Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

How money, mail and power affect our health

News Feed
Saturday, July 27, 2024

Marty Makary’s July 12 op-ed, “For a wasteful Medicare rule, location is everything,” made a clear case: Too many Americans have been blindly led into a health-care affordability crisis. Even if they never set foot in a hospital, patients receiving care from hospital-affiliated providers face higher prices caused by so-called site-of-service payment differentials. As a community oncologist, it angers me to see these disparities sometimes triple costs for services such as chemotherapy.These payment differentials incentivize hospitals to acquire independent practices to boost their revenue. The differentials also drive health systems to further expand their market share through anti-competitive tactics. After my practice refused an acquisition attempt from a large health system, my oncology privileges were revoked — leaving me unable to provide care to my own cancer patients when they were admitted to the hospital. Restricting trusted care teams leaves patients confused, frustrated and in the dark.This trend is bad news for everyone — except hospitals. To prevent such practices from becoming widespread, Congress must pass the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act without delay.Moshe Chasky, Bensalem, Pa.So-called site-neutral policies fail to recognize that not all care sites are created equal. Current payment rates appropriately take into account that hospitals treat sicker, lower-income and more complex patients compared with other sites. Hospitals are also held to higher regulatory and safety standards, and they provide benefits such as 24/7 capacity for emergencies. The argument also disregards the fact that the lower rate paid to physicians is completely inadequate, as we hear from them all the time.Medicare already reimburses hospitals just 82 cents for every dollar spent caring for patients. Additional site-neutral cuts, like those supported by the writer, would exacerbate these shortfalls. Medicare also fails to cover the full costs of resident salaries for teaching hospitals, which is a far cry from the “big bonuses” the author alleged Medicare’s graduate medical education program gives to hospitals.Physician polling data has shown that the burden from corporate insurers is driving physicians away from independent practices. Physicians are also seeking to become integrated with hospitals because of the costs associated with technologies such as electronic health records. And it is corporate health insurers that have been driving independent practice acquisitions for the past five years, not hospitals.Instead of advocating flawed policy proposals, let’s focus on ways we can support hospitals and health systems and ensure they can be there for their communities.The writer is president and chief executive of the American Hospital Association.The mail isn’t just mailRegarding Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s July 8 online op-ed, “We’re fixing the Postal Service. We can’t stop now.”:Within the past three years, many of Mr. DeJoy’s proposed “cost-saving measures” include closing some processing centers and trucking mail to other consolidation centers. This might sound good at first glance, but it fails in reality.The Upper Peninsula Processing Facility in Kingsford, Mich., processes mail for the entire Upper Peninsula, which it has done faithfully for years. Now, there is talk of closing it. Mail from the region would be shipped to Green Bay, Wis., a four-hour round-trip drive in good weather. If the processing center closes, jobs will be lost and the fragile mail-delivery system will be further threatened.Before there was any talk of closure, the Postal Service changed its trucking schedule and stopped offering overnight shipping, which endangered the health of every man, woman and child who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. How so? Two words: water samples. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that drinking water in the United States be tested for bacterial infection. Such testing is critical to fighting waterborne illnesses such as dysentery and typhoid fever.For water testing to be accurate, it must be completed within a short time frame. There is only one lab in the Upper Peninsula, White Water Associates, that tests all of the water samples from the region. Until Jan. 8, it had been possible for water samples sent anywhere in the Upper Peninsula to reach White Water Associates in time for testing. That is no longer possible, which is resulting in expired samples. Without valid water testing, the chances of outbreaks of waterborne illnesses greatly increase. The shipping changes have made it next to impossible for water to be tested within the required time frame.The Postal Service is vital for Americans. It doesn’t just deliver letters and packages; it also delivers medicine, water testing kits and, yes, absentee ballots. Postal workers are doing their best to deliver our nations’ mail, and they deserve to work under a postmaster general who understands the effects of his policies. The postmaster general should not care only about swift delivery of packages. He or she should also understand that, for many people who live in rural America, mail is a lifeline to the rest of the world.Mr. DeJoy’s actions have endangered that lifeline, and for that, he should be replaced. To ensure the health of our nation’s water supply, Postal Service trucking schedules must return to how they were before Jan. 8. To refuse to do so is to raise the question: Is the Postal Service attempting to save money at the expense of Americans’ lives?Tracy Asanuma, Iron Mountain, Mich.In a stunning display of denial, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s recent op-ed attempts to sugarcoat the disastrous effects of his leadership.Mr. DeJoy suggests the Postal Service was a sinking ship upon his arrival, but his “Delivering for America” plan — which raised prices, slashed services and shuttered post offices nationwide — has only made a precarious situation worse. His publicly proclaimed goal to hike prices to “uncomfortable” rates shows a shocking disregard for the needs of everyday Americans, including seniors, rural residents and small-business owners. His plan to close and consolidate up to 10,000 offices, stations, branches and annexes betrays the Postal Service’s mission to serve every community. Just look at Georgia, where the plan’s initial stages have thrown mail delivery into chaos.But don’t just take it from us. After congressional leaders urged the Postal Regulatory Commission to reject the latest price increases, the commission itself expressed concern that the plan “does not reflect reasoned consideration of the potential widespread effects,” is imprudent and is not in the best interests of stakeholders. This stinging critique underscores the urgent need for a change in leadership. Mr. DeJoy has attempted to run the Postal Service like a hedge fund manager intent on gutting an enterprise to show short-term revenue improvements. But America needs the Postal Service for the long term; it is an institution that binds the country together, providing critical deliveries on items like Social Security checks, medications and mail-in ballots. We need investments and innovation, not service cuts.The future of the Postal Service depends on bold leadership and an unwavering commitment to its public service mission. Time and time again, Mr. DeJoy has shown he is simply not up to the task.Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robert Weissman, WashingtonRaja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, represents Illinois’s 8th Congressional District in the House. Robert Weissman is co-president of public interest at Public Citizen.Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s op-ed failed to mention the relentless price hikes under a well-intended but struggling strategic plan. July 14 marked the fifth increase in three years, covering mail, newspapers, magazines, catalogues and more. Package prices have also been raised significantly, and the price of the first-class “forever” stamp is now 73 cents.These recent price increases total more than 184 percent of inflation. Businesses and customers are stressed trying to keep up, not only on price but also as service has declined.America needs a reliable, affordable postal system for everyone. We urge Congress to better invest Postal Service funds and strengthen regulatory oversight to preserve the Postal Service’s viability and sustainability.The writer is executive director of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service.Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s op-ed was outrageous. Mail delivery is worse than ever in Houston, and it interferes with doing business. And the danger for mail-in ballots with a reduced Postal Service is alarming. The blame is squarely on the postmaster general, not the local postmasters or carriers who cannot believe what is happening.Fredericka Hunter, HoustonPower in TexasMore than 1 million of us in Houston had no power for days after Hurricane Beryl. I was one of them.This isn’t the first time this has happened. It happened in 2021, when more than 200 Texans died because of power outages from extreme cold. Massive outages also happened with Hurricanes Harvey and Ike. More than 15 years after Ike, there is still no “Ike Dike.”The Texas GOP can’t keep the lights on while it wastes billions of dollars on a wall on the southern U.S. border. During Hurricane Beryl, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) was off in Asia. The chief executive of CenterPoint Energy makes more than $1 million as a base salary, not to mention other bonuses. Meanwhile, we regular people sit in the dark and sweat.Michael Fjetland, Houston

Read more

Marty Makary’s July 12 op-ed, “For a wasteful Medicare rule, location is everything,” made a clear case: Too many Americans have been blindly led into a health-care affordability crisis. Even if they never set foot in a hospital, patients receiving care from hospital-affiliated providers face higher prices caused by so-called site-of-service payment differentials. As a community oncologist, it angers me to see these disparities sometimes triple costs for services such as chemotherapy.

These payment differentials incentivize hospitals to acquire independent practices to boost their revenue. The differentials also drive health systems to further expand their market share through anti-competitive tactics. After my practice refused an acquisition attempt from a large health system, my oncology privileges were revoked — leaving me unable to provide care to my own cancer patients when they were admitted to the hospital. Restricting trusted care teams leaves patients confused, frustrated and in the dark.

This trend is bad news for everyone — except hospitals. To prevent such practices from becoming widespread, Congress must pass the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act without delay.

Moshe Chasky, Bensalem, Pa.

So-called site-neutral policies fail to recognize that not all care sites are created equal. Current payment rates appropriately take into account that hospitals treat sicker, lower-income and more complex patients compared with other sites. Hospitals are also held to higher regulatory and safety standards, and they provide benefits such as 24/7 capacity for emergencies. The argument also disregards the fact that the lower rate paid to physicians is completely inadequate, as we hear from them all the time.

Medicare already reimburses hospitals just 82 cents for every dollar spent caring for patients. Additional site-neutral cuts, like those supported by the writer, would exacerbate these shortfalls. Medicare also fails to cover the full costs of resident salaries for teaching hospitals, which is a far cry from the “big bonuses” the author alleged Medicare’s graduate medical education program gives to hospitals.

Physician polling data has shown that the burden from corporate insurers is driving physicians away from independent practices. Physicians are also seeking to become integrated with hospitals because of the costs associated with technologies such as electronic health records. And it is corporate health insurers that have been driving independent practice acquisitions for the past five years, not hospitals.

Instead of advocating flawed policy proposals, let’s focus on ways we can support hospitals and health systems and ensure they can be there for their communities.

The writer is president and chief executive of the American Hospital Association.

The mail isn’t just mail

Regarding Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s July 8 online op-ed, “We’re fixing the Postal Service. We can’t stop now.”:

Within the past three years, many of Mr. DeJoy’s proposed “cost-saving measures” include closing some processing centers and trucking mail to other consolidation centers. This might sound good at first glance, but it fails in reality.

The Upper Peninsula Processing Facility in Kingsford, Mich., processes mail for the entire Upper Peninsula, which it has done faithfully for years. Now, there is talk of closing it. Mail from the region would be shipped to Green Bay, Wis., a four-hour round-trip drive in good weather. If the processing center closes, jobs will be lost and the fragile mail-delivery system will be further threatened.

Before there was any talk of closure, the Postal Service changed its trucking schedule and stopped offering overnight shipping, which endangered the health of every man, woman and child who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. How so? Two words: water samples. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that drinking water in the United States be tested for bacterial infection. Such testing is critical to fighting waterborne illnesses such as dysentery and typhoid fever.

For water testing to be accurate, it must be completed within a short time frame. There is only one lab in the Upper Peninsula, White Water Associates, that tests all of the water samples from the region. Until Jan. 8, it had been possible for water samples sent anywhere in the Upper Peninsula to reach White Water Associates in time for testing. That is no longer possible, which is resulting in expired samples. Without valid water testing, the chances of outbreaks of waterborne illnesses greatly increase. The shipping changes have made it next to impossible for water to be tested within the required time frame.

The Postal Service is vital for Americans. It doesn’t just deliver letters and packages; it also delivers medicine, water testing kits and, yes, absentee ballots. Postal workers are doing their best to deliver our nations’ mail, and they deserve to work under a postmaster general who understands the effects of his policies. The postmaster general should not care only about swift delivery of packages. He or she should also understand that, for many people who live in rural America, mail is a lifeline to the rest of the world.

Mr. DeJoy’s actions have endangered that lifeline, and for that, he should be replaced. To ensure the health of our nation’s water supply, Postal Service trucking schedules must return to how they were before Jan. 8. To refuse to do so is to raise the question: Is the Postal Service attempting to save money at the expense of Americans’ lives?

Tracy Asanuma, Iron Mountain, Mich.

In a stunning display of denial, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s recent op-ed attempts to sugarcoat the disastrous effects of his leadership.

Mr. DeJoy suggests the Postal Service was a sinking ship upon his arrival, but his “Delivering for America” plan — which raised prices, slashed services and shuttered post offices nationwide — has only made a precarious situation worse. His publicly proclaimed goal to hike prices to “uncomfortable” rates shows a shocking disregard for the needs of everyday Americans, including seniors, rural residents and small-business owners. His plan to close and consolidate up to 10,000 offices, stations, branches and annexes betrays the Postal Service’s mission to serve every community. Just look at Georgia, where the plan’s initial stages have thrown mail delivery into chaos.

But don’t just take it from us. After congressional leaders urged the Postal Regulatory Commission to reject the latest price increases, the commission itself expressed concern that the plan “does not reflect reasoned consideration of the potential widespread effects,” is imprudent and is not in the best interests of stakeholders. This stinging critique underscores the urgent need for a change in leadership. Mr. DeJoy has attempted to run the Postal Service like a hedge fund manager intent on gutting an enterprise to show short-term revenue improvements. But America needs the Postal Service for the long term; it is an institution that binds the country together, providing critical deliveries on items like Social Security checks, medications and mail-in ballots. We need investments and innovation, not service cuts.

The future of the Postal Service depends on bold leadership and an unwavering commitment to its public service mission. Time and time again, Mr. DeJoy has shown he is simply not up to the task.

Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robert Weissman, Washington

Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, represents Illinois’s 8th Congressional District in the House. Robert Weissman is co-president of public interest at Public Citizen.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s op-ed failed to mention the relentless price hikes under a well-intended but struggling strategic plan. July 14 marked the fifth increase in three years, covering mail, newspapers, magazines, catalogues and more. Package prices have also been raised significantly, and the price of the first-class “forever” stamp is now 73 cents.

These recent price increases total more than 184 percent of inflation. Businesses and customers are stressed trying to keep up, not only on price but also as service has declined.

America needs a reliable, affordable postal system for everyone. We urge Congress to better invest Postal Service funds and strengthen regulatory oversight to preserve the Postal Service’s viability and sustainability.

The writer is executive director of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s op-ed was outrageous. Mail delivery is worse than ever in Houston, and it interferes with doing business. And the danger for mail-in ballots with a reduced Postal Service is alarming. The blame is squarely on the postmaster general, not the local postmasters or carriers who cannot believe what is happening.

Fredericka Hunter, Houston

Power in Texas

More than 1 million of us in Houston had no power for days after Hurricane Beryl. I was one of them.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. It happened in 2021, when more than 200 Texans died because of power outages from extreme cold. Massive outages also happened with Hurricanes Harvey and Ike. More than 15 years after Ike, there is still no “Ike Dike.”

The Texas GOP can’t keep the lights on while it wastes billions of dollars on a wall on the southern U.S. border. During Hurricane Beryl, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) was off in Asia. The chief executive of CenterPoint Energy makes more than $1 million as a base salary, not to mention other bonuses. Meanwhile, we regular people sit in the dark and sweat.

Michael Fjetland, Houston

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

Nearly Half of Americans Still Live With High Levels of Air Pollution, Posing Serious Health Risks, Report Finds

The most recent State of the Air report by the American Lung Association found that more than 150 million Americans breathe air with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution

Nearly Half of Americans Still Live With High Levels of Air Pollution, Posing Serious Health Risks, Report Finds The most recent State of the Air report by the American Lung Association found that more than 150 million Americans breathe air with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution Lillian Ali - Staff Contributor April 25, 2025 12:50 p.m. For 25 of the 26 years the American Lung Association has reported State of the Air, Los Angeles—pictured here in smog—has been declared the city with the worst ozone pollution in the United States. David Iliff via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0 Since 2000, the American Lung Association has released an annual State of the Air report analyzing air quality data across the United States. This year’s report, released on Wednesday, found the highest number of people exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution in a decade. According to the findings, 156 million Americans—or 46 percent of the U.S. population—live with levels of particle or ozone pollution that received a failing grade. “Both these types of pollution cause people to die,” Mary Rice, a pulmonologist at Harvard University, tells NPR’s Alejandra Borunda. “They shorten life expectancy and drive increases in asthma rates.” Particle pollution, also called soot pollution, is made up of minuscule solid and liquid particles that hang in the air. They’re often emitted by fuel combustion, like diesel- and gasoline-powered cars or the burning of wood. Ozone pollution occurs when polluting gases are hit by sunlight, leading to a reaction that forms ozone smog. Breathing in ozone can irritate your lungs, causing shortness of breath, coughing or asthma attacks. The 2025 State of the Air report, which analyzed air quality data from 2021 to 2023, found 25 million more people breathing polluted air compared to the 2024 report. The authors link this rise to climate change. “There’s definitely a worsening trend that’s driven largely by climate change,” Katherine Pruitt, the lead author of the report and national senior director for policy at the American Lung Association, tells USA Today’s Ignacio Calderon. “Every year seems to be a bit hotter globally, resulting in more extreme weather events, more droughts, more extreme heat and more wildfires.” Those wildfires produce the sooty particles that contribute to particulate pollution, while extreme heat creates more favorable conditions for ozone formation, producing smog. While climate change is contributing to heavy air pollution, it used to be much worse. Smog has covered cities like Los Angeles since the early 20th century. At one point, these “hellish clouds” of smog were so thick that, in the middle of World War II, residents thought the city was under attack. The Optimist Club of Highland Park, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angleles, wore gas masks at a 1954 banquet to highlight air pollution in the city. Los Angeles Daily News via Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY 4.0 The passage of the Clean Air Act and the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 marked a turning point in air quality, empowering the government to regulate pollution and promote public health. Now, six key air pollutants have dropped by about 80 percent since the law’s passage, according to this year’s report. But some researchers see climate change as halting—or even reversing—this improvement. “Since the act passed, the air pollution has gone down overall,” Laura Kate Bender, an assistant vice president at the American Lung Association, tells CBS News’ Kiki Intarasuwan. “The challenge is that over the last few years, we’re starting to see it tick back up again, and that’s because of climate change, in part.” At the same time, federal action against climate change appears to be slowing. On March 12, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced significant rollbacks and re-evaluations, declaring it “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.” Zeldin argued that his deregulation will drive “a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.” Included in Zeldin’s push for deregulation is a re-evaluation of Biden-era air quality standards, including those for particulate pollution and greenhouse gases. The EPA provided a list of 31 regulations it plans to scale back or eliminate, including limits on air pollution, mercury emissions and vehicles. This week, the EPA sent termination notices to nearly 200 employees at the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “Unfortunately, we see that everything that makes our air quality better is at risk,” Kate Bender tells CBS News, citing the regulation rollbacks and cuts to staff and funding at the EPA. “If we see all those cuts become reality, it’s gonna have a real impact on people’s health by making the air they breathe dirtier.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Health
Pollution
Government

Nearly Half of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air, New Report Finds

By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) —Breathing the air in nearly half of the United States could be putting...

FRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) —Breathing the air in nearly half of the United States could be putting your health at risk.A new American Lung Association report shows that 156 million people live in areas with unhealthy air.The group’s annual "State of the Air" report found that smog and soot pollution are getting worse, not better. The report looked at air quality data from 2021 to 2023. It found that 25 million more people than in the group's last report were breathing "unhealthy levels of air pollution." That's more than in any other "State of the Air" report in the last decade, the association said.Since the Clean Air Act became law in 1970, air pollution has gone down overall, said Laura Kate Bender, an assistant vice president at the lung association, told CBS News."The challenge is that over the last few years, we're starting to see it tick back up again and that's because of climate change, in part," she said. "Climate change is making some of those conditions for wildfires and extreme heat that drive ozone pollution worse for a lot of the country."The city with the worst year-round and short-term particle pollution? Bakersfield, California, for the sixth year in a row.What's more, it was ranked third worst for high ozone days. In contrast, Casper, Wyoming, was listed as the cleanest city for year-round particle pollution, CBS News said.Here are the top 10 cities with the worst year-round particle pollution, according to the association:Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. Visalia, Calif. Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Eugene-Springfield, Ore. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, Mich. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. Houston-Pasadena, Texas Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio Fairbanks-College, Ark. The report warned that pollution isn't just an issue in the west. Extreme heat and wildfires are spreading pollution across the country.In fact, smoke from Canada's wildfires in 2023 caused unhealthy air quality even in the eastern parts of the U.S., the report pointed out.Some of the findings came as a surprise, according to Kevin Stewart, the association’s environmental health director."I think we knew that the wildfire smoke would have an impact on air quality in the United States," he told CBS News. "I think we were surprised at the Lung Association by how strong the effect was, especially in the northeastern quadrant of the continental United States." Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will roll back 31 environmental rules, including ones pertaining to vehicle emissions, CBS News reported.Bender said that puts decades of progress at risk."Unfortunately, we see that everything that makes our air quality better is at risk," she said. "The EPA is at risk — the agency that is protecting our health — through staff cuts, funding cuts. The regulations that have cleaned up our air over time are at risk of being cut. If we see all those cuts become reality, it's gonna have a real impact on people's health by making the air they breathe dirtier."Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, argued that, instead, the deregulation will drive "a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more," according to CBS News."This air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick and unable to work, and leading to low birth weight in babies," Kezia Ofosu Atta, the Lung Association’s advocacy director, told CBS News.The report also found that Black Americans are more likely to suffer serious health problems from air pollution.SOURCE: CBS News, April 23, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Health
Climate
Pollution

Umbilical Cord Could Contain Clues For Child's Future Health

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors might be able to predict a newborn's long-term health...

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, April 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors might be able to predict a newborn's long-term health outlook, by analyzing their umbilical cord blood, a new study says.Genetic clues found in cord blood can offer early insight into which infants are at higher risk for health problems like diabetes, stroke and liver disease later in life, researchers will report at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego.“We’re seeing kids develop metabolic problems earlier and earlier, which puts them at higher risk for serious complications as adults,” lead researcher Dr. Ashley Jowell, a resident physician in internal medicine at Duke University Health System in Durham, N.C., said in a news release. “If we can identify that risk at birth, we may be able to prevent it.”For the study, researchers performed genetic analysis on the umbilical cord blood of 38 children enrolled in a long-term study based in North Carolina.The analysis looked for chemical patterns in infants’ DNA that switch genes on or off. When these switches occur in critical parts of DNA, their health effects can persist through fetal development and into later life.The research team compared these DNA changes to the kids’ health at ages 7 to 12, and identified multiple areas where genes in cord blood predicted health problems in childhood.For example, changes in a gene called TNS3 were linked to fatty liver, liver inflammation or damage, and excess belly fat as measured by waist-to-hip ratio, results show.Changes in other genes were connected to blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and liver inflammation or damage, researchers said.“These epigenetic signals are laid down during embryonic development, potentially influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition or maternal health during pregnancy,” co-researcher Dr. Cynthia Moylan, an associate professor in the division of gastroenterology at Duke University Health System, said in a news release.Researchers noted that the sample size was small, but the links so powerful that these findings warrant further investigation. A larger follow-up study funded by the National Institutes of Health is underway.“If validated in larger studies, this could open the door to new screening tools and early interventions for at-risk children,” Moylan added.Jowell said disease may be preventable even with these markers."Just because you're born with these markers doesn't mean disease is inevitable," she said. "But knowing your risk earlier in life could help families and clinicians take proactive steps to support a child’s long-term health."Researchers are scheduled to present their findings May 4. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.SOURCE: American Gastroenterological Association, news release, April 25, 2025Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Health
Chemicals

Biden let California get creative with Medicaid spending. Trump is signaling that may end

California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs.

In summary California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs. In 2022, California made sweeping changes to its Medi-Cal program that reimagined what health care could look like for some of the state’s poorest and sickest residents by covering services from housing to healthy food. But the future of that program, known as CalAIM, could be at risk under the Trump administration.  In recent weeks, federal officials have signaled that support for creative uses of Medi-Cal funding is waning, particularly uses that California has invested in such as rent assistance and medically tailored meals. Medi-Cal is California’s name for Medicaid. The moves align with a narrower vision of Medicaid espoused by newly confirmed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz, who said during his swearing-in ceremony that Medicaid spending was crowding out spending on education and other services in states with the federal government “paying most of the bill.” “This one really bothers me. There are states who are using Medicaid — Medicaid dollars for people who are vulnerable — for services that are not medical,” Oz said. It also fits with broader GOP calls to slim down the federal government. Medicaid is under scrutiny as part of a GOP-led budget process in the House of Representatives that calls for $880 billion in cuts over 10 years to programs including Medicaid. “The messaging that we want to go back to the basics of Medicaid puts all of these waiver programs in jeopardy,” said John Baackes, former chief executive of L.A. Care, the state’s largest Medi-Cal health insurer. CalAIM is authorized under a federal waiver that allows states to experiment with their Medicaid programs to try to save money and improve health outcomes. Under the waiver, California added extra benefits for high-cost users to help with food insecurity, housing instability,  substance use and behavioral health challenges. Roughly half of all Medi-Cal spending can be attributed to 5% of high-cost users, according to state documents. But in March, the federal government rescinded guidelines supporting Medi-Cal spending for social services. It also sent states a letter in April indicating that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would no longer approve a funding mechanism that helps support CalAIM, although that money will continue until 2026. Together, these moves should worry states that operate programs like CalAIM, said Kathy Hempstead, senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Under the Biden administration states were encouraged to experiment with things like that: To prescribe people prescriptions to get healthy food, to refer people to community-based services,” Hempstead said. “This administration is not receptive at all to … that vision of the Medicaid program.” In a press release, CMS said it is putting an end to spending that isn’t “directly tied to health care services.” “Mounting expenditures, such as covering housekeeping for individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid or high-speed internet for rural healthcare providers, distracts from the core mission of Medicaid, and in some instances, serves as an overly-creative financing mechanism to skirt state budget responsibilities,” the press release states. These signals from the federal government apply to future applications for Medicaid changes, and do not change California’s current programs or funding. The state’s CalAIM waiver expires at the end of 2026, and another similar waiver that supports California’s efforts to improve behavioral health care expires in 2029. According to a statement from the Department of Health Care Services, the agency that oversees Medi-Cal, all programs “remain federally approved and operational.” “We appreciate our Medi-Cal providers and community partners, and together we will push full steam ahead to transform our health system and improve health outcomes,” the department said. Physician assistant Brett Feldman checks his patient, Carla Bolen’s, blood pressure while in her encampment at the Figueroa St. Viaduct above Highway 110 in Elysian Valley Park in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local Paul Shafer, co-director of the Boston University Medicaid Policy Lab, said decades of public health research show that people have worse health outcomes that require more expensive treatment when their social needs aren’t met. “We’ve spent the last few decades in public health and health policy, arguing that so much of health and medical costs is driven by environmental factors — people’s living conditions, income, etc.” Shafer said. But, Shafer said, programs like CalAIM are relatively recent and the research hasn’t had enough time to show whether paying for non-traditional services saves money. For example, California’s street medicine doctors who take care of people who are homeless say that their patients often cycle in and out of the emergency room — the most expensive point of service in the health care system. They have no place to recover from medical procedures, no address to deliver medications, and the constant exposure to the elements takes years off of their lives, doctors say.  CalAIM gives them options to help their clients find housing.  The federal government’s decision not to fund programs like this in the future is a “step backward,” Shafer said.  “I think we can all read the tea leaves and say that that means they’re sort of unlikely to be renewed,” he said. Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more. more on california health care They live in California’s Republican districts. They feel betrayed by looming health care cuts March 11, 2025March 12, 2025 California has big plans for improving mental health. Medicaid cuts could upend them April 7, 2025April 7, 2025

Health
Education
Government

Chattanooga Just Became North America's First National Park City. Here's What That Means

The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: "greener, healthier and wilder"

Chattanooga Just Became North America’s First National Park City. Here’s What That Means The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: “greener, healthier and wilder” Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent April 23, 2025 4:20 p.m. Chattanooga was once one of the most polluted cities in the country. Now, it's North America's first National Park City. larrybraunphotography.com via Getty Images Chattanooga has been named North America’s first National Park City, a designation that acknowledges the city’s abundant green spaces and commitment to environmental stewardship. The city in southeast Tennessee, home to roughly 190,000 residents, is now the third National Park City in the world, following behind London and Adelaide, Australia. The title comes from the National Park City Foundation, a London-based charity that envisions a better future by thinking of cities more like national parks. The movement is not connected to the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages America’s national parks, monuments, historic sites and other protected lands. “[National parks] are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and can enjoy and develop ourselves,” according to the foundation. “Combining the long-term and large-scale vision of national parks with cities has the potential to shift our collective understanding of what and who a city is for.” In Chattanooga, city leaders have used the initiative to encourage residents to “think about Chattanooga as a city in a park, rather than a city with some parks in it,” says Tim Kelly, the mayor of Chattanooga, in a video announcing the designation. “The outdoors is our competitive advantage,” he adds. “It’s at the heart of our story of revitalization, and it’s at the core of our identity as Chattanoogans. We’ve always known how special Chattanooga’s connection to the outdoors is, and now it’s going to be recognized around the world.” Chattanooga has been working toward the designation for nearly two years, per a statement from the city. In late 2023, officials collected more than 5,600 signatures of support and created a National Park City charter. Then, they filed an application describing how Chattanooga met the nonprofit’s criteria—such as being “a place, vision and community that aims to be greener, healthier and wilder.” Last month, delegates from the foundation visited Chattanooga to experience it first-hand. They toured an urban farm, explored several parks and met with various community leaders, per NOOGAtoday’s Haley Bartlett. The foundation’s experts were impressed by Chattanooga’s “culture of outdoor activity,” its “unrivaled access to nature,” its commitment to “inclusive and sustainable development” and its food and agriculture scene, among other factors. “We saw first-hand the extraordinary breadth and depth of engagement with the Chattanooga National Park City vision informed by outstanding experts in design, ecology, culture and arts,” says Alison Barnes, a trustee of the foundation, in a statement. “National Park City status introduces a new chapter for a city with a long history of revitalization and renewal through connecting its unique landscape and the history of its people.” Chattanooga has come a long way since 1969, when the federal government declared it the worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution. Hazy skies were the norm back then, as factories and railroads spewed unregulated emissions into the air, according to the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau. Air pollution was so bad that residents sometimes had to drive with their headlights on in the middle of the day. But the pollution was more than just an eyesore. It was also causing the city’s residents to become sick—and sometimes die—from diseases like tuberculosis. Eventually, voters approved aggressive new rules to reduce emissions. By 1989, Chattanooga’s air quality had improved so much that it met all federal health standards. Today, it’s a vibrant, outdoorsy city with more than 100 parks and more than 35 miles of trails—plus many more within a short drive. The once-neglected riverfront downtown has been revitalized, and Chattanooga has experienced steady population growth in recent years. What does the National Park City designation mean for the city’s future? That remains to be seen. But officials hope it will help guide policy decisions and “help city government and community partners prioritize connecting more people to the outdoors that have long defined our identity,” according to a statement from the Chattanooga Area Chamber. It will also encourage citizens and leaders to embrace “all aspects of outdoor life,” from forests and lakes to native plants, according to the chamber. Mark McKnight, who serves as the president and CEO of Chattanooga’s Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, hopes that the new status will “yield some really cool stuff that we can’t even imagine today.” “Hopefully, we’re having this conversation in ten years, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, we never knew we would get to there,’” he tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press’ Sam Still. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Health
Agriculture
Food

Suggested Viewing

Vanishing Springs

The Florida you know is a lie. In contrast to what Americans have been told, Florida’s magic is not found in the giant mouse, the rolling green golf courses, or in the beachside palaces. The beauty and uniqueness of Florida is under our feet - the aquifer. This pure, crystal clear water is the life blood of our state and without it, life as we know it in the sunshine state would not exist. This life sustaining force is only seen where it bubbles up to the surface through Florida’s collection of 1,000 springs. These springs were originally what drew society to this land. Wealthy tourists in the 1900’s flooded the Florida springs seeking medicinal cures from its pristine waters. As springs became a popular tourist destination, spring houses were built around these pools of water. When this development began, the springs began flowing less and some eventually stopped altogether. People assumed this was the natural order of this wonder and moved on. Theme parks, golf courses and resorts were erected to entice tourists to visit Florida, the natural beauty of the state soon faded out of our memory. The springs of Florida now silently suffer from the effects of continued development in Florida. The current strain we are placing on the fragile ecosystem is choking the life out of our state. Overdevelopment is one of the leading forces that is damaging the springs. The once pure sources of water no longer boil up like a fountain the way they have for centuries. The water that the springs do produce is polluted by nitrates. This pollution fuels the growth of toxic algae blooms, which are taking over springs and the rivers they feed, thus putting our health at risk. Over 90% of our drinking water gushes out of these sapphire pools. These glorious reservoirs have begun to shrink. If something is not done soon, the springs will simply become part of Florida history. In southern Florida they already have. Springs once bubbled up all across the state. They were wiped out in South Florida decades ago by the ditching and draining of the landscape as well as over-pumping of the aquifer. This water was then sprayed on suburban lawns and farmers' fields, run through showers and flushed down toilets, turned into steam to crank turbines for electricity, or siphoned into plastic bottles for sale around the country. Because of poor use and neglect of our greatest resource, we will soon be without this supply of fresh water. Floridians regard their water supply as abundant and cheap, when the fact is it's neither. Until this attitude changes, the springs will not be rescued.

Water
Conservation
Health

In His Own Home

Heavily armed officers of the University of Florida police department in Gainesville, FL, responding to a 911 call from a neighbor who heard screams, break into the campus apartment of Ghanaian graduate student, Kofi Adu-Brempong. Clad in SWAT gear and ready to attack, they see the disabled doctoral student, sitting with a metal table leg in his hand and within a minute of entry, shoot the unarmed man in the face. Adu-Brempong, who because of childhood polio, needed a cane to walk, and had been suffering from mental illness, now has severe facial injuries, and is charged with resisting arrest. He is guarded outside his hospital door, his legs shackled together when going to the bathroom. The officer who shoots Kofi, and who had previously been caught cruising through town throwing eggs at residents of a Black neighborhood, is not suspended or fired. Student protests lead the administration to drop charges but calls for revoking SWAT-like teams on campus go unheard. Kofi’s shooting is not an isolated incident but part of an ongoing pattern of police brutality against Blacks and a stark reminder of the dangers of increasingly militarized campuses nationwide. In His Own Home came out of outrage by a small group of concerned community members committed to seeing social justice happen on a local level. This documentary is an educational and organizing tool, especially calling for our communities to be safe from violence by racist and over-armed police.

Social Justice
Health
Activism

Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields

Combat veterans from the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan find a new mission and personal healing with new careers as organic farmers and ranchers.

Health
Agriculture
Government

We Are Nature

We made this short film under lockdown conditions throughout the pandemic of Covid-19. The film argues that policies are not enough to prevent a future outbreak. We need a paradigm shift in how we view nature and the rest of life on this planet. The film was made remotely via zoom, a fact made clear in the style of the film. Our speakers appear on screens, which we filmed from inside our homes. Each speaker offers a different perspective on the origins of the pandemic in the ways we see and value nature. If humans can’t escape their connection to the natural world, it’s time for a better one. The health of us and the planet depends on it.

Health
Nature
Animals

Sprayed

An exploration of what happens when whole communities get exposed to toxins: Naled sprayed on Miami residents to fight Zika virus, Agent Orange sprayed on the Vietcong, and release of GMO mosquitoes in Brazil with pyriproxyfen added to drinking water to fight dengue. What are the results for nature and humanity? We meet Agent Orange survivors at Vietnamese detoxification and rehabilitation centers, parents of babies born with microcephaly from Zika virus, and Florida residents dealing with efforts to kill mosquitoes carrying Zika virus. Perspectives of doctors, scientists, and politicians are balanced with voices of ordinary citizens and victims to explore concerns about the potential impact on current and future generations.

Chemicals
Health
Science

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.