Nearly 40% of Americans live where the air is polluted enough to harm them, a new report warns. In the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report, released Wednesday, the number of people living with levels of air pollution that could jeopardize their health climbed from about 119 million in 2023 to 131 million… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
New Rules Mean 3.6 Million Americans Could Get Wegovy Via Medicare, Costing Billions
A budget-busting 3.6 million Medicare recipients could now be eligible for coverage of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, a new KFF analysis says. That’s because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Wegovy (semaglutide) to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in certain patients, the study says. The FDA’s ruling… read on > read on >
$282 Billion: What Mental Illness Costs America Each Year
America’s mental health woes essentially serve as an annual economic downturn for the nation, a new study says. Mental illness costs the U.S. economy $282 billion every year, equivalent to the average economic recession, researchers report. That estimate amounts to about 1.7% of American annual spending, and is about 30% larger than previous attempts to… read on > read on >
Cancer Takes Tough Toll on Family Finances
About six out of 10 working-age adults hit with a cancer diagnosis say it put real pressure on their financial survival, a new report finds. “Today’s findings reiterate the critical role access to affordable, quality care and paid family medical leave plays in reducing the financial toll of cancer on those diagnosed — particularly while… read on > read on >
Biden Administration Sets Nursing Home Staffing Minimums
The first-ever minimum staffing rule has been set for nursing homes, the Biden administration announced Monday. Central to the final rule, first proposed in September, is a requirement that a registered nurse be in every skilled nursing facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also mandates that there be enough staff to… read on > read on >
U.S. Measles Cases Reach 125, Surpassing Recent Peak in 2022
Measles infections continue to spread across the country, with 125 cases now reported in 18 states, new U.S. government data shows. That is more cases than were reported in all of 2022, the most recent annual peak for measles infections, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. So far this year, there have… read on > read on >
EPA Designates Two ‘Forever Chemicals’ as Hazardous
Two common PFAS “forever chemicals” have been deemed hazardous substances by the Environmental Protection Agency. The new designation, enacted under the country’s Superfund law, will let the EPA investigate and clean up leaks and spills of these harmful chemicals, agency officials said Friday. It will also mean polluters can be charged for the clean-up of… read on > read on >
Relationship With Partner Affects Outcomes for Breast Cancer Survivors
A strong relationship can help a breast cancer survivor thrive in the aftermath of their terrible ordeal, a new study finds. Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer places tremendous stress on the women and their partners, researchers said. Those women in a solid relationship with their partner tend to have less depression and fatigue following… read on > read on >
CDC Warns of 19 Cases of Botched Botox Shots in 9 States
Counterfeit or mishandled Botox shots have triggered harmful reactions in 19 people in nine states, U.S. health officials warned Monday. In its alert, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nine people had been hospitalized and four were treated with an antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin had spread beyond the… read on > read on >
‘One and Done’: Scientists Develop Vaccine That May Fight Any Viral Strain
Genetics-based “one-and-done” vaccines for the flu and COVID could prove more effective and easier to craft than current jabs, researchers report. These new vaccines would target viruses using a different response to infection than what is prompted by current vaccines, researchers said. Instead of teaching the immune system to create antibodies to fight off a… read on > read on >