Science

Health care is probably taking a bigger chunk out of your paycheck than it was a decade ago. The rising cost of insurance and deductibles has been dramatic whether you work for a small business or a large one.The average deductible – the amount you pay your doctor or hospital before insurance picks up the cost – has doubled since 2003 in Washington state, and across the nation. It’s common to pay nearly $1,000 out-of-pocket for an individual, and more than $2,000 for a  family, according to a report published by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, which supports health care reform."Deductibles have more than doubled across the nation in these 8 years [2003-2011]," says Cathy Schoen [shane], the lead author of a new report. "By 2011, high deductibles are the norm, rather than the exception."At the same time, the amount that comes out of every paycheck for insurance, called the monthly premium, is also up. The total cost of the average family’s insurance is nearly one-fifth of their income, according to the report. The authors say the new federal Affordable Care Act should help slow the trend of rising costs. They credit the new health-insurance exchanges, where individuals and smaller businesses will be able to shop for insurance, and the push toward more integrated medical systems, which they envision as keeping a lid on medical payments. Other groups say neither of these changes are proven to lower costs, and they fear the new regulations could make insurance even more expensive, especially in the short-run.

Health care is probably taking a bigger chunk out of your paycheck than it was a decade ago. The rising cost of insurance and deductibles has been dramatic whether you work for a small business or a large one.The average deductible – the amount you pay your doctor or hospital before insurance picks up the cost – has doubled since 2003 in Washington state, and across the nation. It’s common to pay nearly $1,000 out-of-pocket for an individual, and more than $2,000 for a  family, according to a report published by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, which supports health care reform."Deductibles have more than doubled across the nation in these 8 years [2003-2011]," says Cathy Schoen [shane], the lead author of a new report. "By 2011, high deductibles are the norm, rather than the exception."At the same time, the amount that comes out of every paycheck for insurance, called the monthly premium, is also up. The total cost of the average family’s insurance is nearly one-fifth of their income, according to the report. The authors say the new federal Affordable Care Act should help slow the trend of rising costs. They credit the new health-insurance exchanges, where individuals and smaller businesses will be able to shop for insurance, and the push toward more integrated medical systems, which they envision as keeping a lid on medical payments. Other groups say neither of these changes are proven to lower costs, and they fear the new regulations could make insurance even more expensive, especially in the short-run.

Health care is probably taking a bigger chunk out of your paycheck than it was a decade ago. The rising cost of insurance and deductibles has been dramatic whether you work for a small business or a large one.The average deductible – the amount you pay your doctor or hospital before insurance picks up the cost – has doubled since 2003 in Washington state, and across the nation. It’s common to pay nearly $1,000 out-of-pocket for an individual, and more than $2,000 for a  family, according to a report published by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, which supports health care reform."Deductibles have more than doubled across the nation in these 8 years [2003-2011]," says Cathy Schoen [shane], the lead author of a new report. "By 2011, high deductibles are the norm, rather than the exception."At the same time, the amount that comes out of every paycheck for insurance, called the monthly premium, is also up. The total cost of the average family’s insurance is nearly one-fifth of their income, according to the report. The authors say the new federal Affordable Care Act should help slow the trend of rising costs. They credit the new health-insurance exchanges, where individuals and smaller businesses will be able to shop for insurance, and the push toward more integrated medical systems, which they envision as keeping a lid on medical payments. Other groups say neither of these changes are proven to lower costs, and they fear the new regulations could make insurance even more expensive, especially in the short-run.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The school shootings in Connecticut have an extra layer of sadness for parents whose children are mentally ill.In fact, Washington’s and America's main advocacy group for the mentally ill -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -- was organized by a Seattle mother back in the 1970s, after her son, filled with schizophrenic delusions, shot and killed a man. KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld sat down with that mother, Eleanor Owen, to hear what she’s learned since then -- and how she would apply those lessons today. "It's unfair to keep people locked up. But it's more unfair to prevent them from getting early intervention and treatment," says Owen. "I want a little more common sense, and a little more compassion, not just for their theoretical rights, but for that human being. That's what I would like to see happen."  (For the complete story, click the "listen" button above.)--- If you'd like to know more about Eleanor Owen, here's a profile by Maureen O'Hagan in The Seattle Times. Another local mom whose son eventually ended up in Western State Hospital was profiled last monthby Diana Hefley  in The Everett Herald. A blog post by a mother has become an internet sensation, describing her struggles to help her son.

The whooping cough epidemic in Washington is nearly over – but not soon enough for a baby in King County. The newborn was Washington’s first fatality this year, despite a near-record number of infections."The baby had gone home, and we believe it was exposed to someone with unrecognized pertussis, got infected, and then developed complications and died," says Jeff Duchin, chief of epidemiology for Public Health Seattle & King County.The newborn was less than two months old – meaning it was too young to get vaccinated against whooping cough. The first shots are given after two months.Protecting those young babies is one reason a booster shot is recommended for adults and older children. The illness is typically like a cold, in adults, but with a cough that can last for months.A new strategy involves vaccinating pregnant women."By vaccinating the mom, she produces high levels of antibodies and they get transferred to the baby, and the baby is born with good antibody protection," says Duchin.The federal advisory group on vaccines has been studying whether this would work, and the group announced in October this is the best way to protect newborns, suggesting for the first time that the Tdap booster (which also includes tetanus and diptheria) should be given during every pregnancy, regardless of whether the mother has had recent tetanus boosters. Previously, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the shot only if the mother hadn't had a recent booster.The Tdap booster must be given in the final months of pregnancy, or the benefits will wear off before the baby is born.The recommendation is so new many doctors may not be aware of it. Nationally, less than 3% of pregnant women were given the Tdap booster last year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Immunizing family members also helps -- by providing a "cocoon" of immunity around a newborn.The epidemic in Washington this year has led to more than 4,600 infections, the most in this state since 1941.