Princess Health andDoctors don't tell most patients or caregivers about a diagnosis of Alzheimer's until the disease advances, advocacy group says.Princessiccia

Princess Health andDoctors don't tell most patients or caregivers about a diagnosis of Alzheimer's until the disease advances, advocacy group says.Princessiccia

Alzheimer's disease health costs Medicaid Medicare research women's health

Gusty 20:06 Add Comment

Every 67 seconds someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer�s disease and most don't find out they have it until their disease becomes more advanced, according to a report by the Alzheimer's Association.

The organization's 2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report says only 45 percent of people with the disease, or their caregivers, were told their diagnosis by their doctor.

One reason, the report says, is that they don't want to cause the patient emotional distress, but the report says studies have found that "few patients become depressed or have other long-term emotional problems" when they learn of their diagnosis.

The Alzheimer's Association says early disclosure of the diagnosis "should be standard practice" because it allows the patient to participate in early decision making about their care plans, deal with legal and financial issues, decide if they would like to participate in research, and gives them time to fulfill lifelong plans. The association said in the release that not enough resources and education are in place to help medical providers with "best practices for telling patients and their families."

"Telling patients the truth about their diagnosis allows them to seek treatment early, when it�s likely to be more effective, and gives them a voice in planning how they want to live the rest of their lives," DeeAnna Esslinger, executive director of the Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer�s Association, said in a press release.

The report says an estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer�s disease, including 68,000 Kentuckians. And barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the report says the number of Americans with the disease will rise to 13.8 million by 2050. Other items from the report:

• Almost half a million people age 65 or older will develop Alzheimer�s in the U.S. this year.
• By 2050, an American will develop the disease an average of every 33 seconds.
• Two-thirds of Americans over age 65 with Alzheimer�s (3.2 million) are women.
• Alzheimer�sis the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.
• In Kentucky, 1,462 people died with Alzheimer�s in 2012, a 74 percent increase since 2000.
• Nationwide from 2000-2013, the number of Alzheimer�s deaths increased 71 percent, while deaths from other major diseases decreased.

The cost to care for Americans with Alzheimer's and other dementias in 2015 are estimated at $226 billion, of which $153 billion is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid alone, making Alzheimer's the costliest disease to society, the release says. The report projected this cost will increase to more than $1 trillion in 2050.

�Alzheimer�s is a triple threat unlike any other disease � with soaring prevalence, lack of effective treatment and enormous costs. Promising research is ready for the pipeline, but there�s an urgent need to accelerate federal funding to find treatment options that effectively prevent and treat Alzheimer�s," Beth Kallmyer, vice president of constituent services for the Alzheimer�s Association, said in a release.

Princess Health and Senate advances bill to allow Christian heath coverage cooperative back into Kentucky.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Senate advances bill to allow Christian heath coverage cooperative back into Kentucky.Princessiccia

church and state health costs health insurance insurance legislation legislature religion state government; General Assembly

Gusty 04:49 Add Comment

Without dissent, the state Senate approved a bill Wednesday, Feb. 13, that would grant Christian health cost-sharing organization Medi-Share an exemption from the state's insurance laws and enable it to resume operation in Kentucky.

The Florida-based health care ministry was forced out of Kentucky last year by Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate, who ordered Medi-Share to stop operating in Kentucky. He acted at the request of the state Department of Insurance, which said the organization didn't comply with insurance regulations.

Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee and sponsor of the bill, said the legislation would allow about 800 Kentuckians to rejoin Medi-Share. It would remove Medi-Share and two similar ministries operating in Kentucky out from oversight of the insurance department.

"The Department of Insurance regulates insurance companies. This is not an insurance company," Buford told the committee. Medi-Share does not include any contractual agreement to pay medical bills, but users are matched with each other to help pay for medical expenses through community giving, according to its website.

Medi-Share's plans resembles secular insurance in some ways but only allows participation by people who pledge to live Christian lives with no smoking, drinking, using drugs or engaging in sex outside of marriage, reports Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The bill would require Medi-Share to tell members it's not an insurance company and does not guarantee that all medical bills would be paid, notes Roger Alford of The Associated Press.

The Rev. Dewayne Walker, pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington, told the committee Medi-Share paid about $250,000 in medical bills for his wife, who had cancer. Medi-Share President Tony Meggs testified in court last year that the group has helped arrange to pay for some $25 million in medical bills for Kentuckians over the past 10 years, Alford reports.

Princess Health and Tonsillectomies not necessary much of the time; among $158 billion spent each year on unnecessary health care.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Tonsillectomies not necessary much of the time; among $158 billion spent each year on unnecessary health care.Princessiccia

children's health doctors health costs physicians respiratory illness surgery

Gusty 19:07 Add Comment

Photo by Matthew Staver, Bloomberg

Tonsillectomies are the most common procedure for children requiring anesthesia. "The only problem is there's no evidence they work for most" kids, reports Sarah Cliff of The Washington Post.

"The procedure does show some benefits for those with really serious symptoms � very sore throats, fevers and other symptoms at least seven times in the past year � but no improvement for those whose indications are milder," Cliff reports.

Yet, more and more of the procedures are being performed. Between 1996 and 2006, the number of tonsillectomies increased by 74 percent.

"It's a silent epidemic of unnecessary care," said David Goodman of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. "In most instances, it's done for patients with much less recurrent symptoms than should be indicated. I think a lot of this is unbeknownst to providers."

Unnecessary health care costs about $158 billion every year, Cliff reports, and the sum is partly to blame on demanding patients, to whom doctors acquiesce. Because doctors are paid based on volume, there is also an incentive to provide more care, even if it's not necessary.

Goodman said the medical education system is one main culprit. "Medical schools and graduate schools are failing us deeply," he said. "We need to move some of these ideas about the evidence being uncertain into the beginning of education. There's been such little work on that." (Read more)