Poverty News and Research

RSS

Health care battle on hill has veterans defending Obamacare benefits

Air Force veteran Billy Ramos, from Simi Valley, Calif., is 53 and gets health insurance for himself and for his family from Medicaid — the government insurance program for low-income people.

30 Jun 2017

Premature infants have greater risk of SIDS than full-term babies

Premature infants still have a greater risk compared to full-term babies of dying of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that hospital NICU's provide more safe infant sleep education to parents before they go home.

27 Jun 2017

Study underscores need to improve handwashing behavior with soap in many impoverished countries

Washing with soap and water is second nature for many. But in many other places around the world, handwashing with soap is rare.

27 Jun 2017

‘Coverage gap’ for poor may end, but many will still have trouble affording plans

Having long decried the failings of the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republicans are purporting to fix one of its loopholes with their newly unveiled health plan.

23 Jun 2017

Study explores secondhand smoke exposure rates among nonsmoking adult cancer survivors

From 1999/2000 to 2011/2012, exposure to secondhand smoke among nonsmoking adult cancer survivors declined from 39.6 percent to 15.7 percent, but rates of exposure were higher among those with a history of a smoking-related cancer and those living below the federal poverty level compared with those with other types of cancer and those with the highest incomes, respectively.

22 Jun 2017

Study undercuts common assumption that immigrant crop workers use SNAP

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- formerly known as "food stamps" -- that helps low-income individuals and families purchase food is less likely to be used by farmworkers eligible for the benefit who are immigrants, Hispanic, male, childless or residing in California, new research from UC Davis health economists shows.

19 Jun 2017

Study reveals impact of Medicaid expansion on emergency department visits

States that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (the ACA) saw 2.5 emergency department visits more per 1,000 people after 2014, while the share of emergency department visits by the uninsured decreased by 5.3 percent.

19 Jun 2017

Study finds factors linked to hospital discharge against medical advice

A new study has found that certain factors are linked with a person's decision to leave the hospital against the advice of his or her care provider.

19 Jun 2017

Seesawing family income threatens kids’ Medicaid coverage in Texas

Dawn Poole often worries about whether her children qualify for Medicaid and have access to the care they need.

16 Jun 2017

Researchers find higher rates of alcohol misuse among women in rural Appalachian Ohio

Appalachia -- stretching from the southern tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia -- has long experienced deep economic distress and deprivation, and the gamut of accompanying social problems.

14 Jun 2017

Out of work and looking for insurance: COBRA may be the best bet for now

This week, I answered questions from three readers who are anxious about what the House-passed health reform bill might mean for them.

13 Jun 2017

In Texas, abstinence-only programs may contribute to teen pregnancies

To understand why teen pregnancy rates are so high in Texas, meet Jessica Chester. When Chester was in high school in Garland, Texas, she decided to attend the University of Texas-Dallas. She wanted to become a doctor.

12 Jun 2017

IUPUI researchers find differing risks for binge drinking based on race, income and age

A new study led by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis assistant professor of psychology Tamika Zapolski has found differing risks for binge drinking based on race, income and age.

9 Jun 2017

If insurance market crashes, can lawmakers put the pieces back together?

In his high-stakes strategy to overhaul the federal health law, President Donald Trump is threatening to upend the individual health insurance market with several key policies. But if the market actually breaks, could anyone put it back together again?

8 Jun 2017

Cuts in federal housing help would hurt people’s health, research suggests

Does investing in public housing keep people healthier? New research explores this question, which appears timely, especially as the Trump administration proposes to cut $7.4 billion — about 15 percent — from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's budget, and HUD Secretary Ben Carson argues that too much government assistance fosters dependency and perpetuates cycles of poverty.

5 Jun 2017

WHO calls for action to stamp out tobacco use

According to a first-ever WHO report on tobacco, stamping out its use could save millions of people’s lives, reduce levels of poverty and decrease damage to the environment.

31 May 2017

Study finds ER price gouging to be worst for minorities and uninsured patients

An analysis of billing records for more than 12,000 emergency medicine doctors across the United States shows that charges varied widely, but that on average, adult patients are charged 340 percent more than what Medicare pays for services ranging from suturing a wound to interpreting a head CT scan.

30 May 2017

Health care law would increase hunger and poverty among millions in the U.S.

Bread for the World is alarmed that 23 million people, including 14 million on Medicaid, would lose health insurance coverage under the American Health Care Act passed by the House of Representatives on May 4.

25 May 2017

Children surviving chronic health conditions may suffer from brain function issues

Survival rates continue to rise for children living with once-fatal chronic pediatric health conditions. But their survival comes at a cost: many experience long-term neurocognitive deficits.

17 May 2017

Mass transit systems may improve public health by reducing obesity

Healthy mass transit systems could contribute to healthier communities, according to a new study by University of Illinois researchers that determined higher mass transit use was correlated with lower obesity rates in counties across the United States.

16 May 2017