Health & Safety

Health & Safety

Hospital Costs Go Public: What Changes In Health Care?

2:00pm May 08, 2013

The federal government launched a database Wednesday that shows how much hospitals charge for the 100 most common procedures. The data reveals extreme variances in hospital billing. One hospital in Dallas, Texas charges $38,000 for treating pneumonia, while another charges over $14,000.

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Why Calif. Doesn't Want Smokers To Pay More For Health Insurance

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Stephanie O'Neill

The federal health law allows states to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for a health plan sold through the new exchanges. But a bill moving forward in the California Legislature would prevent that from happening.

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Health & Safety

Bedside Manner: Conversations With Patients About Death

2:29pm May 06, 2013

Doctors often struggle with conversations about death — navigating the murky waters of when and how to convey the risks of procedures and prospects for life expectancy. When doctors are less than forthcoming, out of sensitivity or haste, difficult situations become even more complex.

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Marine Sgt. Maj. Damion Jacobs (left) and Marine Capt. Cam West visit with Boston emergency workers who responded to the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Health & Safety

From Battlefield To Boston: Marine Comforts Bombing Survivors

1:17pm May 06, 2013

by Tom Bowman

Marine Capt. Cam West lost one of his legs to a bomb in Afghanistan. Now part of the Semper Fi Fund, he's inspiring others with similar injuries to look ahead with hope.

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Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, center, exits the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colo., on Wednesday after touring the facility. Hickenlooper has proposed closing the facility due to budget concerns.

Colorado Weighs Reopening Psychiatric Hospital For Homeless

4:22pm May 03, 2013

by Eric Whitney

Colorado's Democratic governor wants to move mentally ill homeless people to Fort Lyon, a former psychiatric hospital and prison in the southeast corner of the state. Critics say it would make more sense to rent apartments for the people in the neighborhoods where they are now.

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Celeste Corcoran is transported to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital on April 28.

Health & Safety

Recovery Begins For Mother, Daughter Injured In Boston

4:19pm May 03, 2013

by Richard Knox

Fewer than three weeks after they were severely injured in the Boston Marathon bombings, Celeste Corcoran and her 18-year-old daughter, Sydney, are entering a new phase of recovery and rehabilitation. Part of their healing is emotional, not physical.

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Soon after President Obama spoke at Planned Parenthood's national conference in Washington, D.C., last Friday, the administration alienated some women's health groups.

Health & Safety

Women's Health Groups Angered By Morning-After Pill Moves

5:27pm May 02, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Days after President Obama became the first sitting president to speak before Planned Parenthood's national conference, the administration alienated some women's health groups with a controversial decision about access to emergency contraception.

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Health & Safety

Lessons In Emergency Preparedness After Boston Bombings

2:23pm May 02, 2013

The bombings in Boston killed three and injured over 250 people. Remarkably, all of the wounded are expected to live. Scores of emergency workers mobilized to triage, tourniquet and treat injured runners and bystanders, and hospitals quickly organized surgeries, saving lives.

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Bates experienced migraines as a child. She made this painting to depict how they felt to her.

A Sleep Gene Has A Surprising Role In Migraines

10:33am May 02, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

Disruptions of sleep are well known as migraine triggers, but now researchers have found a genetic link between the two. In studying families with lots of migraines, they also found a mutation on a gene that helps control circadian rhythms.

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The New York City Council is considering a number of regulations on cigarettes, including raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes to 21.

New York Tobacco Regulations Light Up Public Health Debate

10:09am May 02, 2013

by Joel Rose

On Thursday, the City Council will debate proposals including raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes to 21. Also on the table is a ban on tobacco displays behind retail registers. Critics are pushing back, arguing that the changes won't have the intended effect.

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