Health & Safety

Hospitals Win In States That Chose To Expand Medicaid

11:58am December 30, 2014

In negotiations over the Affordable Care Act, hospitals agreed to cuts in federal payments for uncompensated care in the expectation that millions of people would get Medicaid coverage.

"This is the last one," says Yassin Diouf, 40, holding the youngest of her six children. Four others died. "Maybe [family planning] is forbidden by Islam, but women are so tired of giving birth. If you have the permission of your husband, I think it's goo

Family Planning In Senegal: Which Imam Do You Listen To?

10:49am December 30, 2014

In the village of Mereto, one imam is in favor of family planning while the other is not. Ngour Sen and his two wives, with a total of 11 children, knew which leader's advice they wanted to follow.

Kevin Counihan (left) runs HealthCare.gov, and Michael Cannon, of the Cato Institute, is a prominent critic of Obamacare.

A Split View On Obamacare's Past And Future

10:05am December 30, 2014

by Jeff Cohen

The Affordable Care Act created insurance subsidies that are under legal challenge. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in 2015 and could rule against a key provision of the law.

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Health & Safety

Wonder Abides, Even For A Skeptical Doctor

10:05am December 30, 2014

by John Henning Schumann

When science cannot explain patients' recoveries, even a doctor who studiously makes decisions based on the medical evidence is forced to rethink his ideas about hope and miracles.

Tina Wolf demonstrates the use of naloxone to community members in Lindenhurst, N.Y., during an overdose prevention training. Georgia Dolan-Reilly (left) of the Suffolk County Prevention Resource Center helped with the training.

Teaching Friends And Family How To Reverse A Drug Overdose

10:05am December 30, 2014

by Laura Starecheski

Quick treatment with Narcan can save a life after an overdose of heroin or opioid pain pills. The year 2014 saw more police, drug users and their families carrying Narcan "rescue kits."

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Doctors Not Cutting Back On Radiation For Breast Cancer Patients

6:35pm December 29, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Breast cancer treatment typically involves surgery and chemotherapy, followed by radiation. But growing scientific evidence shows that in most cases, women get more radiation than they actually need.

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Being Thin Doesn't Spare Asian-Americans From Diabetes Risk

8:19am December 29, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Guidelines just out from the American Diabetes Association say Asian-Americans with a typically healthy body mass index can still be running a substantial risk for developing diabetes.

Donna Giron wheels through the halls of the nursing home she's lived in since May. Finding an affordable home of her own has been difficult.

When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach

8:19am December 29, 2014

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Health insurance doesn't pay for housing, but sometimes that is what a patient needs most. A Medicaid experiment helps some elderly and disabled people move out of institutions into their own homes.

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Sleepy in the day and wide awake at night? Give the screen a rest.

One More Reason To Reach For A Paper Book Before Bed

8:18am December 29, 2014

by Rob Stein

Using an e-reader before trying to nod off may disrupt sleep more than reading a paper book, a study suggests. Scientists suspect the screen's blue light is messing with a sleep-inducing hormone.

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From One Man's Damaged Brain, A Treasure Trove Of Research On Memory

6:02pm December 28, 2014

When Kent Cochrane survived a motorcycle accident in 1981, he emerged with types of amnesia so rare that his brain became one of the most studied in history. He died this year at 62.

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