State lawmakers once again rolled up their sleeves this morning at the state capitol to discuss how Utah will approach the implementation of the federal health care overhaul, assuming it’s upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, officials say there are still a lot of questions and very few answers.

Utahns who are packing on the pounds will cost the state billions of additional dollars in health care over the next few years if obesity trends continue, according to a new study by the Utah Department of Health. The report says if the rate doesn’t stabilize, Utah’s obesity related health care expenses will be about $2.4 billion by 2018, a nearly $2 billion dollar increase.

Care for patients suffering from HIV has come a long way over the past 30 years. Wednesday, the Utah AIDS foundation honored four Utahns who helped make that happen at its “Pioneers in HIV” celebration. KCPW’s Jessica Gail introduces us to those at the forefront of HIV care in Utah.

Two community health centers in Utah were awarded federal grants today as part of the health care reform law to help expand their facilities, create jobs and serve more patients. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, one facility in Salt Lake City will now be able to provide much needed dental care and substance abuse services to the homeless.

The Utah Department of Health has sent letters to nearly everyone who had their social security number stolen by hackers earlier this month in a massive Medicaid breach. Spokesman Tom Hudachko says 275,000 of the 280,000 people with stolen social security numbers have been informed, and the department is now working to identify those who had less-sensitive information compromised.

Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute have discovered a new compound that could offer hope to patients suffering from leukemia. Dr. Nikolaus Trede says researchers used baby zebrafish to test 26,000 compounds. Researchers watched how the compounds responded to T-cells similar to leukemic T-cells to determine their effect.

Patients worried about contracting the flu while in the hospital can now find out which facilities might put them at risk. The Utah Department of Health has released the vaccination rates of every licensed hospital in the state online in an effort to create greater transparency for patients. Rebecca Ward, Health Educator with the Bureau of Epidemiology, says it’s very common for patients to contract the flu from health care workers or for workers to contract the virus from patients.

Segment One: The Solitude-Canyons SkiLink plan has been praised by Utah’s GOP Congressional delegation and skewered by environmentalists.  And in this election, year the proposal is becoming a political litmus test.  On Wednesday we’ll talk about the push for and opposition to SkiLink. Guest: Mike Goar – Canyons Managing Director Segment Two: Forget the doggy [...]

The number of Utahns who could have had their data stolen in a cyberattack on a state government server continues to climb. Now, officials report 280,000 Social Security numbers were compromised, along with less sensitive data for 500,000 other people. And as State Medicaid Director Michael Hales explains, those numbers don’t just include residents who are already on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

More than 180,000 Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program recipients have had their personal information stolen in a cyber attack believed to come from Eastern Europe, state officials now say. That’s far more than they first thought.