Briefly...

• By Laurie Watanabe
• May 10, 2023

Study: Sleep Apnea Can Lead to Cognitive Changes in Men

A new study published in Frontiers in Sleep found that men with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but no comorbidities exhibited cognitive changes such as poorer executive functioning, visuospatial memory, and deficits in impulse control. The small study involved 27 middle-aged men with untreated OSA and no comorbidities. “Our findings suggest that distinct, OSA-driven processes may be sufficient for cognitive changes to occur as early as middle age, in otherwise healthy individuals,” the study said.

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Judge: Class-Action Suit Against Florida Medicaid Can Proceed

U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has said a suit against Florida’s Medicaid program can proceed as a class action. The suit, brought initially by two women and Disability Rights Florida, involves the Medicaid program’s refusal to cover incontinence supplies for adults with disabilities.

According to multiple April reports — including from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid —Morales Howard wrote in her decision, “Here, AHCA’s [Agency for Health Care Administration] policy categorically excluding incontinence supplies for persons over the age of 21 from Medicaid coverage applies generally to the proposed class. Moreover, plaintiffs seek a declaration that this policy violates federal law and a permanent injunction prohibiting AHCA from continuing to implement this policy. If plaintiffs were to succeed in their challenges, such injunctive and declaratory relief would be appropriate with respect to all members of the class.”

The incontinence products in question include briefs, diapers and underpads.