LOS ANGELES — Two people in Los Angeles County are sick with a rare parasitic infection known as "raccoon roundworm," according to officials.

The parasite, called Baylisascaris procyonis, was found in the South Bay area of L.A., according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health news release. The parasite can infect the brain, ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Corrections has sued its former health care services provider, arguing the company breached its contract with the state when it failed to pay subcontractors for roughly $35 million in medical services provided to prisoners.

The lawsuit filed Friday in Ingham County Circuit Court against Grand ...Read more

Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other at-risk patient groups.

The Affordable Care Act exempted preventive services from patient cost-sharing for large ...Read more

WASHINGTON — House and Senate Democrats are pushing leadership to quickly pass legislation to permanently expand subsidies on the health care exchanges — ideally by the end of the year.

Forty-one Senate Democrats, led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and 154 House Democrats, led by Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are sending a letter to ...Read more

Medicare Advantage plans have been successful in enrolling Medicare beneficiaries and delivering to those clients. Despite this, some insurers are downsizing their share of the market and hospitals are canceling or not renewing their contracts to serve plan members – leaving enrollees in the lurch.

In recent months, Humana, CVS and some ...Read more

Your body needs protein — that’s a fact. “Protein does a lot of great things for us. It helps build and repair muscle and other tissues, moves oxygen and nutrients around our bodies, and is involved in many important bodily functions, including digestion,” says registered dietitian Caroline Susie, a spokesperson for the Academy of ...Read more

No matter what your fitness or wellness goals are, eating the right foods to maximize nutrition can help get you there. One way to do this is to work with a RD or registered dietitian. But what exactly does a registered dietitian do? “We work in a variety of spaces and capacities to help people live healthier lives through nutrition,” says ...Read more

Trees enhance life in a multitude of ways. They combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They muffle sound pollution and reduce air pollution, drawing in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. When rain pours from the skies, trees decrease stormwater runoff, preventing flooding and soil erosion. They also provide ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I spent many a summer at the beach growing up. My mother always slathered me with sunscreen. Now, as a 30-year-old woman, sunscreen remains a part of my routine, regardless of the weather. Recently, I was surprised to learn that one of my friends — a young Black woman — never wears sunscreen. She said her darker complexion ...Read more

The Food and Drug Administration issued a rule in March of 2023 that requires health care professionals to notify people if they have dense breasts. Studies have shown that dense breast tissue can make it more difficult to detect breast cancer early.

Dr. Kristin Robinson, a Mayo Clinic breast radiologist, says women with dense breast tissue are...Read more

DENVER — Each day a child breathes wildfire smoke thick with ash and fine soot that child’s likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression and other mental health problems increases, according to new scientific research on air pollution and childhood development.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Eight years after an independent state watchdog agency harshly criticized the state for failing to provide dental care to low-income children, California has failed to remedy the problem or fully implement the commission's recommendations, according to a follow-up review published last week.

The Little Hoover Commission found ...Read more

Last week, President Joe Biden and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury issued new rules meant to ensure that insurance coverage for mental health conditions and substance abuse disorder has parity with the level of services available for physical health.

The provisions will be phased in between now and 2026, ...Read more

Health care is a defining issue in the 2024 election – Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump have starkly different records on the issue. Rather than focusing on what they promise to do, let’s examine what their past actions reveal about their approaches to Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, ...Read more

DENVER — A new study involving Colorado researchers found that sleep problems among preteens increase their risk of suicidal thoughts two years later, though the researchers urged parents not to panic.

Suicide rates among children between 8 and 12 increased roughly 8% each year from 2008 to 2022, according to the National Institutes of Health...Read more

ATLANTA — Its name might sound funny, but its long-term effects are no laughing matter. “Dead butt syndrome,” an affliction that once targeted athletes, is now a major cause of pain and discomfort among people who sit at a desk for hours a day.

The name refers to a serious weakening in one of the gluteal muscles, and while the early ...Read more

Chappell Roan has gone public about her battles with bipolar II disorder. From an exhausting bout of hypomania to a planned suicide, the TikTok influencer turned pop star told Rolling Stone all about the struggles she’s faced. During her rise to fame, she had to rise above.

The Missouri native, 26, was diagnosed four years ago. In 2020, her ...Read more

DENVER — A new study involving Colorado researchers found that sleep problems among preteens increase their risk of suicidal thoughts two years later, though the researchers urged parents not to panic.

Suicide prevention resources

Colorado Crisis Line: 1-844-493-8255, coloradocrisisservices.org. Chat online or text TALK to 38255.

988 ...Read more

SEATTLE — In the race for Washington attorney general, the two candidates can agree on at least one thing: Health care is getting too expensive for Washingtonians — and the next attorney general needs to be able to wield consumer protection laws to preserve access to affordable medicine and services.

Nick Brown and Pete Serrano generally ...Read more