, Author at Shepro Insurance Services

Losing Sleep Over the Pandemic? Work Flexibility May Be a Boon for Night Owls’ Health

NewsBy terryshepro April 4, 2022

Many sleep scientists maintain that people who prefer to stay up late could improve their mental and physical health by synchronizing their natural sleep cycles with workday demands. The flexible work schedules that came with covid’s work-from-home trend, according to one new study, backs up this idea.

Biden Pledges Better Nursing Home Care, but He Likely Won’t Fast-Track It

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

CMS chief Chiquita Brooks-LaSure says the agency reserves its power to quickly institute new regulations for “absolute emergencies.” On staffing, nursing home residents might need to wait years to see any real change.

Seeking to Shift Costs to Medicare, More Employers Move Retirees to Advantage Plans

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

Private and public employers are increasingly using the government’s Medicare Advantage program as an alternative to their existing retiree health plan and traditional Medicare coverage. As a result, the federal government is paying the “overwhelming majority” of medical costs, according to an industry analyst.

Calls to Overhaul Methadone Distribution Intensify, but Clinics Resist

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

The pandemic has shown that loosening the strict regulations on distributing methadone helps people recovering from addiction stay in treatment. But clinics with a financial stake in keeping the status quo don’t want to make permanent changes.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A Health-Heavy State of the Union

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

President Joe Biden spent a large portion of his first State of the Union address talking about foreign affairs, but he also spent time on an array of health topics, including mental health, nursing home regulation, and toxic burn pits. Also this week, the administration unveiled a strategy to address the covid pandemic going forward. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

California Governor’s Big Promises on Drug Prices Are Slow to Materialize

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched several initiatives to cut rising drug prices, but the savings haven’t been as monumental as he promised. And his plan to have California make its own generic drugs hasn’t gotten off the ground.

$35 Insulin Cap Is Welcome, Popular, and Bipartisan. But Congress May Not Pass It Anyway.

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

Spun off from the ailing but not-quite-dead Build Back Better legislation, a popular proposal to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month faces tough political realities that could kill it.

When Teens Blow Off Parents’ Pleas to Get Vaccinated, the Consequences Can Be Deadly

NewsBy terryshepro March 4, 2022

Kennedy Stonum, a 17-year-old high school junior, resisted getting vaccinated against covid-19, as did 20-year-old Tyler Gilreath, whose mother had nagged him for months to get the shots. Both died.

How to avoid mosquito bites? Try wearing clothes with these colors, study suggests

NewsBy terryshepro February 11, 2022

If you want to prevent mosquito bites, the key may be in the clothes you wear. © Tacio Philip Sansonovski/Dreamstime/TNS Mosquitos may be drawn more to certain colors. That’s because new research shows the insects are more drawn to some colors than others. The findings suggest wearing colors that are less attractive to mosquitoes could help…

Humana Sees COVID-19 Reducing Hospice Patient Counts by Allison Bell

NewsBy terryshepro February 3, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic killed enough terminally ill people in the fourth quarter of 2021, and in all of 2021, that it had a small but noticeable effect on hospice admissions volumes, according to Humana executives. The executives mentioned that grim effect of the pandemic Wednesday on a conference call the company held to go over…

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