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People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Alcoholism
State disciplines health care providers
Washington State Department of Health takes disciplinary actions against health care providers, including suspensions and revocations of licenses, certifications, or registrations of providers in the state.
King County homicides lowest in ten years
There were 59 homicides in King County last year, the lowest number in a decade. The number deaths due to suicide, traffic accidents and overdoses also fell.
Answers to readers’ insurance questions
If you’re injured after drinking, can your insurer refuse to pay? Do privacy rules keep insurers from talking to you about your spouse’s coverage? Does colonoscopy coverage include polyp removal? Yes, no and maybe.
Parents’ military deployments take emotional toll on teens — UW study
When military deployments call for their parents to serve abroad, adolescents have a tough time adjusting, and a new University of Washington study shows their moods often lead to risky behavior.
Parents debate vaccine safety, Hutch seeks stem cell HIV cure, Harborview praised — Seattle Times
Seattle Times health coverage: Parents debate vaccine safety at CDC forum in Shoreline, Hutch win $20 million grant to seek stem cell HIV cure, Harborview praised for innovative drug intervention program.
Prescription opiate overdose deaths in King County fall
The number of people dying in King County from prescription-type opiate overdoses dropped for the first time in a decade, down from 161 in 2009 to 130 in 2010.
Smoking, alcohol use down among Washington youth
There has been a substantial drop in both smoking and alcohol use among Washington youth, according to a survey of more than 212,000 students in the state’s public schools.
After games, 40 percent of sports fans have booze on board
Eight percent of fans who agreed to be tested after attending professional football and baseball games were too drunk to legally drive and 40 percent had booze in their bodies.
How to avoid binge drinking over the holidays — CDC
More than 15% of US adults report binge drinking, defined as 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women. Most who binge drink are not alcohol-dependent or alcoholics and often don’t realize the dangers of this sort of drinking.
Making your New Year’s resolutions stick
New Year’s resolutions—they’re easy to make but easier to break. Why is it so hard to make the healthy changes that we know can help us feel better and live longer? And why is it so hard to make them last? NIH-funded scientists are learning more about how we can make healthy changes and, even more important, how we can sustain them
FDA moves to ban caffeinated alcohol “energy drinks”
Washington State banned the drinks last week in response to reports that nine CWU students fell ill after drinking one of the products targeted by the FDA.
Liquor Control Board bans alcoholic energy drinks
The Washington State Liquor Control Board has filed an emergency rule to prohibit the sale and distribution of alcoholic energy drinks in the state of Washington.
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