What foods become harder to digest with age?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Massachusetts advocates fear Trump's bill will unravel health safety net in Obamacare's model state
In the state that served as the model for Obamacare, advocates and health care workers fear the Trump administration is trying to dismantle piece-by-piece a popular program that has provided insurance, preventive care and life-saving medication to hundreds of thousands of people. Provisions contained in both the Senate and House versions of the massive tax and spending cuts bill advancing in Congress — a centerpiece of President Donald Trump's agenda — could strip health insurance from up to a quarter of the roughly 400,000 people enrolled in the Massachusetts Health Connector, according to state estimates. The changes would create anew the coverage gaps state leaders were working to close when Massachusetts in 2006 became the first U.S. state to enact a law requiring nearly every resident to have health insurance, state officials say. Beyond the effect on residents' health, losing care could have broader repercussions — both for the program's finances and residents' ability to make a living. 'The idea of needing to unwind that now and pull back on that promise and commitment is really frustrating and heartbreaking and cruel and counterproductive,' said Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of Massachusetts' health insurance marketplace. Trump and Republican supporters in Congress say the changes, which include new documentation requirements and limitations on who can apply for tax credits to help pay for insurance, are necessary to root out what they call fraud, waste and abuse. The Affordable Care Act changes proposed in both versions of the bill, along with massive cuts to Medicaid and other programs, would eliminate roughly $1.1 trillion in health care spending over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In Lawrence, a mill community of around 90,000 people on the Merrimack River, where more than 80% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, Kesia Moreta said she's already seeing people slip out of the state's health care network because of the Trump administration's aggressive effort to crack down on illegal immigration. Moreta, who manages a program created under the ACA that helps people sign up for coverage, said clients have been missing meetings out of fear that being enrolled for health insurance will harm their effort to stay in the U.S. legally. Recently, a father of a U.S.-born teenage son with epilepsy deleted every email related to his health plan and stopped answering calls from the Connector after watching reports about deportations on social media. When his son's medication ran out, Moreta said the father finally reached out, whispering over the phone, 'Is this going to get me deported?' 'That breaks our hearts,' Moreta said. Proposed changes More than 98% of Massachusetts residents have health insurance, the lowest rate of uninsurance in the country, according to the Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey. Vicky Pulos, an attorney for the Mass Law Reform Institute who helps low-income people gain access to health care, said Republicans who tried and failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act during the first Trump administration have decided to take it apart incrementally despite its growing popularity. 'It really seems like this is just a less transparent way of effectively dismantling the accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act in both Medicaid and the marketplace,' Pulos said. The changes, she added, 'will massively drive up the number of uninsured but without openly repealing the ACA.' Another provision included in both the House and Senate bills would require people applying for or renewing coverage to provide more documentation of their income, household size and immigration status to be eligible for premium tax credits when the state marketplace already has that information, which Morse Gasteier said would cause 'friction, red tape and delays.' The Trump administration has said the proposals will 'put a stop' to immigrants 'stealing taxpayer-funded health care benefits meant for American citizens.' No states use federal money to provide health insurance to people who are in the U.S. illegally. Some, like Massachusetts, use state tax dollars to do so to provide basic primary care services for a small population of vulnerable residents, like children. No undocumented immigrants receive insurance through the state marketplace. Of the 400,000 enrolled in the state marketplace, around 60,000 are noncitizens who are in the U.S. legally and would lose access to federal premium tax credits if either chamber's version of the bill becomes law. The number includes domestic violence and human trafficking victims, refugees, people granted asylum or humanitarian parole, temporary protected status and other work-authorized immigrants. Without the credits, premiums will cost upwards of $500 or $600 — an increase many people can't afford, Morse Gasteier said. Around half are green-card holders with an annual income of $15,000 a year or less. The remaining 40,000 people expected to lose coverage are U.S. citizens Morse Gasteier said could be stymied in applying or recertifying coverage by provisions like the increased documentation requirements. Fears of trust l ost Morse Gasteier said Massachusetts' marketplace worked 'tirelessly' to enroll vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations after the state program — formed under the leadership of then-Gov. Mitt Romney and known as 'Romneycare" — was created. She worries that if people hear help is no longer available, 'entire populations will just sort of give up on health insurance.' In addition to affecting residents' health, that could have an economic impact in the state. Immigrants with legal status enrolled in the state marketplace tend to be younger than the rest of the population, Morse Gasteier said. Their presence brings premiums down for others because they tend to be healthier. In Lawrence, advocates who help people obtain insurance coverage though the ACA marketplace say the burden would fall disproportionately on people with chronic health issues like diabetes and chronic heart disease. The Greater Lawrence Community Action Council assists around 10,000 people a year with either signing up for or renewing health insurance. 'If you're not healthy, let me tell you, you can't work. If you can't work, you can't pay your bills. It's just as simple as that,' said GLCAC CEO Vilma Martinez-Dominguez. Moreta said one man who called her from the emergency room recently said he discovered his health insurance had lapsed. Moreta said she could help him renew it, and urged him to wait at the hospital. He told her not to do anything. He was leaving the hospital. She has no idea what became of him.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Australian man dies after catching a horrific virus spread by bats: NSW Health issues urgent warning
A man who contracted a rare virus after he was bitten by a bat has died. The man aged in his 50s, from northern NSW was rushed to hospital in a critical condition with bat lyssavirus. It was the first confirmed case of the virus in NSW, and the fourth case in Australia, according to authorities. He has since died in hospital, NSW Health confirmed on Thursday. 'While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it,' 'NSW Health reminds the community to avoid touching or handling bats, as any bat in Australia could carry lyssavirus. Infected bats can transmit the virus to humans when its saliva enters the body via a bat bite or scratch. 'It is crucial that anyone bitten or scratched by a bat seek urgent medical assessment.'
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pharmacists may be handed power to prescribe weight loss jabs on NHS
Pharmacists could be given powers to prescribe weight loss drugs on the NHS under new plans to tackle Britain's obesity crisis. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, is looking at expanding the list of medics who are able to hand out the jab beyond GPs. The proposals will form part of a 10-year plan to boost the nation's health, which will be unveiled by Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday. Under the plans, the role of pharmacies in treating more minor conditions will be ramped up to make them a 'major player on NHS front line'. They will be given extra powers to help more patients who are suffering from issues like obesity, asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes. Mr Streeting said: 'I'm determined to get the care you need as close as possible to your home and, as pillars of our communities, pharmacies will play a vital role. 'The nation's high streets will join the front line of NHS care, as pharmacists get far more power to prescribe and manage a range of health conditions. Our Plan for Change will give patients greater choice and access to the right care, so your healthcare fits around your life – not the other way round.' Officials confirmed that, as part of the plans, they are exploring giving high street pharmacists the power to prescribe Wegovy and Mounjaro over the counter. Currently these drugs can only be given out on the NHS by a GP or a hospital clinician. This month, the health service announced that it would start prescribing Mounjaro, a weight-loss drug, for free to severe obesity sufferers. Around 250,000 people with a BMI of 40 or over and at least four conditions relating to obesity, including high blood pressure or heart disease, will benefit. Britons can also buy Mounjaro and Wegovy from licensed online pharmacies, which have prescribing powers, but it typically costs around £200 a month. Weight loss drugs designed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, has exploded in popularity recently after being adopted by celebrities and politicians. However, some former users have warned people against taking the jabs because of the side-effects, which can include nausea and vomiting. Under the new plans, pharmacists will also be encouraged to help obesity sufferers by offering them dietary counselling and lifestyle advice. Treating obesity costs the NHS around £11 billion a year and rising, which Mr Streeting has warned risks making the health service 'unsustainable'. Rates have doubled since the 1990s, including amongst the young, with more than one in five children now obese by the time they leave primary school. £215 million is wasted every year The Health Secretary is leading a push to divert patients with less serious conditions away from GP surgeries and hospitals to alleviate pressure on the NHS. High street pharmacies will have their role in delivering vaccination programmes and screening for risk of cardiovascular disease expanded. National Pharmacy Association research, released on Sunday, found that six million hours of A&E time could be saved every year by redirecting people. It said 325,000 people attended a hospital in 2023-24 with a sore throat or cold, 18,000 with insect bites and 196,000 with urinary tract infections. The NPA has estimated that £215 million is wasted every year treating patients in A&E when they could have attended a pharmacy instead. Ministers also plan to roll out the introduction of medicine-dispensing robots in high streets to free up pharmacists to spend more time with patients. Such robots are used in Singapore, which Mr Streeting visited last year on a fact-finding mission about the use of technology in health services.
