January 10, 2019 Medicaid

Medicaid ‘Buy-in’ – a new option for the uninsured?

At least 10 states are exploring whether to allow residents to pay premiums to “buy in” to Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor.

January 10, 2019 Biotechnology / Drugs / Health Costs / Health Policy

Health care industry spends $30B a year on advertising

Marketing drives more testing…more treatments. It’s a big part of why health care is so expensive… it’s the fancy, high-tech stuff things that get marketed.

January 9, 2019 Addiction / Biotechnology / Opioids / Substance Abuse

Are you OK? Cellphone app detects opioid overdose

The app, called Second Chance, detects overdose-related symptoms about 90 percent of the time by tracking your breathing and movement.

January 9, 2019 Allergies / Biotechnology

Will I Always Face The Threat Of A Peanut-Laden Kiss Of Death?

When I see a report touting peanut allergy treatments, I devour it, an occupational hazard for a journalist whose reporting and medical history intertwine.