Can Costco beat Medicare Part D when it comes to prescription drug prices? Apparently so, claims a new study that found that roughly half of generic medications were cheaper when purchased from the discount retailer than from the government program. The researchers compared the prices paid by Medicare Part D plans (including patient out-of-pocket payments)… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, July 7, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Nicole Lazowski was no stranger to hospitals. Her father battled heart disease for as long as she could remember. She was 7 when he had his first of five heart attacks. “I grew up in and out of hospitals, going there with my parents,” Nicole said.… read on > read on >
The highly contagious Delta variant now accounts for more than half of all new coronavirus infections in the United States, new government data shows. The dangerous variant that crippled India recently currently makes up 51.7% of new infections in this country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time,… read on > read on >
A quick daily “workout” for the breathing muscles may help people lower their blood pressure to a similar degree as exercise or even medication, a small study suggests. The technique is called inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST), and it involves using a device that provides resistance as the user inhales — essentially working out the… read on > read on >
COVID-19 vaccinations may not offer as much protection to people with compromised immune systems, but just how much appears to be driven by the type of underlying condition, new research suggests. “People with conditions that compromise their immune systems exhibit a wide spectrum of antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccination, ranging from only 1 in 5… read on > read on >
Testing HIV-positive is no longer a certain death sentence, and new research shows that Americans who have HIV today have life spans similar to those of their peers without the virus. “In the early days of the AIDS pandemic, getting a diagnosis with AIDS was incredibly bad news and the prognosis for survival was really… read on > read on >
Lotteries that pay cash and prizes to Americans who get vaccinated sound like a sure-fire recipe for success, but a new study finds they don’t actually boost vaccination rates. After media reports suggested that Ohio’s “Vax-a-Million” lottery increased vaccination rates, other states decided to use lotteries to reinvigorate slowing vaccination rates. “However, prior evaluations of… read on > read on >
Want to be good to your ticker? Load up on veggies — especially beans, Italian researchers recommend. They’ve published a comprehensive review of research on eating habits and heart disease that provides consistent evidence that eating less salt and animal proteins and more plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Those… read on > read on >
Due to language barriers, 25 million Spanish speakers receive about a third less health care than other Americans, a large study of U.S. adults shows. The analysis of federal survey data from more than 120,000 adults revealed that total use of health care (as measured by spending) was 35% to 42% lower among those whose… read on > read on >
In the middle of a pandemic that sent many Americans into bouts of emotional distress, one-quarter of them couldn’t get counseling when they needed it the most, new research shows. “Social isolation, COVID-related anxiety, disruptions in normal routines, job loss and food insecurity have led to a surge in mental illness during the pandemic,” explained… read on > read on >
