Health Headlines for Tuesday, August 22
400,000 New Yorkers dodged Obamacare health insurance mandate
New York Upstate
More than 400,000 New Yorkers failed to obtain health insurance in 2015 and many were required to pay tax penalties of at least $325 under Obamacare, according to the New York Post.
Hospitals Are Clogged With Patients Struggling With Opioids
New York Times
President Trump this month declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, a move intended to direct more funding and attention toward the crisis.
Parents still failing to put babies to sleep on their backs
Reuters
Fewer than half of U.S. infants always sleep on their backs, the position doctors recommend to avoid sleep-related injuries and deaths, a study suggests.
Smokers hospitalized for heart attacks often don’t get cessation drugs
Reuters
Few smokers hospitalized for heart attacks and other serious complications of cardiac disease get medication to help them quit smoking, a U.S. study suggests.
Over 45,000 pounds of sugar dumped in Times Square illustrates alarming child health trend
USA Today
Snack company KIND dumped 45,485 pounds of sugar in Times Square Tuesday to spark conversation about how much added sugar children consume.
Buffalo teen pregnancy prevention funding ending despite high rates
Buffalo News
The rate of teen pregnancy in Buffalo is nearly twice as high as the statewide rate.