On the eve of the deadline for Open Enrollment, many people who have not registered for coverage have not done so because they still have questions. Groups such as Enroll America have made it a priority in the waning days leading up to the deadline on January 31, 2017, to dispel as many of the myths and answer questions surrounding health coverage. Myth: It isn’t worth it to sign up for coverage. People still need to have coverage for 2017 or they could face steep fines when it is time to file for their income taxes. When Open Enrollment began last November, 100,000 people signed up for coverage on the first day. Any new laws concerning healthcare will more than likely not be implemented in 2017. Myth: I can’t afford the coverage A large number of people who obtain ...
Aiming to mirror their mission "to help people live the healthiest lives possible", Intermountain Healthcare is removing all sugary beverages, candies and less healthy snacks from it's vending machines. Many nationwide health systems have also adopted similar policies including, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente. From March 1st of this year, snacks that have added sugars, salts, and saturated fats will all now be banned from vending machines, with new healthier food options based on nutrition and dietary guidelines. Since 2014, the hospital has been working to create healthier food environments, with cafeterias that offer healthy plates, and messages about eating healthier and being active. Over 100,000 people in Utah and Southern Idaho are living with prediabetes, stated St. ...
All the tax talk on sugary beverages that happened in January to help offset the state's Medicaid expenses and provide for obesity prevention, is now "off the table" according to WPSD 6 news. In a state where the majority of adults are overweight and 1 in 3 children in the state are considered obese or overweight, sugary beverages may only add to the health risks of the state and Medicaid expenses. Although it was reported that 65% of Latino Illinoisans supported the penny-per-ounce tax, the proposal is unsupported by Republican Senator Paul Schimpf and Senator Dale Fowler, who reported they're glad to see the sugary beverage tax thrown out, believing it would drive business out of Illinois to other close states. Research from The HEAL Proposal estimated that an increase in ...
After a new policy for a sugary drink tax was proposed by Mayor Javier Gonzales and questioned by the city council, Mayor Gonzales reminded Santa Fe City Council to consider the 2-cent-per-ounce tax to fund preschool education this last Wednesday, January 25th, 2017. Health is a factor in bringing the tax to the city, but Gonzales's main idea for the tax revolves around bringing equity in education to the many children in the city that do not have enough preschool slots or teachers, according to Santa Fe Mexican Editorials. The tax is estimated to bring in as much as $7.7 million a year to help fill the city's some 966 3-and 4- year-olds that are lacking a high-quality pre-K education. More conversations with Gonzales about his proposal is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, ...
School playgrounds, fields, and gyms sit unused afterschool and on weekends in Maricopa County, Arizona (30.5% Latino), and across the country, because schools are locked up after classes end. Access to safe places to play is critical to reduce obesity among Latino kids and families and boost their mental, physical, and emotional health. However, schools close their gates for many reasons such as, concerns about liability, vandalism, and additional staffing and maintenance costs. Noteworthy, Arizona state law protects schools from liability when outdoor facilities are open to the public. Also vandalism decreases with better lighting and when more people utilize the park, and many schools across the country establish partnerships with parks and recreation departments to help with ...
Almost half of all the adults in the United States have at least one chronic medical condition. These conditions include many which disproportionately plague Latinos, such as diabetes and lung disease. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health coverage for chronically ill patients has increased by nearly 5%. While this has shown to be a significant gain, more work needs to be done. A study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine studied adults between the ages of 18 and 64, the largest pool taking part in the Health Insurance Marketplace. “We wanted to see how many people were uninsured and clearly needed health insurance,” said Dr. Hugo Torres, of the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, MA in an interview with USA Today. “We know the prevalence of ...
Healthy Beverage Partnership (HBP), an initiative facilitated by Denver Public Health, has launched a new regional marketing campaign, Hidden Sugar.
The HBP is a collaboration among six Denver metro local public health and environment agencies working to reduce sugary drink consumption through organizational policy adoption at community venues. The new campaign will run throughout January and February, and again in May.
Denver Metro area residents should see the campaign ads on billboards, on TV, online or hear it on the radio. The goal of the Hidden Sugar campaign is to make it easy for parents and caregivers to see how much sugar is hidden in many of the drinks children drink on a daily basis. For example, one 10-ounce juice drink has as much sugar as 10 chocolate chip ...
Malls are often partially blamed for the decay of walkable downtowns and linked with greater vehicle dependence, thus depriving cities of sustainable economic growth and safe places for kids and families to walk. A failed mall in Meriden, Connecticut (28.7% Latino) was transformed into the type of public space that boosts mental, physical, and emotional health, as well as the economy. A mall was built in a small town between Hartford and New Haven in 1970. Due to inadequate flood control-underground pipes blocked three brooks-during construction of the mall, flooding was an issue. In 1992 and 1996, flooding caused $26 million in damages to the downtown area. The City began the Harbor Brook Flood Control project which continues today. The vacancy rate of retailers the mall ...
Nearly 12 million people who utilize Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts of over $26 billion on prescription drugs since 2010. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new information showing that millions of senior citizens and people with disabilities continue to benefit on the improvements to Medicare as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to information from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, over 4 million Latinos in the U.S. receive benefits from Medicare and their median income was $12,800 annually. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. In 2016, over 4.9 ...
