CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire advocates for affordable healthcare access want Congress to lower prescription costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies.

Drug prices have risen faster than any other facet of medicine, and Laura Lynch - a 62-year-old New Hampshire resident who's covered by Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance - said she spends $300 to $350 a month just on co-pays for medications for herself and her husband.

They're also receiving collection notices, because Lynch said they can't afford the ambulance bills from a heart attack her husband had in February.

"This is ridiculously hard," said Lynch. "Sometimes I just want to cry, because I don't know where it's going to come from, the next penny or dollar to pay these bills. I am so for 'Medicare for All.' But I'm also so for them fixing Medicare, so that situations like this don't come up and we lose everything."

President Joe Biden's budget plan includes improvements to Medicare, such as allowing negotiations with drug companies. Lynch adds for her and many others, it's urgent that Congress take action.

Today is the 56th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, which together provide health coverage to more than 120 million people.

Zandra Rice Hawkins, executive director of the group Granite State Progress, said drug companies have a monopoly to set their own prices. She noted other government programs already negotiate with drug companies, and sometimes pay half of what Medicare pays for medicines.

She said allowing Medicare to negotiate would make prescriptions much for affordable for all consumers.

"Lawmakers have not taken meaningful action over the last decade to rein in drug corporations power to price gouge," she said, "despite strong support for policies like Medicare negotiations among all voters of all political persuasions."

The White House plan also would close the Medicaid coverage gap - New Hampshire has expanded its Medicaid program, but in the dozen states that have not, more than two million people don't fit the eligibility requirements, but also can't afford employer-based or marketplace health insurance.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Only 20% of kids nationwide are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, according to a new United Health Foundation report that examines the health of women and children.

The report is based largely on federal data from 2019 leading into the pandemic, and looks at more than 100 measures of health. Dr. Ravi Johar, chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare, said that percentage has likely gotten worse over the past year, putting more kids at risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes.

"It is worrisome because weight gain we know earlier in life can have consequences later in life," he said. "So it's just something that needs to be looked at closely."

The report ranked Tennessee 32nd in the nation for kids' physical activity. Johar added that children's mental health also is a cause for concern, noting that anxiety among kids is widespread and on the rise. Nationwide, teen suicide has jumped 26% since 2014. The report found more than 7,000 kids ages 15 to 19 ended their lives in the two years before the pandemic began.

Tennessee ranks 34th in the nation for families' access to well-child visits and 22nd for developmental screenings. Johar said a nationwide shortage of doctors is contributing to the dip in the number of kids in waiting rooms.

"We know there's decreased access to pediatricians and to women's health-care professionals," he said. "So, maybe telehealth will be able to help with some of those things."

Jason Rensendez, a member of the Consumers for Quality Care board, said Tennessee kids continue to fall short when it comes to health coverage. He encouraged parents and caregivers to research plans to ensure their children can get preventive care.

"As vaccines are starting to become more readily available to children," he said, "understanding what those COVID coverage plans are in your insurance plan."

The United Health Foundation report ranked Tennessee 26th in the nation for the number of uninsured kids and 44th in the nation for kids' access to preventive care.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Research is evolving to examine links between COVID-19 and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Alongside that work is a message for Minnesotans and their caregivers: Don't give up hope while navigating the pandemic.

This Friday, Mayo Clinic, AARP and the Alzheimer's Association will host a virtual conference to recognize families for what they've endured as a loved one battles dementia during the crisis.

Angela Lunde, a co-investigator at Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, said many of these individuals already were accustomed to social isolation, even before the pandemic.

"How do we come out of that darkness," she said, "and really celebrate the fact that we now perhaps have a greater sense of empathy for what experience of living with dementia can and always has been?"

Organizers have said that's why the message of hope is a perfect theme for the conference. In addition to stories, the online event includes tips to improve the well-being of people living with dementia. It will begin at 9:15 a.m. Friday CDT nd run through mid-afternoon.

A recent study from England found Alzheimer's and COVID-19 share a genetic risk factor.

Anne Wagner of Shakopee has been helping care for her husband, Steve, who recently was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. She said it's important for caregivers to remain a stabilizing force for everyone involved, "trying to provide the best environment for both them and the care-partner to live their best life."

Steve Wagner said even when there are setbacks in research to find a cure, it isn't a reason to lose hope. He said confirming his diagnosis has allowed him to focus on managing the disease.

"In some ways, it was a relief from before," he said. "We just didn't know what was going on."

Mayo experts have said there's promising news on the research front, noting that technology soon could make it easier for doctors to detect warning signs, even before symptoms begin to surface.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is a heightened effort this week to inform Ohio families about the dangers of a silent poison. Because lead is invisible and the damage it causes is delayed, addressing lead poisoning is tricky.

A recent study found 5% of Ohio kids have elevated blood lead levels, which is more than double the national average.

Dr. Matthew Tien, a pediatrician at MetroHealthSystem and co-chair of the MetroHealthLead Coalition, said even low levels of lead in the body can cause problems with growth, behavior and learning.

"Studies that have been done show that the higher the lead level, the more dramatic effect it can have on lowering IQ," Tien explained. "Obviously, the higher the lead level, the more terrifying. But finding even a level of 'one' is significant. There's no known safe level of lead."

Tien pointed out 40% of high-risk kids in Ohio do not get needed lead blood tests, and noted MetroHealth Hospital improved their rates dramatically in the past year by having children tested during medical appointments, instead of sending families to a lab.

During National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Ohioans are encouraged to have their homes and children tested for lead.

Timothy Johnson, policy associate for the Ohio Poverty Law Center and representative of the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition, said kids in Ohio have high levels of lead due to old housing and poverty. He explained two-thirds of houses in Ohio might contain lead.

"You will see issues like this concentrated in some urban centers, mostly in brown and Black neighborhoods that have seen historic neglect," Johnson observed. "But it's in our rural areas to win at Perry Heights, high rates there as well. So this is not just an issue that's concentrated in one part of the state or the other. It's statewide."

The Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition has created a nine-point action plan for Lead-Free Children by 2030. It includes helping homeowners eliminate lead hazards, researching new ways to protect kids from lead, and improving supports for those exposed to lead.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.