Category Archives: Health

Heads up: Medicare will stop covering telehealth in April.

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Jim deMaine

From Your Local Epidemiologist If you’re on Medicare and have leveraged convenient telehealth appointments, that’s about to end. Medicare originally expanded its coverage of at-home telehealth services during the Covid-19 emergency, which was an important move to protect seniors and … Continue reading →

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Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Jim deMaine

From Foundation Fighting Blindness – Thanks to Ann M. Join A Virtual Quarterly Vision Webinar on Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) February 27th | 7:00 p.m. ET   (4 PM PT) Dear Friends,   Discover the latest information on AMD with … Continue reading →

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Understanding RFK Jr.

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Since the time of Pasteur, Lister, Koch and Semmelweis we’ve all (but for a few) accepted the germ theory of disease. One of those few who does not accept established science is RFK Jr. Yet, he’s about to … Continue reading →

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Your Parents Deserve More From Their Nursing Home

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: Please see the following post about the need for regulations in this growing, yet underfunded and understaffed industry charged with taking care of an elderly vulnerable population. We must be informed and strong advocates for good care. By Norma … Continue reading →

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Continuing Care Oversight Bill needs support

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Hello Skyline WACCRA Members, (thanks to Tom S.) THIS ONE HAS A SHORT FUSE!—And supports the effort initially announced in the WACCRA Residents News-Mail, February 6, 2025 (attached). WACCRA’s  legislative work has resulted in the introduction of Senate Bill 5691 … Continue reading →

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I Ran U.S.A.I.D. Killing It Is a Win for Autocrats Everywhere.

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Jim deMaine

By Samantha Power in the NYT (Thanks to Diana C.) Ms. Power was the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development in the Biden administration. We are witnessing one of the worst and most costly foreign policy blunders in … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Ethics, Food, Government, Health, Justice, Kindness, Morality, Philanthropy, Poverty, Social justice | Leave a comment

Data and communication are gold

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Jim deMaine

“What the hell is going on? by Katelyn Jetelina in Your Local Epidemiologist Feb 04, 2025 It’s February 4. That matters because, as of February 1, the communications freeze at federal agencies, including CDC, FDA, and NIH, was supposed to … Continue reading →

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CDC Data Are Disappearing

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Jim deMaine

The agency has already removed scientific data from public view. More could follow. By Katherine J. Wu (Thanks to Ed M.) The CDC campus in Atlanta (Smith Collection / Gado / Getty) Last night, scientists began to hear cryptic and foreboding warnings … Continue reading →

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RFK Jr.’s War Against Cancer…Prevention

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Jim deMaine

A recent Senate confirmation hearing revealed RFK Jr.’s secret war against cancer prevention. by Paul Offit (thanks to Ed M.) Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cancer. Every year, HPV causes about 20,000 cancers in women and 14,000 in men. For women, … Continue reading →

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Drawing, making music and writing poetry can support healing and bring more humanity to health care in US hospitals

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Jim deMaine

by Marlaine Figueroa Gray Assistant Investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, University of Washington The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the deep need that people feel for human touch and connection in hospital settings. Having relatives peering … Continue reading →

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Please express your support for HB 1531

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. Our public health partners are seeking our support on House Bill 1531 re preserving the ability of public officials to address communicable diseases, which will be heard 1/31 at 8:00AM in House Health Care and Wellness and … Continue reading →

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The Pediatrician’s Lament

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Eleanor R. Menzin, M.D. in The New England Journal of Medicine “It’s your fault!” the renowned infectious disease attending told the cluster of students and residents. In the late 1990s, the varicella vaccine was relatively new, and uptake was disappointingly low. “You … Continue reading →

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How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Jim deMaine

By Hope Reese In the NYT (thanks to Marilyn W.) Awe can mean many things. It can be witnessing a total solar eclipse. Or seeing your child take her first steps. Or hearing Lizzo perform live. But, while many of us … Continue reading →

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Buckle up: Navigating the noise around routine vaccination

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Katelyn Jetelina Thanks to Barb W. The arguments against routine vaccination are already escalating. Just last week, it was unearthed that a prominent lawyer on the RFK Jr. transition team questioned the safety of the polio vaccine, and the long-debunked measles-autism … Continue reading →

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UW Medicine – Masking Policy Update

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. Ed note: We are now in “virus season.” The UW has triggered a masking requirement because of the risk over the next three to four months. This requirement is triggered whenever any of the three most … Continue reading →

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1 million+ patients lose coverage as insurers, hospitals drop Medicare Advantage

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Jim deMaine

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Libby and Andrew Potter usually ignore the avalanche of Medicare Advantage ads that land in the mailbox at their home in Huntsville, Alabama, each fall as Medicare’s open enrollment period begins. Libby, a retired middle school librarian, … Continue reading →

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Trump, health, science, and the next 4 years

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Jim deMaine

The Lancet (thanks to Ed M.) Donald Trump’s decisive re-election as US President on Nov 5 puts many aspects of health and science in a deeply concerning position. Although there is broader alarm about his openly authoritarian intentions, his imminent … Continue reading →

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“Never Words” that should not be used by clinicians

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: How should we talk to each other when there is serious life-threatening illness. This article is for clinicians, but how about talking to a fellow resident or loved one? What is your approach? Please comment. A new article in Mayo Clinic … Continue reading →

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The all-female mobile health team working against the odds in Afghanistan

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Jim deMaine

From the International Rescue Committee in August 2022 (after the Taliban took over in 2021) Despite countless hurdles, all-women teams of medical doctors are braving long distances and treacherous terrain to bring health care to the remotest villages in Afghanistan, … Continue reading →

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It’s Time to Shop for Medicare, and 2025 Brings Big Changes

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Jim deMaine

By Mark Miller in the NYT Americans on Medicare will see big, and welcome, changes next year. The program’s prescription drug insurance will be much stronger — and easier to understand — as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act of … Continue reading →

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An Idaho health department isn’t allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines anymore. Experts say it’s a first

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Jim deMaine

By  DEVI SHASTRI AP News (Thanks to Ed M.) A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board. Southwest District Health appears to be the first in … Continue reading →

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The Best Light Therapy Lamp

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: In these dark days of winter with the very short days, sleep disruption and seasonal affective disorders are fairly common. So I break out my happy light and have it on the breakfast table for 30 minutes. Placebo … Continue reading →

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Can’t Sleep? Try This Proven Alternative to Medication.

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is considered the most effective treatment for people who continually struggle to fall or stay asleep. By Christina Caron in the NYT About one in four adults in the United States develops symptoms of insomnia … Continue reading →

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CDC recommends second dose of COVID-19 vaccine for certain populations

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Jim deMaine

CDC now recommends a second dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for two groups: The second dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine is recommended six months after the first dose. These groups remain at higher risk of severe COVID-19, and these … Continue reading →

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Physician Altruism and Spending, Hospital Admissions, and Emergency Department Visits

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Rick B. Ed note: I don’t doubt that patients have a much better experience with an altruistic medical provider who offers listening, time and doesn’t feel economic pressure as they advocate for your care. The practical problem–how can … Continue reading →

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