More smokers would quit if state Medicaid programs covered more cessation treatments and removed barriers to coverage, according to a CDC study published in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. All 50 states and the District of Columbia cover cessation treatments for at least some Medicaid enrollees.

U.S. health departments are saving an estimated $15 million in treating TB among immigrants to the U.S., thanks to CDC recommendations that people be screened for the disease prior to their arrival in the country.

Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that watching television for too long or sitting too close can damage your eyes. Young children often sit close to the television screen because they have a greater ability to focus on objects closer to their eyes than adults do. Due to this, children hold their reading material close as well.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today at a hearing to discuss EPA’s proposed FY 2015 budget.
 

Our nation’s most abused drug is legal and sitting in the medicine cabinet. Fatal drug overdoses are an epidemic, with opioid prescription painkiller overdoses accounting for the majority of these deaths, says the National Safety Council in a press release.

With excessive sodium intake the culprit in health problems ranging from hypertension to osteoporosis and kidney disorders, health experts are in agreement that Americans should reduce the amount of salt they consume. Just how to do that is challenging, given the abundance of salty snacks and high-sodium commercial prepared foods that are commonplace in our diets.