Heat is a serious threat to people’s health, and it’s made even more dangerous in Washington state because many people don’t have air conditioning. Some tips can help people keep cool, especially if they don’t have air conditioning.
The state has already experienced record-breaking heat this summer.
Dr. Scott Itano is a primary care physician for Kasier Permanente in Washington.
When temperatures are high, Itano advises people to avoid going outside during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. He also advises cooling down with cold water and drinking more water than usual.
“If you don’t have air conditioning, try to go to public facilities that have air conditioning,” Itano said. “Things like public libraries or shopping malls or things like that. Even just a few hours in an air-conditioned environment can really help you get through the day when we have these intense heat waves.”
The northwest of the country has traditionally had the least air conditioning. However, the heat waves of recent years have changed that.
In Seattle, for example, more than half of households had air conditioning in 2021, up from just 31% in 2013.
According to Itano, there is a wide spectrum of heat-related illnesses – starting with heat exhaustion, which causes tiredness, fatigue or dizziness. He said a more serious condition is heat stroke.
“Then you’ll start to experience symptoms similar to a stroke,” Itano said. “You might faint, have a seizure or have changes in your mental state. These are definitely more serious symptoms and if you have them, you should call 911 or seek emergency treatment immediately.”
Itano said certain groups of people are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, including the elderly and younger people. He noted that people with chronic illnesses should also be cautious.
“If you have diabetes, asthma, lung disease or heart disease, heat increases stress on the body,” Itano said. “Any stressor to the body worsens these conditions and potentially increases your risk.”
Disclosure: The Kaiser Health Plan of Washington Project donates to our fund for coverage of alcohol and drug abuse prevention, health issues, hunger/food/nutrition and senior issues. If you would like to help us support news in the public interest, click here.
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Nonprofits across North Carolina are calling on hospitals to help pay off the state’s $4 billion in medical debt.
A group of Black nonprofit leaders has signed a letter urging hospital CEOs to support a medical debt relief program initiated by the North Carolina Department of Health.
Nicole Dozier, director of the Health Advocacy Project at the North Carolina Justice Center, said reducing medical debt could help improve the health of people across the state.
“People are going to cut off their medical care if they can’t pay back their existing debt,” she said. “And the way things are now, medical debt is affecting people’s credit scores, which in turn affects their ability to get an apartment or a car and really be able to afford their basic needs.”
The program would incentivize hospitals to cancel all bad medical debt incurred since January 2014 for low-income people. It would also implement bill rebates, automatically enroll patients in financial assistance programs and prevent hospitals from reporting debt to credit bureaus.
Current data shows that in 2022, 20% of North Carolinians had medical debt to collect, compared to 25% of people of color.
Dozier said this initiative is critical to leveling the playing field for communities facing systemic racism and economic inequality and related poor health outcomes.
“The black community has significantly higher rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, HIV, diabetes and certain cancers,” she said. “We know that an attack on health equity will have a direct impact on the entire community, but also on the black community.”
The state Department of Health is partnering with Undue Medical Debt to make it easier for hospitals to participate in the medical debt relief program.
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According to a new report, Washington state residents are concerned about the rising cost of health care – in some cases they are even refusing treatment because of the high costs.
The survey found that 57% of respondents had stopped seeking medical care or changed their prescription drug regimen in the past year due to cost, and one in three Washingtonians reported living in a household with medical debt.
Sam Hatzenbeler is senior policy fellow at the Economic Opportunity Institute, part of the coalition that commissioned the poll.
“The results of the survey are very alarming,” stressed Hatzenbeler. “More than half of the respondents said they were forced to use money from their budget for food, heating and accommodation, use up all or most of their savings or struggle to cover basic needs to pay for health care.”
About 63 percent of respondents said they could not pay or would have difficulty paying an unexpected $500 medical bill. The survey found that black and Latino communities have more trouble paying health care costs than white communities.
The nonprofit group Fair Health Prices Washington partnered with the national organization United States of Care for the survey.
Bill Kramer, senior health policy adviser at the Purchaser Business Group on Health, said consolidation in the industry has left people and companies with little bargaining power, adding that this is a major problem for small businesses.
“These high prices and rapid premium increases have led to slower business growth and lower business investment. It’s harder to attract and retain employees, it displaces wages, and many small businesses simply cannot afford to offer health insurance benefits,” he said.
Last week, the Washington State Insurance Commissioner’s Office released a report analyzing five policies that could help the state contain health care costs.
Hatzenbeler described these measures as a possible roadmap for the next legislative session. She also noted that 87% of Washingtonians across party lines want lawmakers to take action.
“It’s time for politicians to come up with ideas that could really make a difference to people’s wallets,” she continued.
Disclosure: The Economic Opportunity Institute donates to our fund for coverage of fiscal policies and priorities, education, living wage/working families, and seniors issues. If you would like to help us support news in the public interest, click here.
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August 10 marks the second anniversary of President Joe Biden’s signing of the Honoring Our PACT Act.
The PACT Act was intended to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. Two years later, a North Carolina group that advocates for the program is evaluating its impact.
Allison Jaslow, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said this was critical for soldiers like her who were exposed to toxic substances.
“On my second deployment, I slept next to a place called Camp Trash Can, and that was my unit’s camp,” Jaslow said. “We slept there every day. And we spent almost 15 months there with smoke from the fire pits coming into our living quarters, so bad it even penetrated our air conditioning units.”
Jaslow’s experience is similar to that of many other veterans who have been exposed to burn pits or toxic water, such as soldiers at Camp Lejeune. She noted that people who previously struggled to seek medical attention are now receiving life-saving treatment and have access to preventive care and screenings.
Jaslow noted that another significant benefit of the PACT Act is that it will bring more veterans into the Department of Veterans Affairs system, where they can receive care from professionals who understand how military service affects their health. While she praised the positive impact of the law, she acknowledged that more work remains to be done.
“We must continue to ensure that there is no difference between a woman entering a VA health center and receiving the appropriate support and care that she needs and that our country wants to give her, or whether they are male veterans,” Jaslow stressed.
Jaslow stressed that adequate funding, support and equipment, such as mammography machines, are needed to improve care for veterans. She stressed that keeping the Department of Veterans Affairs workforce healthy is important to ensure quality care for all veterans.
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