Veterans health care coverage; Highest childhood vaccine exemptions; heart disease calculator - Morning Medical Update

Veterans health care coverage

The White House announced on Friday the expansion of health care for the nation’s veterans. Under the expanded coverage, all health care, including nursing home fees will be free for World War II veterans. Biden also accelerated enrollment for the PACT Act, which expands benefits for veterans exposed to toxins. “President Biden believes we have a sacred obligation to care for our nation’s veterans and their families,” the White House said in a statement. “Simply put, we owe them a debt we can never fully repay.”

Highest childhood vaccine exemptions

Childhood vaccine exemptions in the United States have reached an all-time high at 3%, a direct result of the political environment borne from the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say. The highest rates of exemptions are in the West and Midwest. Idaho exemption rates are currently at 12% while New York rates are at 0.1%.

Heart disease calculator

The American Heart Association has introduced PREVENT (Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs), a cardiovascular risk calculator. The calculator can estimate 10- and 30-year risks for people ages 30 to 79. The algorithms are based on data from more than six million adults from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds.