Princess Health and Princess Health andWear blue on Friday, March 7 to mark Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and encourage screening and colonoscopies.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andWear blue on Friday, March 7 to mark Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and encourage screening and colonoscopies.Princessiccia

cancer colorectal cancer health rankings state government

Gusty 08:59 Add Comment

Friday, March 7 will be "Dress in Blue Day" to mark National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to help raise awareness about colon cancer in Kentucky, according to Madeline Abramson, wife of Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson.

�Kentucky has one the highest mortality rates of colorectal cancer in the nation,� she said in a news release.  �The good news is that through preventative screenings, this deadly disease can be detected early and treated successfully. I ask Kentuckians to join me in wearing blue on March 7 to help spread the word about the risks of colon cancer and the importance of getting screened.�

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,200 Kentuckians will be newly diagnosed with colon cancer this year and nearly 900 of them will die from it.  Those over 50, or who have a family history of colon cancer, are at the greatest risk and should get regular colonoscopies, doctors say.

To help raise awareness in Frankfort, the State Capitol dome will be lit blue until March 7. Hospitals, businesses, churches, schools, banks, health departments and other organizations are planning and hosting special activities to commemorate the month and promote screening.  

For more information on Colorectal Cancer Month and Dress in Blue Day, visit Madeline Abramson�s website at http://1.usa.gov/NrsMriand the Colon Cancer Prevention Project site at http://bit.ly/1i3q98G. The Kentucky Cancer Program website at www.kycancerprogram.org has information about cancer prevention, awareness and treatment.

Princess Health and Princess Health andKentucky Health Cooperative, a new kind of insurer, claims most of the business on the state insurance exchange.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andKentucky Health Cooperative, a new kind of insurer, claims most of the business on the state insurance exchange.Princessiccia

health insurance insurance exchange obamacare Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act state government

Gusty 18:10 Add Comment

This story was updated Tuesday, March 4.
The Kentucky Health Cooperative, a non-profit, consumer-governed health plan, says it has captured 61 75 percent of the business on Kentucky's health-insurance exchange, according to the latest figures from the exchange.

The co-op competes on Louisville-based Humana's home turf and came out ahead of the insurance company that has $41 billion in annual revenues, CEO Janie Miller reminded Jay Hancock of Kaiser Health News as she told him how the co-op had beaten Humana and Anthem.

Unlike Humana, Anthem is offering exchange policies statewide -- but through a relatively narrow network of health-care providers, which may discourage enrollment. Anthem has sold 13 percent of exchange policies, and Humana is close behind at 12 percent despite not selling statewide.

Janie Miller (AP photo)

�They have a few more employees than I do,� Miller said of Humana. �We believe we're the health insurance plan of the people.� Hancock interviewed the former state Cabinet for Health and Family Services secretary at the recent National Alliance of State Health Co-ops meeting in Washington, D.C.

The Kentucky co-op is planning to expand into West Virginia next year. The co-op in Maine did even better than Kentucky, getting 80 percent of the exchange market in competition with Anthem, Hancock reports.

John Morrison, former president of the co-op alliance, estimated that co-ops have between 15 and 20 percent of the national enrollment through exchanges, Hancock reports. Open enrollment for 2014 ends March 31.

Morrison also told Hancock that co-ops will save billions for the consumers and taxpayers paying for insurance because of the added competition and lower prices. Premiums are 8.5 percent lower on average in states with co-ops than in states without them. He acknowledged that cause and effect hasn't been proven, but said �Nobody's offered another explanation for why that might be true.�

The 23 co-ops were created under federal health reform as non-profit, consumer-governed health plans. They must use any extra revenue to lower premiums and improve benefits, or refund the federal loans that funded them. They are designed to give for-profit companies more competition and hold down rates.

The co-ops have signed up nearly 300,000 members this year and two others are set to expand into new states next year, Montana Health Co-op to Idaho and Minuteman Health in Massachusetts to New Hampshire, officials said at the Washington meeting.

The reform law prohibits co-ops from using federal funds for marketing and advertising, but still requires them to do education and outreach. This creates "big challenge as they try to build their businesses from the ground up while expanding access to care and caring for the chronically ill, Hancock reports.

Princess Health and Princess Health andSponsor of statewide smoking ban says House leaders are blocking a vote to protect some members from political fallout.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andSponsor of statewide smoking ban says House leaders are blocking a vote to protect some members from political fallout.Princessiccia

General Assembly legislation politics smoking smoking ban smoking bans

Gusty 09:01 Add Comment

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

The bill for a statewide smoking ban has stalled, with the prime sponsor saying House leaders are blocking a vote to protect members who have told the sponsor they would vote for it, but have told the leaders they don't want a vote because they don't want it to be used against them in their re-election bids.

The prime sponsor, Rep. Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, told Kentucky Health News on Thursday, Feb. 27 that she thinks the bill would pass if Speaker Greg Stumbo would let it be called up for a vote, but he is protecting members who fear how the issue will play politically.

"Wrong," Stumbo replied in an email to KHN Sunday night. "Others in leadership have problems." In another message Monday morning, he said "I'm for [the] bill; may be the only member of leadership supporting it; so you figure out why it's not being called. I told her in all my years as majority floor leader, I never refused to call a bill unless a majority of leadership opposed doing it."

The other leaders of the House Democratic majority are Floor Leader Rocky Adkins of Morehead, who calls bills up for votes; Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark of Louisville; Majority Whip Tommy Thompson of Owensboro; Democratic Caucus Chair Sannie Overly of Paris.

Westrom told Ryan Alessi of cn|2 that the leaders are divided on the issue. "It depends on what member of leadership you talk to," she said. "It's just a little bit schizophrenic right now."

Adkins said in a prepared statement, "This bill is being handled like other bills that are high profile. It has been House leadership's long-standing position to vet these kinds of bills to our members through a vote count before they are brought to the House floor. As of Friday the votes for passage were not there. We will continue to monitor the count as we move forward in the session."

Stumbo, who has said he supports House Bill 173, said Feb. 26 that he wasn't counting votes but sensed that the bill wasn�t �quite there yet� but was within �striking distance� of passage.

The leaders kept the bill in the House Rules Committee for the maximum five days allowed by House rules, then posted it for passage on Feb. 14.

On Feb. 18, Westrom and the bill's main Republican sponsor, Rep. Julie Raque Adams of Louisville, filed a floor amendment to exempt electronic cigarettes, private clubs and cigar bars. Adams told Alessi that has helped get Republican votes and allay some legislators' concerns about over-regulation of private property.

"When you open up that private property for public purpose, government always involves itself," she said. "This does not cost a business owner any money."

Adams said the larger issue is Kentucky's poor health and what it costs the state. "This is the only proposal that's before lawmakers right now that actually addresses the cost of health care," she said. "The cost to our budget is so dramatic, and it's really on an unsustainable course right now, that if we don't make some significant changes relative to health care and how we deliver it in this state, we're not gonna be able to afford anything else."

Adams acknowledged that the bill might be easier to pass in 2015 because this is an election year. "It absolutely is a factor in people's re-elections," she said. But she and Westrom said that issue cuts both ways, because most Kentuckians don't smoke. However, about 28 percent do, more than in any other state.

Some House members may be reluctant to vote for the bill because its prospects are poor in the Senate, where President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, opposes it. Some House Democrats say privately that Westrom didn't help her cause by being the only Democrat not to vote for the bill Stumbo has called his top priority, to raise the minimum wage. She passed.

Westrom's harder push for a vote in recent days coincided with a Feb. 26 tweet from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, which favors the bill. The message on Twitter read, "The only way to know the vote count is to take a vote. Kentuckians deserve a vote on HB 173, the Smoke-free Kentucky Act."

Princess Health and Princess Health andHighly addictive, crushable pain killer to be released this month; political leaders beg FDA to reconsider its decision .Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andHighly addictive, crushable pain killer to be released this month; political leaders beg FDA to reconsider its decision .Princessiccia

addiction food and drug administration prescription drug abuse prescription drugs

Gusty 09:00 Add Comment

A new narcotic pain pill is set to be released to the market this month, and critics are begging the Food and Drug Administration to reverse its decision, fearing its addictive qualities and overdose potential, Laura Ungar reports for The Courier-Journal.

Zohydro ER is an extended-release hydrocodone medication made by Zogenix. It is a highly addictive drug only meant for patients with pain severe enough to require daily, round-the-clock, long-term treatment, for whom other treatments are inadequate.

"It�s a capsule of pure hydrocodone so powerful that one accidental dose can kill," Ungar writes. Doctors, lawmakers, drug-control officials and others are voicing their concerns that Zohydro ER will bring a new wave of prescription drug abuse to Kentucky just as Kentucky has been making "great strides" against this already existing problem.

Zohydro ER, unlike recent formulations of the popular painkillers OxyContin and Opana, is not crush-resistant, making it easier for abuse by crushing and then snorting or injecting it, Ungar reports.

Kentucky ranks third in the nation for overdose deaths, with more than 1,000 Kentuckians dying each year from prescription drug overdoses. The number has leveled off following passage of laws that target pill-pushing clinics and doctors, and put stricter regulations on painkillers.

�We could see the OxyContin days come back, just in a new form,� Dan Smoot, president and chief executive officer of the Eastern Kentucky anti-drug organization Operation UNITE, told Ungar.He was referring to the drug that first sparked Appalachia�s prescription abuse problem in the late 1990s.

The FDA approved Zohydro ER last fall, even though its own scientific advisory panel cited concerns about misuse and abuse and voted 11-2 against approving it. It�s set to hit the market early this month, Ungar reports. Last week a coalition of more than 40 health, consumer and other organizations urged the FDA to revoke its approval.

Attorney General Jack Conway was among 28 attorneys general who sent the FDA a letter asking it to reconsider, noting that it is reportedly "five to 10 times more potent than traditional hydrocodone products, and has no abuse-deterrent properties."

�We do not want to see the great strides we have made in Kentucky combating prescription drug abuse reversed,� Conway said in a statement after signing the letter. �For decades, we have fought the disastrous effects of the illegal marketing of the drug OxyContin. Zohydro ER has the potential to exacerbate the prescription-pill epidemic. ... The FDA�s decision to approve the drug doesn't make sense.�

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-5th District, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as two other senators, have expressed their disapproval, but the FDA says the drug meets its safety requirements and the benefits outweigh the risks for patients who qualify for the drug, Ungar reports.

Zogenix officials told Ungar they are committed to going �above and beyond FDA requirements� to make sure the drug is used appropriately, will monitor for misuse, and will allow an outside group to monitor and analyze their data. They said they are also working on an abuse-resistant pill.

They also pointed out that Zohydro ER will be regulated as a Schedule II controlled substance, which means it can only be dispensed through a physician�s written prescription, with no refills.

�Opioids are important pain-relieving medications that can provide significant benefits for patients when used properly for their approved indications,� Zogenix wrote Ungar.

Another benefit cited by Zogenix officials is that unlike many other hydrocodone painkillers, Zohydro ER does not contain acetaminophen, which can cause liver failure when used over a long period. They said more than half of liver transplants are caused by acetaminophen overdoses from overusing these sorts of combination drugs.

Princess Health and Princess Health andYoung people are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cancer if they are uninsured, national study finds.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andYoung people are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cancer if they are uninsured, national study finds.Princessiccia

Barack Obama cancer health insurance health reform Medicaid Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Gusty 06:14 Add Comment

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Adolescents and young adults who don't have insurance are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cancer than their peers who have health insurance, says the American Cancer Society, in what sounds like a warning to an age group that is key to the success of health reform.

Anthony Robbins, the society's director of health services research, and other researchers found that uninsured females were twice as likely, and males half again as likely, as insured people of the same age to be diagnosed with advanced cancer.

An advanced cancer diagnosis means that the cancer has spread to multiple parts of the body or is considered not curable, the society said in a press release. It is more difficult and expensive to treat and more deadly. The study, published in the March issue of Cancer, sampled data from nearly 260,000 cancer patients ages 15 to 39 in the National Cancer Database between 2004 through 2010.

Uninsured patients tended to be younger and male, and were more likely to be black or Hispanic, and more likely to reside in the South. They were also more likely to have lower income and education levels.

Young adults have experienced the least benefit from recent progress in the fight against cancer, but federal health reform could mitigate that, the study's authors said.

"The findings suggest that policies such as the Affordable Care Act that increase the number of people in America with health coverage will result in fewer late-stage cancer diagnoses and save lives," the authors said. "However, the success of these efforts may be directly tied to the fate of the Medicaid expansion component."

Kentucky is among the states that have expanded Medicaid's eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty threshold. About 48 percent of the enrollees in Kynect, the state online marketplace for health insurance, are under the age of 35, according to a press release from Gov. Steve Beshear's office.

Substantial enrollment of people under 35, who often go without insurance because they think they are in good health and will remain that way, is considered essential for the success of  health reform, because premiums from healthy people subsidize care for the less healthy, many of whom were unable to get affordable insurance before reform.

Princess Health and Princess Health andTobacco is top target in Beshear's health plans, but he still praises expansion of plant that makes smokeless tobacco.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andTobacco is top target in Beshear's health plans, but he still praises expansion of plant that makes smokeless tobacco.Princessiccia

cigarette tax economy jobs local government smoking state government taxes tobacco

Gusty 14:27 Add Comment

Gov. Steve Beshear says tobacco is the main cause of Kentuckians' relatively poor health, which he is pushing to improve, but on Feb. 27 "his tone shifted as he praised the economic benefits from a tobacco company's plans to expand its Western Kentucky processing operations for smokeless tobacco products," reports Bruce Schreiner of The Associated Press.

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., an Altria Group subsidary that makes Copenhagen and Skoal from local tobacco, says it will spend $118 million and create 42 jobs as it expands its 90-employee plant in Hopkinsville. Beshear called that "proof that Kentucky is a great place to grow a business." If the company creates the predicted number of jobs, it could get $4.5 million and $1.4 million, respectively, in state and local tax breaks.

Tobacco farming is a smaller part of Kentucky's economy today than it was for most of the 20th Century, but Schreiner notes the state has the nation's highest percentage of smokers and "has the worst or near-worst rates for smoking, cancer deaths, heart disease and high blood pressure." Smokeless tobacco is linked to cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus.

Those are among the reasons Beshear's tax-reform plan would raise levies on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. "He also touts legislation calling for a statewide smoking ban at workplaces and in public buildings," Schreiner notes. "Altria opposes any tobacco tax increases."

The American Cancer Society says smokeless tobacco can cause nicotine addiction, which can lead to smoking, and can also lead to gum disease and tooth decay. Oral health is one of the seven main points in Beshear's recently announced plan to improve the state's health, Schreiner notes.

Princess Health and2014 Re-Fridgee-8er.Princessiccia

Princess Health and2014 Re-Fridgee-8er.Princessiccia

Gusty 20:06 Add Comment

The 2014 H+P race season has officially begun!  We had a great time kicking things off at this years' edition of the Re-Fridgee-8er.  

Before we get started, a huge thanks goes out to Julie Schmidt of the Waterloo Running Series for the photography! 

There were a number of impressive performances and surprises for the team.  Here is how we did:

 

Team Results:

In the team categories (8M and 8K open teams) we managed to place 1st overall!  True, there were not very many other teams..but our goal was to have a quick average pace for our top 5 runners..and we did just that:

In the 8K, our top 5 athletes averaged under 30 minutes, an average pace of about 3:43mins/K.  

In the 8M, our top 5 athletes averaged just over 51 minutes, which is about 4:00mins/K.  

A huge pat on the back goes out to Dave Rutherford, who surprised everybody when he placed 2nd on the 8K team- not bad for 50 years old!  Also, a massive congrats goes out to coach Gill who, out of the 10 athletes who scored points for the teams, was the only female to do so!

Individuals Results:

8M:

Ahmed Ahmed had an awesome H+P debut, placing 2nd overall, 1st among all males, and averaging 3:46/K

Luke Ehgoetz crushed the course, coming in just behind Ahmed for 3rd overall, and winning the masters title!

Aaron Mailman had a breakthrough performance, coming in over 2 minutes faster than last year, winning his

AG and placing 5th OA!

Nick Burt, like Ahmed, also impressed in his H+P debut.  He not only placed 7th OA, but also won his AG!

Gillian Willard was next in line from the team.  She had a huge PB, placing her 2nd overall for females (only beat by elite Canadian Marathoner Krista Duchene), and winning her AG!

Emily Hunter had a breakthrough performance, coming in about 5 minutes faster than anticipated, and placed 2nd in her AG!

Dragan Ball-Z continues to improve, crushing his goal of breaking 5mins/K, as he placed 4th in his AG.

Heidi also had a great race, beating her time from last year and winning her category!

Oscar had an amazing H+P and racing debut-coming in significantly ahead of schedule!

8K

Coach Sean came in 2nd place with a time of 27:54.

Dave "the ageless wonder" Rutherford destroyed the course.  He placed 2nd on the team, was the first masters athlete, and placed 7th OA!

Brendan showed lots of heart- a 2x winner of this event, he knew coming in that he was not even close to as fit as he has been in the past.  He also puked during the race.  Despite that, he never gave up, fought to the bitter end, and placed 3rd on the team and winning his AG.

Coach Dyce also showed heart as he struggled with a significant illness the week leading up to the race.  Despite the lack of training and not being 100% on race day, he still beat his time from last year, cracked the top 10 OA, and placed 2nd in his AG!

Mike Piazza was next on the team.  He really impressed, doing everything he could to chase down Dave.  He took well over 2 minutes off his PB,  and placed 3rd in his AG.

Graham Dunn, for some reason, decided that he should run something like 20K on top of what he was racing.  No matter- he still came in with a time of 32minutes, placing him second out of all masters athletes. 

Vicki-Z was the first H+P female athlete to come in with another huge PB and winning her AG!

Payton also came in with an awesome time just behind Vicki, and placed first in a very competitive AG!

Candice and Ed both had awesome performances in their respective races despite missing training throughout the months leading up to the race.  They both still cracked the top 10 in the AGs, way to go!

And last but not least, Mark "can't commute to practice from Hamilton" Potvin, had a great race for the team- great to have you with us again Mark!

Onward to another great year of racing!  Up next for the team: The Chilly Half and Around the Bay!