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Idaho donor dies of rabies, transmits virus via kidney transplant, CDC says

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

An Idaho man who died of rabies passed the virus to another man through a kidney transplant, marking the fourth known instance in the country in nearly half a century where rabies was transmitted from an organ donor to a recipient.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, Dec. 4, that the Idaho man was in an outbuilding...Read more

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Lawmakers hold hope for health care even with partisan Senate votes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — As the Senate tees up a pair of partisan votes on health care Thursday, senators from both sides of the aisle said debate isn’t over regarding enhanced premium tax credits that millions of people rely on.

Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t ruling out finding a way to extend the tax ...Read more

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Moderate House Republicans look to force vote on ACA tax credits

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., on Wednesday filed a discharge petition to force a vote on a two-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, as House GOP leadership eyes a health care vote next week that won’t include such a measure.

The petition had only eight signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, though ...Read more

Is a new $25,000 health care tax deduction coming in 2026?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is pushing a new “No Taxes on Healthcare Act” that would let households deduct up to $25,000 in out-of-pocket medical costs, including health insurance premiums they pay themselves.

This proposed deduction would be in addition to the standard deduction, which most taxpayers currently claim.

The proposal comes on ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Food allergies can create a minefield for holiday celebrations

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The holidays are coming up and they almost always involve family gatherings, office parties, neighborhood get-togethers, and special holidays meals, all with lots and lots of food. For most of us, it’s a chance to enjoy food and drink that maybe aren’t a part of our usual fare. But if you have food allergies, these celebrations can literally...Read more

Feeling sluggish? Try one of these 5 foods

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

There’s nothing like an energy crash to throw your day for a loop. This can be especially frustrating when you have things to do and places to be — or if you’re just trying to stay awake during the dark afternoons of winter. It may be tempting to grab a caffeinated drink and hope for the best, but it’s not your only option. Food can fuel...Read more

Is this common skin problem overlooked?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Rosy cheeks might be cute in holiday cartoons, but in real life, the redness can signal a chronic inflammatory skin disease called rosacea. It can spread all over the face, leading to ruddy skin, angry-looking pimples, burning sensations, eye irritation, and even a disfigured nose. Unfortunately, rosacea’s early and middle stages often go ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: ‘Tech neck’: Technology’s effect on your neck

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I spend my workday looking at a computer screen and then use my phone to browse social media and text with friends in the evening. The combined time on these devices is giving me neck pain and stiffness. Are there ways to prevent or reduce the nagging neck pain?

ANSWER: On average, people spend three hours and 15 minutes on ...Read more

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Health savings accounts, backed by GOP, cover fancy saunas but not insurance premiums

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With the tax-free money in a health savings account, a person can pay for eyeglasses or medical exams, as well as a $1,700 baby bassinet or a $300 online parenting workshop.

Those same dollars can’t be used, though, to pay for most baby formulas, toothbrushes — or insurance premiums.

President Donald Trump and some Republicans are pitching...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Advocates hope newly passed bill will inspire more Illinois therapists to take private health insurance

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO — Carey Carlock never imagined she’d have so much trouble finding a therapist for her teenage child.

She was a hospital CEO, on the board of a prominent local mental health organization and well connected. Yet the Oak Park mother couldn’t locate a therapist in her community who took her health insurance.

“I found that to just ...Read more

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Republicans left tribes out of their $50B rural fund. Now it's up to states to share

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration is touting its $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program as the largest-ever U.S. investment in rural health care. But the government made minimal mention of Native American tribes in sparsely populated areas and in need of significant improvements to health care access.

Federally recognized tribes can’t ...Read more

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When holiday leftovers linger, reset your eating habits for a new year

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, Minn.— A new year offers new beginnings and an opportunity to reset your eating habits after the holidays. Andrea Delgado, a Mayo Clinic dietitian, says it's best to eliminate what you don't need, including party food leftovers.

If your refrigerator is holding onto less-than-healthy holiday leftovers into the new year, it is OK to ...Read more

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FDA investigating possible adult deaths from COVID vaccines

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether COVID-19 vaccines caused deaths in adults, as part of a safety review that earlier appeared to just be focused on children.

The investigation, being conducted across different divisions of the FDA, comes at a time when U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. ...Read more

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Senate GOP sets doomed vote to replace health subsidies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans plan to vote this week on a likely futile plan to counter Democrats’ push to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies as health care costs for more than 20 million people are set to spike on Jan. 1.

Neither the Republican legislation announced Tuesday nor Democrats’ proposed three-year extension are expected to ...Read more

Matt Stone/Boston Herald/TNS

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey demands congressional Republicans extend Obamacare tax credits

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey is demanding congressional Republicans vote to extend a set of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to prevent what she calls skyrocketing health care costs across the country, as well as here in Massachusetts.

Healey held a press conference Tuesday at the State House demanding the extension and ...Read more

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Here are the life-and-death stakes of the debate over Affordable Care Act subsidies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The government shutdown may be over, but Congress still hasn’t solved the biggest problem left on its plate: Extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies to avoid a doubling of insurance premiums or replace them with something new altogether. Lawmakers have committed to a vote in December.

While public debate about the issue has centered...Read more

Arielle Zionts/KFF Health News/TNS

While scientists race to study spread of measles in US, Kennedy unravels hard-won gains

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The United States is poised to lose its measles-free status next year. If that happens, the country will enter an era in which outbreaks are common again.

More children would be hospitalized because of this preventable disease. Some would lose their hearing. Some would die. Measles is also expensive. A new study— not yet published in a ...Read more

Maddie McGarvey/KFF Health News/TNS

Bill of the Month: Not serious enough to turn on the siren, toddler's 39-mile ambulance ride still cost over $9,000

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Elisabeth Yoder’s son, Darragh, was 15 months old in August when he developed what at first looked to his parents like hand, foot, and mouth disease. The common viral infection generally clears up in less than a week, but Darragh’s condition worsened over several days. His skin turned bright red. Blisters gave way to skin peeling off his ...Read more

Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee/TNS

With big healthcare premium hikes due Jan. 1, Congress is stuck on how to help

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

About 400,000 Californians could find it difficult to afford health coverage from their Obamacare plans next month as subsidies expire and premiums skyrocket.

And chances are shaky Congress will provide much help before Jan. 1, even as an unpredictable election year looms.

Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session this week and next before ...Read more

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A Pa. woman with Tourette's had to put life on hold -- until deep brain stimulation offered relief

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

At La Belle Bridal Boutique in Beaver, Abigail Bailey is shopping for a Hailey Bieber-inspired corseted lace wedding gown. About a dozen friends and family members have joined her, toasting non-alcoholic champagne in celebration of a day made possible by an experimental brain surgery.

About a year ago, Bailey was so sick from illness and ...Read more