Flooding is a possibility this week as excessive rainfall may produce flash flooding. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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Researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical found that despite increasing obesity rates, severely obese individuals are receiving fewer surgeries. Kace Kieschnick has more…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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Nearly the entire state is under a flood watch as tropical moisture from a disturbance in the Gulf interacts with a stalled cold front, which is expected to produce between three to six inches of rain, with the possibility that some areas could see up to ten inches of rain fall over the next few days. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim…
Keim says Louisiana residents should be prepared for heavy rains and the possibility of flooding.
Cut 4 (06) “…big time flooding.”
Keim says the chances for rain are high every day through Saturday. He says once this week ends, it’s likely the state will no longer be concerned with drought conditions…
Keim says we could see the biggest rainfall totals on Tuesday going into Wednesday, but again a heavy downpour is possible every day this week, especially during the afternoon hours.
We’ve seen heavy rainfall across the I-20 corridor. In the Shreveport-Bossier area numerous cars had to be abandoned because they got stuck in flood waters.
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An LSU Pennington Biomedical study found that Americans with severe obesity are undergoing fewer surgical procedures. Senior author of the study, Dr. Vance Albaugh says extreme obesity can predispose patients to knee or hip replacements, heart disease and other health issues that require operation. Despite rising national obesity rates, these individuals are undergoing fewer operations.
Albaugh says one cause of this trend could be insurance coverage. He says many insurance plans do not cover bariatric surgeries or GLP-1 medications to help with extreme weight loss.
In 2024, the Louisiana Legislature and Governor Landry passed a law requiring commercial health insurance plans to include coverage for bariatric surgery. The law was supposed to go into effect in January of 2025, but Albaugh says it has yet to be enacted.
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Registration for the Fortified Roof Program lottery closes Friday at 5 p.m. 3,000 individuals will receive grants of up to ten-thousand-dollars for a new fortified roof. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says residents can create a profile and register at ldi.la.gov.
A new law signed last month allowed 50-million-dollars in Louisiana Citizens Insurance excess Katrina bonds to be allocated to the Fortified Roof Program. Temple says Louisiana is the fastest-growing state in the country for FORTIFIED.
Temple says fortified roofs protect against extreme weather and extreme homeowners’ insurance prices. Resilient roofs limit claims, prevent damage and lower insurance rates.
Cut 11 (12) “…fortified roof on.”
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The creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board is just Governor Landry’s signature away from becoming a reality. Jason Young, the co-founder of Americans for Lower Drug Prices, says Senate Bill 401, which passed overwhelmingly in the legislature, is designed to address what lawmakers say is a lack of accountability.
Young cautions that the bill does not impose any price controls or set reimbursement limits.
Cut 13 (06) “…put anything out.”
Young says Americans are paying through the roof for prescription drugs and are fed up.
Cut 14 (11) “…exact same factory?”
Young says prescription drug companies respond to that by saying transparency could hurt innovation or access to prescription drugs.