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Health News Results - 394

Survey Shows Transgender, Nonbinary People Suffer Financial Strife, Stigma

Preliminary data from the largest survey examining the quality of life for transgender and nonbinary Americans show they suffer high levels of unemployment and harassment.

In the early findings, released Wednesday, the National Center for Transgender Equality gathered responses on 600 questions from more than 92,000 transgender and nonbinary Americ...

Heart Patients From Poor Neighborhoods Less Likely to Get Cardiac Rehab

Older adults who live in distressed or disadvantaged communities are less likely to attend cardiac rehabilitation after common heart procedures, new research shows.

The study looked at Medicare beneficiaries' attendance at these medically supervised exercise and education programs after coronary revascularization between 2016 and 2018.

Coronary revascularization includes procedures ...

Biden Administration Moves to Boost Health Care to the Homeless

A new rule allows health care providers to be reimbursed for treating homeless people wherever they are, rather than just in hospitals or clinics.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began al...

Job Worries Are Keeping Americans Awake at Night: Survey

Americans are losing sleep over worries about money, a new survey reveals.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) polled about 2,000 U.S. adults, finding that 69% reported lost sleep due to concerns about job security and 75% were kept up with ...

Want a Healthy Old Age? Get Your Finances in Order Now

Planning for your long-term financial future doesn't just make good economic sense -- it could also save your life.

People in both the United States and the United Kingdom have a higher risk of dying prematurely if they aren't engaged in long-term financial planning, according to a report published online Sept. 27 in

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 29, 2023
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  • Childbirth Can Leave New Parents in Serious Medical Debt

    New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt.

    That's according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregnant.

    The researchers studied this by evaluating collections among a statewide, commercially insured cohort of more ...

    Job Loss Within Couples Ups Odds for Miscarriage, Stillbirth

    A new study suggests there may be a link between job loss and miscarriage or stillbirth.

    The risk of miscarriage or stillbirth doubled after a pregnant woman or her partner lost a job, European researchers found. Their study was published Sept. 28 in the journal Human Reproduction

    Gun Injuries Rise as Neighborhoods Gentrify

    As working class neighborhoods gentrify, you'll likely see rents rise, pricey restaurants move in -- and maybe also a rise in gunshot wounds, researchers say.

    In U.S. neighborhoods that gentrified, gun injuries were 62% higher than they were in similar neighborhoods that hadn't gone upscale, according to a new study.

    Overall firearm incidence was also 26% higher in these gentrifyin...

    Older Americans' Finances Decline in Years Before Dementia Diagnosis

    Perhaps succumbing to fraudsters or facing mounting bills, older Americans begin losing wealth in the years preceding a definitive dementia diagnosis, new research shows.

    For example, the median household net worth of the seniors in the study dropped by more than half in the eight years before they were diagnosed with dementia, but dipped much less for folks who retained their mental capa...

    Besides Boosting Health, a Vegan Diet Might Save You Money

    Going vegan doesn't have to mean going broke, with new research finding that steering clear of meat and dairy can lower food costs by about 16%.

    “A vegan diet based on fruits, vegetables, grains and beans has always been a more affordable diet than one that includes meat, dairy and other animal products,” said study author

    Too Much Paperwork Is Delaying Cancer Patients' Care, Study Finds

    Red tape is getting in the way of cancer patients receiving the treatment they crucially require, a new study has found.

    Patients were 18% more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if they had to fill out a lot of paperwork, compared to patients who faced less red tape, the researchers found.

    Results also showed that the more paperwork a ...

    Poorer Neighborhoods Linked to Higher Asthma Rates in Kids

    When factoring in why children get asthma, a child's neighborhood may be important to consider.

    New research finds that living in a neighborhood during early childhood that has better access to resources was associated with lower asthma incidence. Better resourc...

    Nearing Retirement, America's Lower-Middle Class Faces Increasingly Bad Health

    The American middle-class squeeze has grown even worse in recent years, with many in the “forgotten middle” facing financial pressure and poor health as they near retirement age, a new study reports.

    Essentially, the U.S. middle class has split in two, and those relegated to the lower-middle are facing tough times in retirement, said lead researcher

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 24, 2023
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  • Extreme Heat Taxes the Brain, and Some Face Higher Risks

    With 2023 predicted to be the hottest year on record, a new study is pointing to another potential consequence of heat waves: faster declines in older adults' memory and thinking skills.

    The study, of nearly 9,500 older U.S. adults, found that those with greater exposure to heat waves over 12 year...

    Race, Income Big Factors in Deaths After U.S. Hurricanes

    Death rates skyrocket during extreme weather events among the most vulnerable Americans, especially those from minority groups.

    A study looking at hurricanes over more than three decades showed that their impacts varied and were driven by differences in social, economic and demographic factors such as race.

    “Really, we wanted to understand what the comparative impact was over tim...

    Heart Disease Targets Black Americans and Poverty, Unemployment Are Big Reasons Why

    What researchers call 'social factors' are largely responsible for Black Americans having a greater risk of death from heart disease than whites, according to a new study.

    Among the social factors that contribute to this racial disparity are unemployment, low income, lack of regular access to health care and lack of a partner, Tulane University researchers said.

    “For so many years...

    Post-Pandemic End to Food Assistance Programs Meant 2 Million More Americans Went Hungry

    The federal government recently stopped pandemic-related emergency food aid, leaving perhaps 2 million more Americans without enough to eat.

    Emergency allotments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, ended in March in all states that hadn't already cut them.

    After this temporary increase in SNAP benefits ended, recipients experienced a 2...

    Growing Up Poor May Rewire a Child's Brain: Study

    Growing up in poverty may harm the structural wiring of a child's brain, a new study claims.

    Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found a link between both neighborhood and household poverty and the brain's white matter tracts. These let the brain communicate between its regions and are important for processing information.

    “White matter integrity...

    As Medical Debt Rises, So Do Cancer Death Rates

    Folks who are loaded down with medical debt are less likely to survive a bout of cancer, a new study reports.

    Researchers found that U.S. counties where more residents have medical debt in collections also had more cancer deaths, compared to counties with less medical debt.

    “This association was seen for all cancers combined, and the five major cancer types: lung, colorectal, panc...

    Inflation Is Really Stressing Americans Out

    The high cost of -- everything: Rising inflation rates are ramping up anxieties among some groups of Americans much more than others, a new study reports.

    Women, middle-age adults and people with less education or lower pay are feeling much more stress over higher prices, as well as people who were previously married but are now widowed, divorced or separated, according to findings publi...

    In Poorer Households, Quitting Smoking May Help Boost Food Supply

    Quitting smoking may leave you with more money for food.

    Having a tobacco smoker quit is not just a boon to lung health. In poorer families, it can also help prevent hunger, according to new research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

    “We aimed to explore if tobacco cessation could improve food security,” said lead author

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 4, 2023
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  • State Anti-Poverty Programs Help Kids' Brains Stay Healthy

    In U.S. states that provide financial assistance for low-income families, the difference is evident in children's brains, researchers report.

    Their study found disparities in brain structure between children from high-income households compared to low-income households. However, the disparity was more than a third lower in states offering greater cash assistance to low-income families, c...

    Struggles With COVID Left Many Americans With Medical Debt

    While COVID-19's toll on health and wellness has been obvious, the virus has also hit people in the wallet.

    A new study links surviving COVID to financial challenges later, especially for folks who were hospitalized with the virus.

    “More than half of Americ...

    Pandemic Saw Rise in Mistrust of Childhood Vaccines Worldwide

    While overall support for childhood vaccines remains strong, a new UNICEF report documents a significant decline in the public's faith in the importance of these vaccines.

    Confidence in childhood immunizations dropped by up to 44 percentage points in some countries during the pandemic, according to the rep...

    Many Disabled Americans and Single Parents Face Hunger

    Many Americans went hungry in 2021, including disproportionate numbers of people with disabilities and single parents, a new government report shows.

    Experts are concerned that things may have only gotten worse.

    “These data likely do not reflect what is going on currently as pandemic programs end and inflation is affecting food prices,” explained

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 20, 2023
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  • Neighborhoods May Matter When It Comes to Epilepsy

    For people with epilepsy, living in lower-income neighborhoods is associated with worse mental functioning, new research suggests.

    For the study, the researchers looked at the memory, thinking ability and mental health of people with epilepsy, and found differences based on where they lived. Brain-health issues were more common among those from disadvantaged areas with fewer educational a...

    Got PAD? Income, Race Could Affect Outcomes Such as Amputation

    Patients with a common vascular disease that causes blockages in their leg vessels had both worse symptoms and outcomes if they were Black or poor, new research finds.

    The study from Michigan Medicine looked at more than 7,000 patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who had a lower extremity bypass operation to improve circulation. PAD involves plaque blocking the vessels that ca...

    America's 4th Leading Cause of Death: Poverty

    Poverty is the fourth-greatest cause of death in the United States, according to new research.

    Researchers at the University of California, Riverside estimate that poverty was associated with 183,000 deaths in 2019 among people 15 years and older.

    And that's a conservative estimate, they say, because the year was just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Poverty kills as m...

    Cancer's Financial Toll on Couples Hurts Both Partners

    Financial stress and work lost to cancer treatment affects patients and their partners alike.

    Partners also experienced pain, fatigue and sleep issues owing to these fiscal worries, a new study found.

    “We know that financial toxicity or hardship is a signifi...

    Most Americans With Medical Debt Owe Money to Hospitals

    When Americans have medical debt, it's typically to a hospital, according to new research.

    The Urban Institute found that more than 15% of non-elderly adults in the United States have past-due medical debt. Nearly 73% owe some or all of that money to hospitals.

    “These

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 14, 2023
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  • Young Americans Face Rising Rates of Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes

    Young adults in the United States carry an increasing burden of heart health risk factors, making it more likely they'll suffer a heart attack and stroke as they age, a new study warns.

    More adults ages 20 to 44 are obese and diabetic than a decade ago, and they are more likely to have poorly controlled blood pressure, according to the study published March 5 in the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 6, 2023
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  • Do You Live in a 'Food Swamp'? It Could Be Raising Your Heart Risk

    Americans who live near a "food swamp" may have a higher risk of suffering a stroke, a preliminary study finds.

    A number of studies have looked at the health consequences of living in a so-called food desert -- areas with few grocery stores or other options for buying fresh food.

    Food swamps are different: The term was coined to describe communities where fast food restaurants, conv...

    Hundreds of Hospitals Could Close Across Rural America

    Hundreds of rural hospitals across the United States are teetering on the edge of closure, with their financial status increasingly in peril, a new report reveals.

    More than 200 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure because they aren't making enough money to cover the rising cost of providing care, and their low financial reserves leave them little margin for error,

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 16, 2023
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  • It's Getting Tougher to Afford Health Care, Even With Employer-Sponsored Insurance

    Most working-age Americans get health insurance through their employer, but even they are finding it tougher to afford medical care these days, a new study shows.

    Researchers found that over the past 20 years, a growing number of Americans with job-based health insurance have been skipping medical care due to costs. Women have been particularly hard-hit.

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 29, 2022
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  • As Eviction Rates Rise, So Do Local Death Rates, U.S. Study Finds

    Being evicted can have a significant impact on a person's health, according to new research.

    In U.S. counties where eviction rates were elevated, death rates were higher for all causes, especially if those areas were home to a higher proportion of Black residents and women.

    Study author

    Move to Electric Cars Will Save Lives Plus Billions in Health Care Costs

    As the United States moves towards a world in which electric vehicles (EVs) have fully replaced fossil fuel-driven engines, can Americans look forward to reliably cleaner air and better health?

    Absolutely, a new study predicts.

    By 2050, researchers say, th...

    Loss of Bees Could Harm Health of Millions of People

    Bees, in their role as master pollinators, increase crop yields, leading to more production of healthy fruits, vegetables and nuts.

    But new research claims that the challenges these important insects face from changes in land use, harmful pesticides and climate change is affecting food production, leading to less healthy food in global diets and more diseases causing excess deaths.

    Insulin Pumps Ease Diabetes Care. So Why Are Black Patients Less Likely to Get One?

    Insulin pumps can help folks with type 1 diabetes get better control of their disease and minimize how often they inject insulin, and use of the devices has taken off in the past 20 years.

    That's the good news from a new study.

    The not-so-great news is that a large gap in wh...

    Race, Income Can Determine Blood Cancer Outcomes, Studies Show

    If someone is stricken with a blood cancer or life-threatening clot, they'll probably fare better if they are white and wealthy, three new studies show.

    The ongoing impact of patient race and income to medical outcomes was in the spotlight Saturday in New Orleans at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

    In one study, a team led by

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 12, 2022
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  • U.S. States With Tighter Access to Welfare Payments Have More Kids in Foster Care

    Researchers have discovered a link between access to welfare payments and foster care.

    As many as 29,000 fewer children may have entered the foster care system during the 12-year study if U.S. states had made it easier for poor families to receive cash through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

    "The relatively small amount of income provided through...

    Food Banks Save Needy Families Up to $1,000 Per Year

    Millions of Americans will enjoy a hot, nutritious Thanksgiving meal thanks to their local food pantry, often staffed by volunteers. Now, new research spotlights just how important these charities are.

    Families who rely on pantries for food assistance come away with $600 to $1,000 in free meals and produce every year, after taking into account time, transportation and other costs associ...

    As Segregation Rises in Communities, So Do Cancer Death Rates

    Whether you survive a bout with cancer may depend, in part, on where you live.

    Researchers at the American Cancer Society and Clemson University in South Carolina found a 20% higher death rate for all cancer types in the communities with the most racial and economic segregation.

    For lung cancer, the death rate was 50% higher in the most segregated counties.

    "Many people livin...

    Many Insured Americans Are an Injury Away From Bankruptcy: Study

    One in 5 privately insured American adults hospitalized for a traumatic injury end up with medical bills they can't pay, a new study finds.

    Among more than 3,100 working-aged insured adults who suffered a traumatic injury, the risk of incurring co-pays and deductibles they couldn't afford was 23% higher than among similar adults without traumatic injuries. These patients were also more li...

    U.S. Immigrants' Premiums, Taxes Exceed Health Care Expenditures: Study

    In a finding that challenges the notion that immigrants are freeloaders in the American health care system, a new study shows they are paying a lot more through health care premiums and related taxes than they actually use in care.

    In fact, the amount that immigrants pay in makes up for some of the amount of health care that non-immigrants use in excess of what they pay.

    “Some p...

    Travel Times to Abortion Facilities Have Lengthened After Dobbs Decision: Study

    A new analysis illustrates the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: In numerous states, women now have no choice but to travel long distances to get an abortion.

    One-third of American women of reproductive age must now drive excessive distances, the researchers reported. Twice as many women must now travel more than an hour to get abortion care. And some ar...

    U.S. Child Hunger Spiked in Weeks After Child Tax Credits Repealed

    Child tax credits had a huge impact in U.S. households that struggle to afford food.

    And after those credits ended, many...

    Kept Home Under Lockdown, U.S. Couples May Have Spurred a 'Baby Bump'

    The pandemic brought about a lot of changes in people's lives. For many, that included a new baby.

    The United States saw a “baby bump” in 2021 described in a new study as “the first major reversal in declining U.S. fertility rates since 2007.”

    It was the opposite of what early forecasts predicted.

    “Ther...

    Parks, Gardens Might Boost Life Spans in Poorer Neighborhoods

    The key to narrowing the gap in how long a person lives if they're poor vs. if they're wealthy could be as simple as adding green space to certain neighborhoods.

    Every 10% increase in natural space and private gardens was linked to a 7% drop in early deaths in people younger than 65, according to a new study published Oct. 17 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. <...

    Fears of Robots Taking Jobs Are Common, But May Be Unrealistic

    As some workplaces have added robots to the crew, workers in the United States and parts of Asia are feeling uneasy.

    Concerns about robots also happen even in industries where they're not used yet, according to new research.

    “Some economists theorize that robots are more likely to take over blue-collar jobs faster than whit...

    More Americans With Heart Disease Are Also Becoming 'Food Insecure'

    Many Americans with heart disease also have limited access to food, and this dangerous combination is growing rapidly, a new study finds.

    "Food insecurity is a common problem...