Children who have not been fully immunized have fallen ill in recent whooping cough and chickenpox outbreaks in the state.
New law may allow state to seek a federal subsidy worth $52 to $60 million a year to help finance the state’s cash-strapped Basic Health Plan.
Sherie Brace of Seattle will lose insurance this summer when Washington is set to end coverage for her and 65,000 other low-income residents.
Projections for Washington state from the Obama administration
Life sciences creates an estimated 77,000 jobs statewide – report.
State’s obesity rate has nearly tripled over the past 20 years.
Two patients in King County with H1N1 “Swine” flu have been found to have been infected with a strain of the virus that is resistant to the flu drug Tamiflu. Tamiflu, whose chemical name is oseltamivir, is one of the two drugs recommended for the treatment of H1N1 infections. The other drug, zanamivir, is marketed [...]
Seattle’s record heat wave has contributed to the death of a Seattle man, King County officials said Thursday. The man, in his 60s, had a heart condition that may have made him more vulnerable to the effects this week’s high temperatures in the Seattle area, officials said.
Regence BlueShield boosts premiums 17 percent Regence BlueShield will raise premiums for 135,000 individual health-plan members in Washington by an average 17 percent on Aug. 1, Seattle Times health reporter Kyung Song writes in today’s paper. “It is the third consecutive year that the state’s largest provider of individual coverage has boosted rates by double [...]
A man in his 70s has become the first King County resident to die from H1N1 “swine” flu, health officials said today. The man, who had been hospitalized, died on June 11th, but it was only today that the state laboratory was able to confirm that he did, indeed, have H1N1 influenza. To date, 47 [...]
For more information about Swine flu:
Washington must cut 36,000 from its basic health plan Seattle Times health reporter Kyung Song writes in today’s paper about options state officials are considering on how to cut 36,000 enrollees from the state’s Basic Health Plan. Currently, the plan provides health coverage to 100,000 low-income state residents, but because of the state’s revenue shortfall, [...]
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
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.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
Add to Google
Recent Comments