Staying up-to-date on the latest health news and headlines is a great way to ensure your own health, and that of your family. As a continuing feature of our work here at the blog, we hope to be able to offer further glimpses into what is going on in the world of health and wellness in succeeding months, as well.
Is living in your state killing you? A recent headline in the news caught the eye of many, as a study was released that showed a statistical analysis that indicates where you live may be linked to how long you live. “Dr. Christopher Murray and colleagues at the University of Washington looked at life expectancy and risk of death for each county across the U.S. from 1980 to 2014. The longest life expectancy — up to 87 years — was in central Colorado’s ski country. The lowest — 66 years — was found in southwest South Dakota, with other parts of the Dakotas, Appalachia and the Mississippi river basin close behind.”
Where You Live Determines What Kills You. in a related article, not only does location have an affect how long you may live, where you live can also play a role in how you will die – and often prematurely. The recent study found: “Residents of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi are most likely to succumb to diabetes, while people in the Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado have lower rates of both cancer and heart disease. Yet, death rates from drug overdoses shot up by 1,000 percent in clusters of counties in six states: Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and east-central Missouri.”
Medical Mistakes the 3rd Leading Cause of Death in US
Doctors and Hospitals May Be Killing You. Medical mistakes — from surgical disasters to accidental drug overdoses — are the No. 3 cause of death in the U.S., behind cancer and heart disease, two experts argued Wednesday. Trailing only heart disease and cancer, medical errors (and hospital infections) appear to be the third leading cause of death in the US.
Does the New Health Care Plan Fix Obamacare? While health insurance premiums and co-pays rose dramatically under Obamacare, pricing many Americans out of the market, questions remain about the latest “fix” put in place by congress. According to a report by NBC News, there are five areas that remain problematic in the plan, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA): no fix to rising drug prices, no assurance on quality of health care, inconsistent pricing of procedures across markets, no way to reduce medical errors (see above), ongoing questions about how many people will be able to afford coverage.
Stay tuned for more important snapshots of such timely information and health headlines in future posts, when it’s available and has value to our readers.
