Health news

Health News HEADLINES

Feds require consumer-friendly health plan briefs

Published February 9th, 2012 - 8:50AM

Don't have the slightest clue what your health insurance covers?

Whooping cough cases up 50 percent in Wash.

Published February 8th, 2012 - 3:08PM

State health officials say whooping cough is a growing problem in Washington state.

Medicaid may stop covering visits to ER later deemed ‘unnecessary’

Published February 8th, 2012 - 12:05AM

Medicaid soon might stop covering emergency-room treatment that state officials decide afterward was “not medically necessary.”

Army checking whether cost concerns affected PTSD diagnoses at Madigan

Published February 7th, 2012 - 8:28PM

In a lecture to colleagues, a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatrist said a soldier who retires with a post-traumatic-stress-disorder diagnosis could eventually receive $1.5 million in government payments, according to a memo by a Western Regional Medical Command ombudsman who attended the September presentation.

Medicaid soon will stop covering ER visits officials deem 'unnecessary'

Published February 7th, 2012 - 8:12PM

Medicaid soon won’t cover emergency-room treatment that state officials decide afterward was “not medically necessary.”

'Chompy the Carrot' charms children at Dental Health Day in Puyallup

Published February 4th, 2012 - 6:14PM

If you can’t see the fun in flossing, chances are you’ve never encountered Ashley Zantkovsky in her carrot suit.

Study finds Prevacid doesn’t ease asthma

Published January 29th, 2012 - 7:47AM

CHICAGO – An acid reflux drug often used for hard-to-treat asthma doesn’t help children with the breathing disease and may cause side effects, a study in 300 children found.

Stem cells may help restore some vision to blind

Published January 29th, 2012 - 7:47AM

LOS ANGELES – Two legally blind women appeared to gain some vision after receiving an experimental treatment using embryonic stem cells, scientists reported Monday.

Drinking tea could help lower blood pressure

Published January 29th, 2012 - 7:46AM

LOS ANGELES – Drinking three cups of black tea daily over months might help lower blood pressure, a study suggests.

Exercise might slow Alzheimer’s

Published January 29th, 2012 - 7:46AM

Alzheimer’s disease, with its inexorable loss of memory and self, understandably alarms most of us, especially since there are no cures for the condition and few promising drug treatments. But a cautiously encouraging new study in The Archives of Neurology suggests that, for some people, a daily walk or jog could lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or change its course.

Health care workers cited for poor conduct

Published January 27th, 2012 - 12:05AM

The state Department of Health took the following disciplinary actions against Pierce County health care providers in December.

Increase in U.S. obesity rates has been slowing since 2000

Published January 22nd, 2012 - 7:00AM

The rising rate of obesity in the U.S. began to level off over the last decade, even as some groups, such as boys from ages 6 to 19, saw substantial increases, according to government data.

Definition of autism may change

Published January 22nd, 2012 - 6:58AM

Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and may make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new analysis suggests.

Less-common cancers rising ... why?

Published January 8th, 2012 - 7:52AM

NEW YORK – There’s been an unexpected rise in seven types of less-common cancers in the United States, in some cases linked to growing obesity rates, says an American Cancer Society report urging more study to determine the underlying causes.

State gets $17 million for helping kids’ health

Published January 2nd, 2012 - 2:55AM

The Washington state Health Care Authority says it is receiving nearly $17 million as a federal bonus payment for having enrolled children in subsidized health care coverage. This follows similar awards of $20.65 million last year and $7.85 million in 2009, based on the state’s enrollment in its Apple Health for Kids program.