Health Care
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Health Care
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Biden's resistant to taking a cognitive test. Here’s what they are |
President Biden is facing calls to undergo cognitive testing and release the results after his disastrous debate last month, and amid a series of reports about his apparent decline in recent months. |
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He has not taken one and has dismissed calls to do so. Trump on Friday reiterated his call for Biden to take a cognitive test, taunting him and saying they should go together.
Trump, who is nearing 80, has often boasted about his own performance on cognitive tests, including a short screening in 2018 called the Mini-Cog. This test involves asking participants to listen and repeat three words listed to them and drawing a clock.
If the results of this screening are abnormal, that would be a sign for a patient to undergo more advanced tests such as the mini mental status examination or the more recently developed Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
Trump has previously boasted of passing the MoCA test with a perfect score. Kevin O’Connor, physician to the president, wrote in February that Biden underwent an “extremely detailed neurologic exam” during his annual physical that yielded “reassuring” results. He did not mention if any cognitive tests were involved.
Both tests assess mental impairment by asking questions of patients, evaluating different areas of cognition like language, recall and attention
If a patient scores poorly on the Mini-Cog or the MoCA test, they can be referred for more extensive neurocognitive testing.
Cognitive tests are recommended during Medicare annual wellness visits and, according to Carla Perissinotto, professor in the division of geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, having a baseline early on between the ages of 65 and 70 is extremely helpful in tracking signs of cognitive decline. Changes in memory are not the only indicator of cognitive decline, Perissinotto said. Certain types of dementia can present primarily through behavioral changes. And some changes are simply natural with aging. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) has been reshaping how he talks about abortion amid widespread speculation that he could be tapped as former President Trump’s running mate. Much like Trump, who is expected to announce his vice president pick by this weekend, Vance has been trying to show he can moderate on the issue. During his campaign for Senate, Vance applauded the overturning of Roe v. Wade and supported … |
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – More than 2,000 patients from two Portland, Ore.-area hospitals might have been exposed to several types of infections after a physician possibly violated hospital protocols, health officials and Providence and Legacy health systems announced Thursday. In a statement, the Oregon Health Authority said its healthcare-associated infection program is working with Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center in Gresham … |
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Ozempic use is associated with a lowered risk for cognitive problems, researchers in a new study said. The findings, however, cannot be applied to users who do not have diabetes. The study, published Thursday, was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford who analyzed more than 100,000 U.S. patient records, including 20,000 who were taking a semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic or Wegovy. Researchers found … |
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Mind the Gap: The Cost of Mental Health Disparities | July 24 in Washington, D.C. | In person & streaming nationally This July, in honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, please join The Hill as we convene a diverse group of administration officials, lawmakers, medical providers and advocates to discuss the impact of mental health inequities in the United States. Speakers include: - Daniel Dawes, founding dean, Meharry School of Global Health
- Dr. Gary Puckrein, president, National Minority Quality Forum
- Daniel Gillison, CEO, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
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Dr. Patrice Harris, former AMA president
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Branch out with a different read: |
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What to know about legal battles on details of abortion rights ballot measures across US |
Abortion access ballot measures are the center of a new wave of legal and procedural questions across the U.S. Opponents of abortion access have focused on the technicalities at a time when votes have been siding with abortion access advocates. That side has prevailed on all seven ballot questions in the last two years. Abortion-related … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
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He reported a possible H5N1 outbreak in dairy cows. It took officials weeks to respond (Los Angeles Times)
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Colorado dropped Medicaid enrollees as red states have, alarming advocates for the poor (KFF Health News)
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500k enrolled in NC's Medicaid expansion program, Gov. Roy Cooper says (ABC11)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
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Manchin walks back bizarre comment on vote for gender-affirming care restrictions in defense bill (The Independent)
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Why nursing home residents still suffer despite tough state laws (New York Times/KFF Health News)
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1 in 10 people infected during pregnancy develop long covid, study finds (
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