LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- A new survey shows most Americans are worried about out-of-pocket healthcare costs - deductibles, premiums and co-pays, and Nevadans are no exception.

Stephanie Hrisca-Kennedy of Las Vegas has a four-year-old with severe hemophilia, who needs expensive medication with no generic substitute.

She said her insurance provider offers a policy that would have left her family with $7,000 a year in co-pays. Her son has qualified for a program that allows them to navigate around the policy, but she pointed out many other folks don't have that option.

"It puts a lot of stress on the families and it makes them start to rethink, okay, should we be finding somewhere to live that's cheaper, so we can save the money?" Hrisca-Kennedy explained. "Should we get another part-time job to come up with the cost, so that we can continue these medications?"

In the survey, from the group Consumers for Quality Care, 72% of respondents said they struggle to budget because of the unpredictability of out-of-pocket medical costs. And nearly 15% of Nevadans pay more than 10% of their annual household income for insurance premiums, which is higher than the national average.

Kelly Gonzalez, a chronic disease educator in Las Vegas, has also had to jump through hoops to get medications for her family because of policies aimed at reducing costs for the insurance companies.

She said in order to implement cost-cutting policies, more flexibility is needed.

"Those 30% of the population that do have to have a name-brand, or do have to have co-pay assistance, or that can't go in and out of the hospital; those people are the people that I worry about," Gonzalez stated. "I'm one of those people; my husband's one of those people; our children are those people."

Jason Resendez, a board member of Consumers for Quality Care, noted for those who are most susceptible to COVID-19, such as people with underlying health conditions like diabetes or hypertension, preventive care is critical.

"It's these high premiums and co-pays and deductibles that really create a barrier to preventative care and create, I think, susceptibility to COVID, and possibly to future pandemics," Resendez argued.

Seven in ten people surveyed feel insurance companies are "nickel-and-diming" them.

And while most said they want healthcare-system reforms, a majority also agreed any changes need to be made carefully as the nation recovers from the pandemic.


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A new report on lung cancer by the American Lung Association showed Maryland has quite a bit of room to improve diagnoses and treatment but experts said the state has taken some big steps in tackling it.

The report showed almost 17% of Marylanders at high risk for lung cancer were screened, a little less than the national average. Maryland fared better in other metrics, including lower rates of adult smokers and people unable to access treatment.

Aleks Casper, Maryland director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, said to improve the state's standing, Marylanders at risk of lung cancer need to be screened at higher rates.

"If we can get people screened, our chances of impacting all the other metrics improve," Casper explained. "If we get people screened and we can find it early, then we can connect them to treatment and we can connect them to surgery, which impacts outcomes."

The report also noted Latinos in Maryland are the least likely group to be diagnosed early.

Casper pointed out certain policies in Maryland have removed barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Just this year, Maryland became one of 15 states to require insurance to cover biomarker testing, including for lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute described biomarker testing as using a sample of tissue, blood or other fluid to look for genes or chromosomes which could increase a person's likelihood of developing certain cancers, which Casper emphasized is critical.

"Being able to test and determine what the best type of treatment for that person's disease, that kind of really individualized care and giving people access to that, is really important," Casper added.

Those who want to find out if they're eligible to be screened for lung cancer can take a quick test at savedbythescan.org.


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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

Walking pneumonia cases in central Indiana have seen a steep increase in recent weeks, local physicians say.

"But what we've seen this summer, starting in July and August, was an explosion in the number of cases," said Dr. John Christenson, associate medical director of infection prevention at Riley Hospital for Children. "Some require admissions to intensive care units. Children die, adults die .. sometimes it invades the brain and it can cause an infection there."

Walking pneumonia is generally considered less severe than pneumonia, but can have lasting impacts if not caught early on. The disease is caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, which can damage the lining of the respiratory tract, according to the CDC.

It is spread through droplets released when someone coughs or sneezes.

"Symptoms can begin mildly with sore throat, cough, or chest pain," Christenson said.

About two million people are diagnosed with the disease each year. This year is different, though.

While it's common for young children and adolescents to be impacted, small children born during the Covid-19 lockdown are seeing a surge in cases.

The CDC said diagnoses in kids between two and four years old jumped from 1% to 7.2% over a six-month time span this year.

"We saw a rebound after Covid," Christenson said.

During lockdown, people were wearing masks, staying home, and were not at school and work.

"What happened was a lot of people who could acquire an infection around that time, didn't," Christenson said. "So, now they're all susceptible. You bring in a new germ or an old germ into an environment and it spreads like wildfire."

Several local schools have seen an increase in students, asking parents to be on the lookout for symptoms and to take their child to a physician if needed.

As holiday gatherings begin, Christenson is heeding a similar call, especially in severe cases.

"That's when you need to take them to their healthcare professional to have them seen, and in some cases, get X-rays," Christenson said.

Additionally, Christenson said it is important to make sure families are up-to-date on all vaccinations.


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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More than one in three children is now overweight or obese, according to new research published in the Lancet medical journal.

The study found while Kentucky and other southern states are forecast to continue seeing rising levels of childhood obesity, some other states, such as Utah, will experience even higher spikes.

Ben Chandler, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said the Commonwealth is struggling to address health care and quality of life for kids.

"I think we're 45th in being overweight," Chandler observed. "It leads to a shorter life expectancy. It leads to tremendous spikes in the odds of getting any number of diseases and it has a huge cost attributed to it. "

Almost half of teens and young adults now are either overweight or obese, compared with 29% in 1990. The number is expected to jump by between 31% and 50% for adolescents, and by 29% to 33% for kids ages 6-11.

Chandler argued the state should increase funding for physical activity programs in schools and address the persistent lack of access to healthy and affordable fresh food. He added the issue cannot be tackled solely through individual behavior changes.

"There are a lot of environmental factors that are involved here," Chandler pointed out. "There's a lot of money, quite frankly, being spent in advertising for things that are bad for you."

The study also found among U.S. adults, if the current pattern continues, more than 250 million people will be overweight or obese by 2050.