The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
The pediatric academy suggests that decisions on whether to resuscitate extremely premature infants be based on the particular child鈥檚 chance of survival and the family鈥檚 goals 鈥 not simply gestational age.
Many people who have high-deductible insurance plans and own health savings accounts to help pay for their medical expenses opt to keep the money in low-return savings accounts instead of investing in the financial markets, according to new research.
A dozen foundations contributed a total of $2 million to help more low-income teens and women obtain IUDs and other long-acting contraceptives.
By 2030, nearly one-third of all inmates will be over 55, the ACLU says, and caring for aged prisoners often costs twice as much as caring for younger ones. Some states 鈥 New York, California and Connecticut — are confronting the problem, however, with innovative programs meant to improve care and save money.
Findings from Canada challenge earlier research on sleep deprivation鈥檚 effects on physicians.
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, many health facilities were destroyed or shut down, including urgent care centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and hospitals. But a new network of renovated and newly built primary care health clinics has opened, which many hope will bring stability to the health care of the city’s low-income residents.
As more states make medical and recreational marijuana use legal, they increasingly are grappling with what constitutes DUID, or driving under the influence of drugs, and how to detect and prosecute it. And they鈥檙e finding it is more difficult than identifying and convicting drunken drivers.
A new study finds that state policies that require officials to sign off on nonmedical exemptions or impose punishments for students or parents reduce efforts to evade vaccinations.
Hospice use has been growing fast in the United States as more people choose to avoid futile, often painful medical treatments in favor of palliative care and dying at home surrounded by loved ones. But some African-Americans have long resisted the concept, and their suspicions remain deep-seated.
Facebook is a part of everyday life 鈥 both professionally and personally 鈥 and doctors and patients are wondering how it best works between them.
NIH analysis quantifies who is in pain and when, including more than 25 million people who say they have pain every day.
Consumers must enroll in a silver-level plan in order to be eligible for reductions in out-of-pocket spending.
Even as the health of Americans has improved, the disparities in treatment and outcomes between white patients and black and Latino patients are almost as big as they were 50 years ago. A growing body of research suggests that doctors’ unconscious behavior plays a role in these statistics.
A majority of Americans would allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies and consumers to buy drugs from Canada.
The California Health Interview Survey shows significant gains in insurance coverage but also points to disparities among ethnic groups.聽
Dozens of rural hospitals have closed in recent years, prompting others to form alliances.
Consumers in New York are getting new protections against 鈥渂alance billing,鈥 where insurers bill patients for the difference between what insurers pay and what providers want, and states considering similar laws are watching closely.
The topic is complex and sometimes requires multiple visits, but right now doctors are paid for it only if they discuss end-of-life planning in their initial visit with a new Medicare patient.
Much of the recent debate about drug costs has centered on high-priced specialty drugs, such as those to cure hepatitis C. But millions more people have diabetes and their drugs are also expensive.
