Category Archives: Health and Medical
COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions
Austin County News Online continues to monitor the spread of the coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, as more cases are confirmed in the United States and around the world. The information below is the guidance available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
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Second U.S. Death Reported as Health Officials Worry About COVID-19’s Spread
With a second confirmed death of an American in the state of Washington from COVID-19, public health officials are concerned that there are far more cases of the new coronavirus in the U.S. than have yet been reported.
Read moreCDC Waited Days To Test California’s Latest ‘Mystery’ Patient For Coronavirus
When the patient, who reportedly lives somewhere in Solano County, was first admitted to Davis Medical Center a week ago, doctors suspected she might have the virus. But they weren’t able to secure a test.
Read moreStudy: To slow an epidemic, focus on handwashing
Improving the rate of handwashing at just 10 major airports could significantly slow the spread of a viral disease, researchers estimate.
Read moreHow Well Can Computers Connect Symptoms To Diseases?
A new MIT study finds “health knowledge graphs,” which show relationships between symptoms and diseases and are intended to help with clinical diagnosis, can fall short for certain conditions and patient populations. The results also suggest ways to boost their performance.
Read moreIngestible Medical Devices Can Be Broken Down With Light
A variety of medical devices can be inserted into the gastrointestinal tract to treat, diagnose, or monitor GI disorders. Many of these have to be removed by endoscopic surgery once their job is done. However, MIT engineers have now come up with a way to trigger such devices to break down inside the body when they are exposed to light from an ingestible LED.
Read moreResearchers Hope to Make Needle Pricks For Diabetics A Thing of the Past
Patients with diabetes have to test their blood sugar levels several times a day to make sure they are not getting too high or too low. Studies have shown that more than half of patients don’t test often enough, in part because of the pain and inconvenience of the needle prick. But, a new noninvasive technique may allow those with diabetes to directly measure glucose concentrations through the skin.
Read moreDEADLY ‘SUPERBUGS’ DESTROYED BY MOLECULAR DRILLS [VIDEO]
Molecular drills can now target and destroy deadly bacteria that have evolved resistance to nearly all antibiotics. In some cases, the drills make the antibiotics effective once again.
Read moreIn Shock To $3.5 Trillion Healthcare Industry, Trump Admin Will Force Hospitals To Disclose “Secret” Insurance Rates
In a move that will send shockwaves across the $3.5 trillion US healthcare industry, on Friday the Trump administration unveiled a plan that would – for the first time – force hospitals and insurers to disclose their secret negotiated rates
Read moreEmployer Health-Benefit Costs Soared Past $20,000 Per Worker – “The Price Of An Economy Car”
Brace yourself, because the average cost of employer-provided health coverage passed $20,000 for a family plan this year, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Read moreWalmart’s Healthcare Experiment Has Begun, It May Be A Game Changer
Walmart opened its first 10,000 square-foot “Walmart Health” center that features an array of primary medical services, dental care, and behavioral health services as part of a new model expected to eventually be replicated in other markets.
Read moreVapers Are Quitting E-Cigarettes… And Switching To Regular Cigs Instead [VIDEO]
With media suddenly flooded by news that vaping could be causing mysterious lung illnesses hitting the wires over the last couple of weeks, electronic cigarette smokers are using a tool that’s been around for decades to quit vaping: switching to good ole’ fashioned conventional cigarettes.
Read moreFrustrated Judges Slam “Complicated” Obamacare Mess
The Trump Administration is backing 19 Republican-controlled states, including Texas, in a lawsuit that they hope will eventually prompt the Supreme Court to invalidate the entire Obamacare law – something it declined to do back in 2012, when Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s liberals to preserve it.
Read moreThe Number One Reason Adults Are Interested In Legalized Cannabis
A recent Nielsen survey delved into why Americans are interested in trying legal cannabis, and the results were astounding. Americans DON’T want to get high or experience the effects of the psychoactive THC compound found in cannabis, rather most simply want a more natural way to combat pain or depression.
Read moreAmericans Had To Borrow 88 Billion Dollars To Cover Their Medical Bills Last Year
According to a brand new report that was just released, Americans had to borrow 88 billion dollars to cover their medical bills last year. That is a truly astounding number, and it shows just how dramatically our current health care system has failed.
Read moreTwo-Thirds Of All US Bankruptcies Are Primarily Caused By Medical Bills, New Study Finds
Even though more Americans are “covered by health insurance” than ever before, a new study has found that “about 530,000 families each year are financially ruined by medical bills and sicknesses”, and most of those families actually had health insurance.
Read moreWhy We Don’t Have Generic Insulin
There are many reasons and theories on why the costs of insulin have continued to rise much faster than inflation has in the past twenty years. But, the answer is complex and layered.
Read moreHere’s How Much Your Healthcare Costs Rise As You Age
By the time you reach 65 years old, average healthcare costs are $11.3K per person, per year in the United States. This is nearly triple the annual average cost of when you’re in your 20s and 30s. Even if your insurance company or Medicare covers most of that bill, the typical American can still be on the hook for a very large sum of money to cover their healthcare costs as they age.
Read moreThousands Of Medical Professionals Are Losing Their Licenses For Not Paying Their Student Debt
Some 1,000 healthcare workers have lost their licenses to practice in Florida due to their inability to pay off their student debt. There are additionally 12 other states that have the power to take away healthcare licenses for unpaid student loans. However, so far Florida is the only state actually enforcing the law. Could we see others join as student debt and delinquency continues to grow?
Read moreFacing 1000s Of Lawsuits, Oxycontin Maker Purdue Weighs Bankruptcy Filing
Stamford-based Purdue Pharmaceuticals, which is facing thousands of lawsuits pertaining to its role in stoking the opioid epidemic that has been blamed for the surge in drug overdose deaths. It now considering filing chapter 11 bankruptcy to halt the mountain of lawsuits and negotiate its legal claims with plaintiffs.
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