Buprenorphine saved Eric Ezzi. Heroin had overrun the Philadelphia-area native’s life in his early 20s. He lost jobs, went to jail and burned bridges with his family. A few years into his addiction, Ezzi found what he hoped would be the ultimate solution: buprenorphine. Often known by the brand name Suboxone, buprenorphine is a medication…
The American Lung Association released its 2024 State of Tobacco Control report Wednesday, which evaluates state efforts to eliminate tobacco use. Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa and Ohio scored failing grades in most categories. The report compares state policies to evidence-based practices known to prevent youth from using tobacco and help smokers quit. It looks at…
Since the pandemic-era freeze on Medicaid disenrollment ended this spring, millions across the country –– including eligible recipients –– have lost their coverage for administrative reasons. Paperwork errors, system glitches, long wait times and outdated notices are kicking people off the rolls and vexing those caught up in the process. For people with disabilities, the…
Abortion bans may have led to an increase in birth rates in some states, a new report suggests. Three university researchers closely analyzed 13 states that prohibited abortion in nearly all situations by the end of 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a federal right to abortion. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics published…
Mental health experts say the holidays provide an opportunity for parents to check in on their children’s psychological wellbeing as thousands of college students are back home. “This is an important time of year because you’re going to be spending more time with your kids,” Rhonda Randall, UnitedHealthcare’s chief medical officer, said. Having conversations about…
At the Prairie View skilled nursing home in Sanborn, Iowa, the cafeteria was noisy on a recent Thursday. But not far from the sounds of conversation among dozens of residents is a unit that sits quiet and empty. Wendy Nelson, Prairie View’s administrator, used a code on a keypad to enter into what used to…
More than three-fourths of Americans lose sleep because of digital distractions, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Experts say that can be harmful for people’s health. More than 90% of the adults surveyed said they have lost sleep due to binge watching television and 75% said they have lost…
Two new, cutting-edge cures for sickle cell disease, a debilitating genetic blood disorder, have been approved on Friday. The sickle cell community is cautiously hopeful as questions around access and comprehensive care loom large. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Exa-cel, also known by its commercial name Casgevy. It’s a gene-editing therapy that uses…
Sitting in the living room of her Cleveland home, 30-year-old Grace O’Malley reflects on when she ruled out having kids of her own. O’Malley has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic condition that weakens the body’s connective tissue, and can get much worse postpartum. About three years earlier, when she was in her mid-twenties, her condition worsened….
Narcan, also known by its generic name Naloxone, is a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. But in two-thirds of adolescent overdose deaths, the medication wasn’t used even though there was someone nearby. The main driving factor behind these overdose deaths is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is so potent even a tiny amount can…
Dr. Hannah Hays has seen what exposure to the liquid used in vapes and electronic cigarettes can do to children. One child who had ingested a large amount of liquid from a vape pen “developed loss of consciousness, muscle jerking, repeated vomiting and had to be placed on a ventilator or breathing machine,” Hays, the…
New regulations designed to crack down on misleading marketing of Medicare insurance plans face their first big test when seniors begin shopping for coverage on Oct. 15. One minute last December Leslie Montgomery was a medieval warlord pillaging a nearby kingdom. The next she was a retiree drowning in a flood of confusing Medicare sales…
Care farms are agricultural places for people with physical or mental health challenges to process their emotions, while performing farming tasks and working with animals. Participants are able to receive formal or informal care to address things like anxiety, depression and grief. It’s a popular concept in Europe that hasn’t gained as much traction in…
Spending on a new class of diabetes and weight loss medications hit nearly $7 billion in the first half of the year, as people are clamoring for these highly effective drugs. Employer health insurance plans are shouldering the bulk of that financial burden as half of Americans get their coverage through work. “The cost of…
Thirty states reported that they have mistakenly dropped tens of thousands of people, including children, from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, CHIP. In the Midwest and the surrounding region, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Nebraska reported that they have not been complying with federal rules to renew people’s coverage after pandemic-era…