A new report and interactive map show in precise detail how cancer-causing chemicals are released by multiple industrial facilities in some neighborhoods, creating zones of dangerous air. What to know: An estimated 256,000 Americans are being exposed to excess cancer…
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Climate-Linked Health Risks to Rise, COP26 Panelists Warn
GLASGOW (Reuters) – If you thought the COVID pandemic was disruptive and deadly, climate change will be so much worse. So said a slew of panelists Tuesday at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, warning about escalating climate-linked health threats…
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UN Declares Access to a Clean Environment a Human Right
GENEVA (Reuters) – The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday recognised access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right, formally adding its weight to the global fight against climate change and its devastating consequences. The vote passed…
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Olympics-Puberty Not Sole Factor in Transgender Eligibility Says IOC
TOKYO (Reuters) – Male puberty is not the sole factor in ascertaining whether transgender athletes have an advantage over competitors, the International Olympic Committee’s medical chief said on Thursday. New Zealand’s weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to become the first…
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Arkansas Governor Vetoes Transgender Youth Treatment Ban
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday vetoed legislation that would have made his state the first to ban gender confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth, though lawmakers could enact the restriction over his objections….
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Sick Kids on Medicaid Need Easy Access to Out-of-State Hospitals
Three-year-old Elizabeth Zakutansky was born with a rare genetic condition that causes multiple seizures. Her neurologist, a top expert on treating her condition, practices at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, less than an hour’s drive from the Zakutanskys’ home in…
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Emerging Gene Therapy Offers Window Into Potential Costs of New Class of Therapies
(Reuters Health) – The budget impact to Medicaid of gene therapy to treat severe sickle cell disease offers a window on the potential costs of this emerging class of million-dollar treatments, and requires payers to think about how to ensure…
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Poor Survival With COVID in Patients Who Have Had HSCT
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Among individuals who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), often used in the treatment of blood cancers, rates of survival are poor for those…
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Amazon Jumps Into Healthcare With Telemedicine Initiative
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Amazon is making its first foray into providing healthcare services, announcing Wednesday that it will be offering its Amazon Care telemedicine program to employers nationwide. Currently available to the company’s employees in Washington state, Amazon…
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Pandemic Slices Medicare Physician Spending in First Half of 2020: AMA
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, physician spending in the fee-for-service Medicare program was $9.4 billion less than expected — a drop of 19% — in the…
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