Better Health Archives - Page 7 of 19

Cheek: Technology the key to better health care for rural Texans – Opinion – Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

October 6, 2020

Texas has a rural health care disparity.

This means that 75 percent of our counties are federally designated health professional shortage areas. There simply aren’t enough doctors and nurses. Sixty-four of our counties lack a hospital, and 25 counties have no primary care physician. In short, rural health care disparity in our state means some 3 million Texans struggle to access the care they need.

Addressing the health gap facing our medically underserved areas would start with increased education about the benefits of checkups and procedures, better health care access, and expanded affordability. We also must find ways to combat the persistent, systemic disadvantages that often serve as a barrier to quality care.

This is an enormously complex problem without an easy solution. The best approach is to focus on one health care issue at a time where progress can be made. Improving our ability to screen more Texans for

Upward Health Mobility Limited for Minorities, Vulnerable Americans

October 5, 2020

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Demographic groups that are less likely to experience upward health mobility include children in minority families, those without health insurance, those with low socioeconomic status.

Children whose parents are in poor health and also socioeconomically disadvantaged have limited upward health mobility, according to a study published in Health Affairs Monday afternoon.

Even for children whose parents are in better health, but also socioeconomically disadvantaged, downward health mobility is more likely, according to the study.

Demographic groups that are less likely to experience upward health mobility include children in minority families, those without health insurance, those with low socioeconomic status, accord to the report.

Related: Healthcare Workers of Color Nearly Twice as Likely as Whites to Get COVID-19

Additionally, children who grow up in areas with “high proportions of uninsured residents” are less likely to experience upward mobility while also being more likely to experience downward health mobility.

The study’s authors

Health Affairs’ October Issue: Children’s Health

October 5, 2020

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The October edition of Health Affairs is a theme issue on children’s health. As articles in the issue show, the US lags behind other developed countries in key indicators of child health and well-being. Studies in the issue provide a road map for future improvement.

The October issue was supported by Nemours, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Children’s Hospital Association, the Episcopal Health Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

DATAWATCH: One in ten North Carolina teenagers fill at least one opioid prescription a year.

According to government data, opioid exposures in childhood are responsible for the majority of drug-related pediatric fatalities and are potentially linked to opioid misuse in adulthood. To understand the extent of pediatric opioid use, Kelby Brown and coauthors from Duke University reviewed North Carolina Medicaid claims data from 2016 to 2018. They found that among children (ages 1–17), adolescents ages 15–17 were most often prescribed

Children’s Health | Health Affairs

October 5, 2020

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The US lags behind other developed countries in key indicators of child health and well-being, including infant and child mortality, poverty, and obesity. A defining feature of children’s health in the US is tremendous disparity by race and ethnicity, undercutting the goal of providing all children with equal opportunities for success. This month’s Health Affairs explores children’s health and well-being and provides a road map for future improvement.

Road Map For Improvement

James Perrin and coauthors summarize and identify crosscutting themes in four recent reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on strengthening child and adolescent health and well-being. Focusing on poverty; mental, emotional, and behavioral health; adolescence; and young family health and education, “the reports make clear that many evidence-based solutions allowing changes to current trajectories and outcomes already exist.”

“When it comes to supporting the health of children and families, what Americans say is not

Employers’ health benefits costs expected to grow, but most won’t take cost-saving measures

October 5, 2020

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Despite the expected increase of employer’s health benefits costs in 2021, most companies do not plan on taking cost-savings measures, according to early results from Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans 2020.

The survey, which included over 1,000 employer responses since early July, estimates that the health benefits cost for employers will increase by 4.4% for 2021.

This increase follows the upward trend of annual change in health benefit costs since 2019, however, it is still outgrowing the Consumer Price Index and employee wage growth, which have fallen to nearly zero, according to Mercer.

Mercer’s full survey results are expected to be released in November, the company said.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

When developing their health plans, employers have to consider a variety of factors for the upcoming year according to Tracy Watts, a senior consultant at Mercer.

“Different assumptions about cost for COVID-related care, including a possible vaccine, and

Build a Better Health Care Budget

October 5, 2020

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One example is diabetes. A study published in the “Journal of American Medicine” found that 1 in 4 individuals with diabetes had rationed their insulin, which can impact short- and long-term health. Since 2002, the list price of insulin has risen, often costing customers without health insurance or on high-deductible insurance plans upwards of $1,000 for a one-month supply.

Consider these ideas to help manage the expense associated with a chronic disease:

1. Health Insurance

Whether you have a chronic condition or you’re generally healthy, it’s important to understand the different types of health insurance available to you. Commercial health plans can be purchased by anyone and may be available through your employer, or you may be eligible for government-funded health care, but there are numerous other options and variables to consider.

Understanding the costs associated with insurance plans means taking into account both your monthly premium and out-of-pocket costs

Data is Crucial to Driving Innovations in Health and Wellness for Individuals and the Economy

October 5, 2020

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Key insights supported by Acxiom, McCann Health, Veeva Crossix and other collaborators

Acxiom®, the customer intelligence company whose data-driven solutions create business growth by enabling better customer experiences, today announced the completion of its latest analysis of key trends showing how data can be used for good to improve the overall health and wellness of society. This new project, in collaboration with McCann Health, Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab and Veeva Crossix, highlights how consumer data insights can optimize the entire field of healthcare and improve diagnostics, therapy, development of personalized medicines and overall better health experiences.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed, the ability to understand and bring together health data with consumer data is essential to both the overall health and economic wellness of society. By bringing together different datasets, using de-identification and privacy-by-design techniques, the opportunities to make significant health and wellness impact are endless. From new epidemiological

Support for health care sector vital in battle against coronavirus

October 5, 2020

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For long-term care professionals, COVID-19 has been especially challenging.

We, and the residents we are charged with caring for, have been tested in unimaginable ways and our dedicated caregivers have tirelessly and bravely fought to protect those in harm’s way.

While we have made great progress in implementing and executing protocols to protect our staff and residents, the fight against COVID-19 is far from over.

We cannot let our guard down as long as this vicious virus lurks, and to prepare for unknown threats to come. COVID-19 quickly exposed the cracks in our society and health care system, especially those in the long-term care sector — where our predominantly minority workforce is paid less than a living wage to care for our most vulnerable citizens.

As we look to the future, we must apply the hard lessons of the past several months

Blue Cross NC, Wake Forest Baptist form another health-care partnership | Local News

October 5, 2020

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C. and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have formed their second health insurance network to serve the Triad.

Blue Cross said it will offer, starting in January, what it is marketing as Blue High Performance network.

The network provides members with access to a comprehensive set of doctors, hospitals and specialists, while lowering costs for employers.

The insurer estimates the network will provide cost savings of up to 13% compared with its preferred provider organization network.

“Blue HPN is another example of how Blue Cross NC is committed to making health care better, simpler and more affordable with great providers like Wake Forest Baptist Health,” said Steve Crist, vice president of major accounts at Blue Cross NC.

Wake Forest Baptist already is part of Blue Cross NC’s value-based care model, Blue Premier, which holds health systems and Blue Cross NC jointly accountable for better

Health care is key voter concern amid pandemic, changing Supreme Court

October 4, 2020

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — This election year, in the midst of a global pandemic and with the Affordable Care Act about to be challenged for the third time before a Supreme Court that is in flux, it’s no surprise health care is a bigger issue than it has been in previous presidential elections.

The economy still gets top billing, followed by the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the United States and affects both health and economy.

Criminal justice, race relations and health care round out the list of top voter concerns, according to a September Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Democratic voters, according to the poll, place a higher emphasis on health as a voting issue than Republicans.

But Democrats also have shifted their health care emphasis from the early part of 2020, when it was a top concern, to this fall when it slipped behind concern

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Category: Better Health

Cheek: Technology the key to better health care for rural Texans – Opinion – Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Upward Health Mobility Limited for Minorities, Vulnerable Americans

Demographic groups that are less likely to experience upward health mobility include children in minority families, those without health insurance, those with low socioeconomic status.

Health Affairs’ October Issue: Children’s Health

DATAWATCH: One in ten North Carolina teenagers fill at least one opioid prescription a year.

Children’s Health | Health Affairs

Road Map For Improvement

Employers’ health benefits costs expected to grow, but most won’t take cost-saving measures

Build a Better Health Care Budget

Data is Crucial to Driving Innovations in Health and Wellness for Individuals and the Economy

Support for health care sector vital in battle against coronavirus

Blue Cross NC, Wake Forest Baptist form another health-care partnership | Local News

Health care is key voter concern amid pandemic, changing Supreme Court