Health Care

A new national report from Georgetown University shows children in the U.S. lost health insurance at a rapid rate during the past two years. The researchers say this trend emerged as states started dismantling and repealing segments of the Affordable Care Act.

Scleroderma is a chronic connective tissue disease. Folks who have it often suffer in silence without the support they need to cope. The Southern Idaho Scleroderma Support Group was created to help raise awareness about the disease and provide a network for those diagnosed with it.

It’s not easy to go to the doctor if you speak a different language. But, what if you’re deaf? How do you communicate? What barriers must be overcome for a simple doctor’s visit? Saint Alphonsus is working with the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing on programs to help.

How would you like to lower your cholesterol, your blood pressure, your blood sugar — and lose some weight? Sound too good to be true? St. Luke’s is trying to do all of that with the “Complete Health Improvement Program” or “CHIP.” It’s not a diet. It’s an 18-session lifestyle enrichment program. The goal is to change habits and lifestyles to reduce disease risk factors.  

The state of Idaho is still working to implement voter-approved Medicaid Expansion. The debate over expansion has been front and center in the public eye this year. But behind the scenes, health care providers around the state are preparing for the influx of patients, once thousands of more people are eligible for Medicaid. We find out how one hospital system is getting ready.

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation says one of every three children in Idaho is overweight or obese, which can lead to health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. To help stop those risks, the Foundation gives out Community Transformation Grants to Idaho communities to provide access to physical activity and healthy, affordable foods. Gemma Gaudette takes a look at the program.

Children with special needs in the Magic Valley have a place to turn when they need special equipment, therapy, travel assistance or family counseling. Since 2006, St. Luke’s Magic Valley Health Foundation has helped more than 400 kids with speech therapy, physical therapy, equipment and hippotherapy. Idaho Matters finds out more about this special program.

Pancreatic cancer is hard to find and to treat. We take a look at the Purple Stride Walk which fosters awareness and education about the warning signs.

This July marks the anniversary of when supporters turned in their gathered signatures for Medicaid expansion. Though the expansion was approved by Idaho voters last fall, Medicaid Expansion has yet to take place in the Gem State.

Stress affects all of us, but for those who work in healthcare, the risks of stress can be hazardous. In a job that is inherently stressful, it is important that medical providers have strategies to combat and cope with the physical, mental and emotional stresses of their occupation. We talk with a nurse practitioner about the techniques she and others can use to maintain a balanced work and personal life.

Officials in Gooding County are looking to upgrade the quality of medical service its residents get. That improvement also necessitates a new facility.

After receiving letters announcing an end to primary care services, some Boise residents were worried about the state of Planned Parenthood in Idaho. It turns out that the change does not impact any of the group’s reproductive health services.

Officials who provide services to homeless people in the Treasure Valley say folks are falling into a crack in the system. People can’t stay at a shelter if they have a contagious illness. But there may be a solution.

St. Luke’s has opened the region’s first “virtual hospital” to help people in remote communities get health care without traveling to Boise.

One of the Treasure Valley’s largest health care providers, Saint Alphonsus, sued a private prison contractor in a federal court this week. The medical group says it’s owed millions for procedures on inmates.

Idaho’s doing better than in previous years when it comes to emergency preparedness. That's according to a new national study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

The finish line is in sight for the Idaho Legislature. Lawmakers pushed through nearly 100 bills this week as they worked to wrap up and go home. They won’t officially end until next week, even though they’ve worked through the major issues of the 2018 session.

The federal government weighed in on Idaho’s attempt to skirt provisions in the Affordable Care Act. On Thursday, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a letter to state leaders warning them they were on thin ice with the proposed policies.

A bill that would restore dental coverage to some Idaho Medicaid patients passed the House Health and Welfare Committee Tuesday.

The state of Idaho is attempting to lower insurance premiums by proposing policies that scrap key provisions established in the Affordable Care Act. Called legally dubious by some opponents, the state’s attempt at closing the so-called insurance gap in the Gem State by disregarding Obamacare mandates is thought to be the first of its kind in the nation.

Idaho Governor Butch Otter (R) signed an Executive Order Friday that would allow insurance companies to create new health care plans that shave off some of the requirements of the Affordable Health Care Act.