Latest KFF Health News Stories
Researchers Campaign Against Americans’ Sweet Tooth With Public Health Initiative
The Sugar Science webpage spells out dangers from average consumption of sugar, including increased risks of diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.
Seniors’ Obesity-Counseling Benefit Goes Largely Unused
Experts say low reimbursements and restrictions on providers have hampered the Medicare program.
Soda Tax Succeeds In Berkeley, Fizzles In San Francisco
The nation’s first tax on sugary drinks aims to combat obesity and diabetes, with a penny-per-ounce levy.
Soda Makers Battle Proposed Taxes In Berkeley, San Francisco
Voters could impose a penny per ounce tax on sugary drinks in Berkeley and a two-cent per ounce tax in San Francisco. Research shows that when soda prices go up, people drink less.
For Formerly Obese, Stigma Remains Even After Weight Is Lost
People who have lost significant weight are uneasy about how much to reveal in online dating profiles, and research shows they have good reason to be.
Michigan To Reward Medicaid Enrollees Who Take ‘Personal Responsibility’
The state is among the first to use financial incentives to encourage enrollees to boost their health.
Obesity Rate Flat For First Time In Decades, Health Rankings Find
An annual state-by-state survey says the country is making good progress in improving its overall health — including a flat obesity rate and a lower rate of smoking. But individual states, especially in the South, continue to lag. The 2013 edition of “America’s Health Rankings” by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and […]
CDC Study: Schools Are Getting Healthier
Nowadays, the hub for developing healthy habits isn’t just the gym or home. For kids, at least, it’s increasingly their schools, according to a study released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School districts across the country are demonstrating a range of improvements in terms of nutrition, exercise and tobacco policies. For instance, after […]
Obamacare Insurance Won’t Cover Weight-Loss Surgery In Many States
In more than two dozen states, obesity treatments
School Cafeterias Join Fight Against Childhood Obesity
Kathy Del Tonto started cooking school food 30 years ago in the Montrose school district at the foot of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Back then, the cafeteria workers made everything from scratch. “My first kitchen that I managed was a little country school out south of town, and we made our own ketchup and everything,” she […]
Unchecked Rise In Obesity Will Be Costly To States, Report Says
A new report analyzing obesity trends warns that health care costs will increase alongside U.S. waistlines if current rates are left unchecked. It calls for mobilizing public health efforts and expanding funding to help adults and children become leaner. Mississippi, Louisiana and West Virginia have the highest adult obesity rates, but projections of health trends for 2030 […]
Family, Community Ties Key To Fighting Chronic Disease Among Latinos, Officials Say
Mayra Alvarez, one of four daughters, said her mother makes ends meet in California by cleaning houses during the week and caring for an elderly person on weekends. And when it comes to deciding between paying for a preventive screening test for herself or spending the money on her youngest daughter’s education, she said her […]
New Guidelines On Obesity Treatment Herald Changes In Coverage
The recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that people who are obese get “intensive, multicomponent” intervention offers support for consumers, but it is not clear that employers and insurers welcome the change.
Preventive Services Task Force Endorses Obesity Screening, Counseling
All adults should be screened for obesity, and those found to be obese should be offered at least 12 weeks of intensive counseling about lifestyle changes, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in a statement published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The recommendation is likely to accelerate insurance companies’ coverage of weight […]
Doctors And Insurers Are Key To Fighting Obesity
IOM report says physicians need to be more rigorous in dealing with patients’ weight, and insurers should reverse stingy reimbursement policies and help develop evidence-based programs that can help curb the epidemic.
Even Small Reductions In Obesity Would Generate Major Savings, Report Finds
Cut the growth in rates of obesity by just 1 percent a year over the next two decades, and you’ll slice health care costs by $85 billion. Keep obesity rates at their current levels – which is well below a 33 percent increase being projected — and you’ll save nearly $550 billion during the same […]
War On Smoking Offers Some Lessons For Obesity Fight
But the scope of the nation’s weight problem is much more extensive than tobacco ever was and public health campaigns must address issues as complex as food and beverage choices, television viewing, exercise routines and even the design of cities.
Employers Tie Financial Rewards, Penalties To Health Tests, Lifestyle Choices
Whether such programs spur long-term change is unclear, and some fear discrimination against those with chronic conditions.
Will We Get The Biggest Bang From Health Law’s Prevention Grants?
Backers of the health law’s provision of $15 billion for prevention efforts believe it has the potential to improve health and reduce costs. But some question the administration’s decision to sprinkle money for community programs among dozens of groups testing different approaches, rather than channeling it to proven programs. Ken Thorpe, who chairs the Department of Health Policy […]
Experts Divided Over Recommendation To Screen Children For Cholesterol
Doctors say testing may identify some in need of treatment but could also lead to many youngsters being mistakenly labeled as at risk.
