Child abuse rates have risen significantly since the economy went into recession, survey in Ky. and 3 other states shows

Child abuse rose as the economy went into recession, shows a study of reported abuse to children under 5 in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington.

From 2004 to December 2007, before the financial meltdown, the rate of abusive head trauma in the four states was 8.9 per 100,000 children. During 2008 and 2009, the number jumped to 14.7 per 100,000. Though the study established no cause-and-effect relationship between financial difficulties and an increase in abuse, "earlier research has tied parental stress to child maltreatment," Frederik Joelving of Reuters Health reports.

The study "showed that from 2004 to 2009, there were 422 children diagnosed with what doctors call 'abusive head trauma.' The majority ended up in intensive care units, and 16 percent died of their injuries," Joelving reports. The average child examined in the study was 9 months old.

"The number-one perpetrators are fathers and male caretakers; very few perpetrators are mothers," said Rachel Berger, a child-abuse expert at nationally recognized Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh and co-author of the study. "It's the people that mothers give their kids to that end up being the perpetrator(s)." (Read more)

Lexington council turns to wellness center to cut insurance costs

Following a national trend to improve employee health so companies can cut health-insurance costs, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council agreed Tuesday to set up a wellness center for city employees.

The center will "be voluntary and free for employees, retirees and dependents covered by the city's health insurance plan," reports Beverly Fortune of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Acute and primary care, chronic-disease management and preventive screenings will be among the services provided at the center, the location of which has not yet been chosen. It is estimated to cost $1.3 million.

Chattanooga opened a similar center in 2006. Its health insurance costs were increasing about 20 percent annually, with health benefits costing the city $16 million that year. Today, the city is saving about $5 million a year, said Madeline Green, director of risk management and incentives for the city. (Read more)

A million more young adults have health coverage; law cited

One million more young adults ages 19 to 25 had health insurance in the first quarter of 2011 than in the same period a year ago, data from the National Health Interview Survey show.

The increase is largely due to the federal health-reform law, which allows children to remain on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26, a press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. No other age group had a significant increase in coverage. (Read more)

Feds give Ky. $3 million to hold health insurers accountable

Kentucky will receive more than $3.2 million in federal grants to help state officials track health-insurance premium increases and make insurers more accountable.

The funds are part of guidelines set forth in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal health reform law. It requires makes rate increases of 10 percent or more in the individual and small-group market subject to approval by experts who will determine if the increases are reasonable. The law also requires insurers to to justify to the public rates that are considered unreasonable.

The Kentucky Department of Insurance will use the federal funds to expand the scope of its rate reviews; improve transparency by establishing a tool on its website that will give consumers access to rate filings without an open records request; hire new staff, and improve its technology. (Read more)

Some worry that patient care will get shortchanged as Kentucky Medicaid moves to managed care

While moving Kentucky's Medicaid patients to managed care for will likely reduce costs to the taxpayers, patient care shouldn't be shortchaged in the effort to save a buck, Deb McGrath writes in an op-ed piece in The Courier-Journal.

"It is critical for quality patient care to always remain a priority," writes McGrath, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana. "All citizens, including the 540,000 Kentuckians under the new managed care plans, deserve access to the best possible care recommended by their doctors."

McGrath is concerned about the "fail first" policy, also known as step therapy. "In this practice, the insurer will initially cover only the least costly medication in any drug class, forcing doctors to prescribe these medications first," she writes. "This is problematic because many times there are different medications that the physician feels would be the most effective treatment."

The policy can adversely affect Kentucky's 90,000 patients who have epilepsy, a disease that comprises 40 different seizure types and epileptic syndromes. "Fail first is not something a person with epilepsy wants to hear, especially when this policy can compromise their well-being and even their life," McGrath writes. "I urge Gov. Steve Beshear, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, our state legislators and the new managed care organizations to keep patient care in mind as they get ready to implement this new system on Nov. 1." (Read more)

MODEL REFLECTION

Tyra Banks greets eager fans for another signing of her new young adult novel Modelland at a Miami Neiman Marcus on Monday.

The Best Dressed Celebs at the Front Row

Beyonce showed off her growing baby bump in a sequined dress, Kim Kardashian was elegant in a Vera Wang gown and Lea Michele channeled retro glamor at the Jason Wu show.