health care

New GOP Health Proposal Could Ditch Protections For People Who Are Sick

6:58pm April 20, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

The proposal allows states to put people with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools and get rid of minimum health benefits for health insurance plans if they choose.

Lawyer Behind West Virginia County Lawsuit Against Opioid Distributors

6:20pm April 20, 2017

by Ailsa Chang

Pharmaceutical distributors — the middle men in the opioid epidemic — have already been paying out millions to federal and state law enforcement officials for the companies' role in the crisis. But a new front in the legal battle against opioids has opened. One personal injury lawyer in small-town West Virginia has come up with a creative legal theory to go after these distributors so that small, ravaged communities can collect too.

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Scatterplot showing what countries spend per capita on health care vs. the average life expectancy

What Country Spends The Most (And Least) On Health Care Per Person?

11:26am April 20, 2017

by Susan Brink

A new report looks at data from 184 countries. And raises the question: Does more spending lead to better health outcomes?

Dr. James Baker holds a photo of his son, Max, who had been sober for more than a year and was in college when he relapsed after surgery and died of a heroin overdose.

How Do Former Opioid Addicts Safely Get Pain Relief After Surgery?

8:58am April 20, 2017

by Craig LeMoult

Max Baker got treatment for his opioid dependency and kicked the habit. He'd been clean for more than a year when a car accident and subsequent surgery returned him to addiction's spiral.

Medicaid expansion has helped low-income veterans gain health insurance, a report finds.

Many Veterans Gained Health Care Through The Affordable Care Act

5:21pm April 19, 2017

by Jessica Boddy

Almost half a million veterans gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, cutting the number of uninsured vets by 40 percent.

President Donald Trump signs the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump Extends Troubled VA Program That Pays Private Doctors

3:45pm April 19, 2017

by Eric Whitney

The Veterans Choice program was supposed to make it quicker and easier for vets to see a doctor by paying for private-sector care. But it's ended up being slower and more complicated.

In two recent clinical trials of Harvoni and Sovaldi in the treatment of young people between the ages of 12 and 17, the drugs eliminated all traces of the hepatitis C virus in 97 to 100 percent of patients, generally in 12 weeks.

FDA Approval Of Hepatitis C Drugs For Kids Is Likely To Speed Treatment

5:00am April 19, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Many insurers have required that adults with hepatitis C be very sick before they can get access to expensive drug treatment. But Medicaid has special rules that may get kids and teens access sooner.

Medical errors are a leading cause of death and injuries in U.S. hospitals, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Secret Data On Hospital Inspections May Soon Become Public

1:20pm April 18, 2017

by Charles Ornstein

The federal government wants to require that private accreditors release reports of problems they find during hospital inspections. Right now, the reports are kept confidential.

An organization campaigning against foreign drug imports has deep connections to the lobbying group PhRMA, which includes Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Bayer.

Nonprofit Working To Block Drug Imports Has Ties To Pharma Lobby

5:00am April 18, 2017

An organization campaigning against foreign drug imports has deep connections to the lobbying group PhRMA, which includes Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Bayer, an analysis by Kaiser Health News reveals.

Hannah Berkowitz in her parents' home in West Hartford, Conn. Getting intensive in-home drug treatment is what ultimately helped her get back on track, she and her mom agree.

Home-Based Drug Treatment Program Costs Less And Works

5:42pm April 17, 2017

by Jack Rodolico

Treating addiction is expensive and patients often relapse. A new company is offering better results at a price that's lower in the long run — and clients get treatment right at home.

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