Month: May 2014

Measles Cases in the United States Reach 20-year High

Two hundred and eighty-eight cases of measles were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States between Jan. 1 and May 23, 2014, the largest number of measles cases in the United States reported in the first five months of a year since 1996.

Structured Physical Activity Can Help Elderly Remain Independent

A carefully structured, moderate physical activity program can help reduce the risk in older people of losing the ability to walk without assistance, according a recent study in JAMA. That is critical, say the study authors, because walking unaided is perhaps the single most important factor for maintaining independence in older age.

Consumers Complain About Narrow Insurance Networks

More people than now have health insurance in California, but is it the kind of coverage they want? Several reports in the past weeks noted that insurance networks are narrowing under the Affordable Care Act. Some enrollees are finding that the doctors and hospitals they thought they’d have access to aren’t actually under their plan’s umbrella.

Silent Treatment Saves Lives

Last year, the Affordable Care Act-funded Partnership for Patients released a report showing that from 210,000 to 440,000 patients die annually from medical errors in hospitals. Kaiser Permanente and other hospitals are now taking small steps that may have a big effect on reducing preventable deaths.

Language Barriers in California Health Care

Last week the Health Report wrote about how the state’s annual Medi-Cal renewal forms are so complicated that they may cause tens of thousands of people to lose coverage. Among the problems is that the forms are only available in English and Spanish, reported Claudia Boyd-Barrett.

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