HealthConnections

Two weeks ago, we explored questions about the present and future of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. In this edition of HealthConnections, we continue the conversation with a focus on Medicare.

Dr. Carole Myers examines the funding and future of Medicare, and outlines potential budget cuts that have been proposed.

In the past year Republicans on Capitol Hill have tried three times to repeal, replace or repair the Affordable Care Act. The issue has largely dropped off the front page, and doesn’t get as much public attention as it did last year. But proposals that would affect the ACA and Medicaid haven’t gone away. State governments are acting on their own. This fall, voters in Nevada and Utah will decide whether to expand Medicaid. And President Trump has called for cutting $1.5 trillion from the program over the next decade.

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Disease Awareness Month. While you are likely quite aware of Alzheimer's, you may not know how it works, what sets its effects apart from other neurological issues, or even its departure from normal aging processes.

In this edition of HealthConnections, we set out to separate fact and fiction regarding Alzheimer's. Dr. Carole Myers speaks with Joel Anderson, a University of Tennessee researcher whose work focuses on Alzheimer's and related illnesses and their effect on caregivers.

The internet is riven throughout with misinformation. Some of it is malicious. Much of it is rumor, hearsay, misinterpretation or otherwise well-meaning but still inaccurate. Regardless of the motive, bad information is bad information. When it comes to your health, or that of your family, that misinformation can lead to bad outcomes.

The number-one cause of death for American teenagers is accidents. But the second-highest cause isn't violent crime, or drug overdoses, or severe illness. It's suicide. In this edition of HealthConnections, Dr. Carole Myers and WUOT's Brandon Hollingsworth explore the causes, warning signs and prevention of teen suicide.

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES

Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network