The New Health Threats You'll Be Seeing In 2015

O N M P z W
Don’t let these new health enemies threaten you in
2015. (James Brey/Getty Images)

By Laura Tedesco

There are the health woes we worry about year
after year — think obesity, diabetes, and opioid
addiction — and then there are the ones that
threaten to catch us off guard. We’re talking
about the public health enemies that emerge
with sudden, unexpected force — and then leave
us all wondering why we didn’t see them
coming.
This year, it was Ebola, the deadly virus
responsible for thousands of lives lost in West
Africa. “Ebola has gotten most of the attention
this year,” says Scott Weaver, director of the
Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at
the University of Texas. Yet, despite fears of a
stateside epidemic, the virus never invaded U.S.
borders in serious numbers — and it’s not likely
to do so in 2015, he says, even as the war
against Ebola in West Africa rages on.
But there are other viruses — some familiar,
some not — that are poised for attack on U.S.
soil in the coming year, whether we’re ready or
not. And it’s just not infectious invaders we
have to worry about, either — there are also a
handful of homegrown health foes, ranging
from fracking to inferior health insurance,
threatening to tighten their grip in 2015.
Mosquitos may just seem like pests, but they could
actually be carrying a debilitating virus. (BSIP/
UIG/Getty Images)
CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS
The chikungunya virus may have a funny-
sounding name, but it’s nothing to laugh about.
So far, all but four states in the U.S. have
reported cases of chikungunya — and the
mosquito-borne virus’s foothold will only
increase in 2015, says Weaver. As chikungunya
spreads from the Caribbean to Central and
South America, “I suspect the number of cases
may increase, because the virus is going to be
circulating in a much larger area, with much
larger populations,” he says. “I think it’s
inevitably going to spread up through Mexico to
the U.S. border.”
Chikungunya made tabloid headlines this week
when actress Lindsay Lohan contracted the
virus while vacationing in French
Polynesia. "Being sick is no fun," Lohan
tweeted. "But happy new year everyone. Be
safe." And she shared an important lesson
learned from her experience: use bug spray.
An under-the-weather Lohan with pals in French
Polynesia. (Photo: Instagram)
And trust us, this is one virus you definitely
don’t want to catch: Chikungunya causes
debilitating, arthritis-like pain that can last for
years, says Weaver.
Right now, chikungunya — which has no known
cure — is primarily transmitted through the
Aedes aegypti mosquito, found only in the
southern United States. However, another strain
recently emerged in Brazil that may favor the
Aedes albopictus mosquito, which “can survive
further north in the temperate areas of the
U.S.,” says Weaver. “It can survive cold winters.
So if that strain is imported in travelers, it could
be a risk almost anywhere in the eastern half of
the U.S., where Aedes albopictus is present.”
Chikungunya can’t spread from person to
person — a mosquito go-between is necessary —
so you’re currently most likely to catch it while
traveling in the Caribbean, Central America, or
South America. “You really have to cover up
your skin, either with clothing or repellant, and
worry about being bitten all day long,” Weaver
says.
Unlike most mosquitos that pester us in the
States, Aedes aegypti is primarily a daytime
biter — and it will come indoors, especially
where there’s no central air or window screens.
“You can’t simply assume that when you’re
inside you’re protected,” says Weaver.
Another virus to keep your eye on: dengue.
Although it’s not yet a major concern in the
United States, the United Nations recently issued
a warning about potential outbreaks of the
deadly virus in Europe, West and Central Africa,
and South America.
Related: Say Hello to the Latest Mosquito-Borne
Virus: Chikungunya
Tempted to choose a high-deductible plan? Your
health may take a hit if you do. (Image Source/
Getty Images)
HIGH-DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLANS
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we’re all
required to have health insurance — but that
doesn’t mean we’ll all end up with quality
coverage, even if our employers are providing
the plans. Nearly a third of large employers
plan to offer only high-deductible plans in 2015,
up from 22 percent in 2014, according to the
National Business Group on Health. “There’s
been a very powerful trend toward greater
patient cost sharing in health insurance plans,”
says Paul Ginsburg, a professor at the
University of Southern California’s Schaeffer
Center for Health Policy & Economics.
In fact, according to a new American Health
Policy Institute report , “Although employers will
continue to pick up the large majority of
employee health care costs, employee
deductibles, copayments, and out-of-pocket
maximums will continue to increase.” Starting
in 2015, high-deductible plans can require out-
of-pocket spending of up to $6,450 for a single
person and $12,900 for a family.
Why the shift toward such high deductibles? For
a long time, the cost of health insurance has
been rising more rapidly than our incomes, so
companies are increasingly turning to high-
deductible plans to keep employee premiums
down, says Ginsburg.
However, there may also be a less benign
financial motive: In 2018, the ACA’s so-called
Cadillac tax will go into effect, forcing
companies to pay a 40 percent excise tax on
employee health coverage beyond $10,200 for
an individual or $27,500 for a family. In
preparation, some employers are switching to
high-deductible, low-premium plans to avoid
being hit with the tax, says Ginsburg.
It’s not just to your pocketbook that high-
deductible plans pose a threat. “Many insurance
companies and employers see deductibles as a
way to keep the use of health care services
down,” says Sabrina Corlette, a senior research
fellow at Georgetown University’s Center on
Health Insurance Reforms. “When consumers
have to pay that upfront cost for their health
care, they may be a little more reluctant to get
it. These plans can cause people to delay or
forgo care that they actually need.”
Although the ACA requires free coverage of
many preventive services, high-deductible plans
may discourage management of chronic disease
— for example, if a patient needs frequent
doctor visits and monthly prescriptions, but has
to pay the costs out of pocket, he or she may
decide to opt out of necessary care, says
Ginsburg.
His advice: If you can’t easily obtain the cash to
cover your full deductible in case of an
emergency, pick a higher-premium, lower-
deductible plan. Likewise, if you need health
care throughout the year — say, you have a
condition that requires monthly check-ups —
you may want to consider a lower-deductible
option, says Corlette.

Fadaka Louis