Health & Safety

Health & Safety

Medicare Penalizes Nearly 1,500 Hospitals For Poor Quality Scores

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jordan Rau

Medicare has tied incentive payments and penalties to two-dozen quality measurements, including surveys of patient satisfaction and death rates. More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving bonuses. But more hospitals are being paid less for each Medicare patient they treat for the year that began Oct. 1.

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Health & Safety

Health Care Cancellation Cure Could Lead To Higher Premiums

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

The health care fix announced by President Obama on Thursday may be good news for some consumers, but it creates a big headache for insurance companies and regulators. An insurance industry trade group warns the last-minute change could destabilize the market and lead to higher premiums.

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Obama Apologizes, Offers Fix To Insurance Cancellations

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Scott Horsley

President Obama has acknowledged the fumbled rollout of his signature health care law has hurt his credibility and that of fellow Democrats. He offered a minor change to the law in hopes of calming Democratic nerves, and beating back bigger changes proposed by House Republicans.

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What's The Most Important Thing Food Labels Should Tell Us?

7:29pm November 14, 2013

by Dan Charles

Food labels have become battlegrounds. Government regulators, companies and food movement activists have been fighting over what belongs on the label. (GMOs? Trans fats? Claims that bran prevents heart disease?) We asked four big thinkers for their dream food label.

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A pitch from the White House touts the price of Obamacare at $50 a month or less.

Health & Safety

Can Young People Get Obamacare For $50 A Month? Sometimes

2:56pm November 14, 2013

by Chris Arnold

The Obama administration is plugging its health care plan by saying that half of young, single people can buy health coverage for $50 a month or less. A closer look at the claim finds that it's more like a third of single, uninsured, young adults who would get a deal that good.

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Health & Safety

Health Care Registration Numbers Are Revealed

6:53am November 14, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The Obama administration says just about 100,000 people managed to choose health plans through the federal and state health exchanges during their first month of the program. Critics say that shows the law is failing. But most analysts say the first month's numbers wouldn't have meant very much, even if the federal website had been working properly.

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Rep. Waxman Weighs In On Affordable Care Act Problems

6:53am November 14, 2013

Steve Inskeep talks to Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California about the lower-than-expected number of Americans who successfully signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. A growing group of Democrats are backing a Republican plan to delay the penalties or allow Americans to keep their current plans.

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Health & Safety

Panel Will Take a Closer Look at Mental Health & Gun Violence

4:58pm November 13, 2013

by Keri Brown

Over the past year, the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County has hosted a series of panel discussions to help raise awareness and provide education about mental illness. On Thursday, the organization will host an event called “Mental Health and Gun Violence”.

Illustration of a woman picking up a telephone

Health & Safety

So, You Have Gonorrhea. Who Tells Your Ex?

10:48pm November 12, 2013

by Jessica Robinson

Most people testing positive for a sexually transmitted disease may want to do the right thing and let former sexual partners know. But such conversations aren't easy. In Spokane, you can ask the health department to make the call — and not use your name.

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Military personnel from the U.S. and the Philippines unload relief goods at the Tacloban airport, Nov. 11, 2013. Some reports estimate that 10,000 people may have died in the city of Tacloban.

Aid Groups Struggle To Reach Survivors Of Typhoon Haiyan

8:08am November 12, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

More than 600,000 have been left homeless and hungry by the devastating storm. In response, humanitarian agencies are mounting the largest relief operation since the Haitian earthquake in 2010. The biggest challenge right now is getting the basics — clean water and food — to the hardest hit areas.

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