health care

Health & Safety

Justice Department Shifts Policy, Says Entire Affordable Care Act Should Be Overturned

4:46pm March 26, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

The Trump administration's shift in a major legal case against the Affordable Care Act could lead to the reversal of the expansive law and far-reaching effects on all Americans' health care.

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The Justice Department sent a letter in support of repealing the entirety of the Affordable Care Act. Here, a sign in support of the ACA in April 2017 in New York City.

Trump Administration Says Entire Affordable Care Act Should Be Repealed

4:24pm March 26, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

A letter from the Department of Justice announced the shift, in support of a district court judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional. The case is likely to end up in the Supreme Court.

Purdue Pharma, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., the Sackler family, which owns the company, settled a case brought by the Oklahoma attorney general.

Purdue Pharma Agrees To $270 Million Opioid Settlement With Oklahoma

3:24pm March 26, 2019

by Martha Bebinger

The maker of OxyContin will pay to settle a historic opioid lawsuit brought by the attorney general of Oklahoma. Will other drugmakers named in the lawsuit follow?

The uncompensated care costs among Colorado hospitals dropped by more than 60 percent after the state expanded Medicaid coverage — a savings of more than $400 million statewide. But a new report asks why the hospitals didn't pass some of those savings o

Hospital Finances Improve After Medicaid Expansion, But At Whose Expense?

11:00am March 26, 2019

by Phil Galewitz

Now that Colorado has expanded Medicaid coverage to include more low-income residents, hospitals are better off financially. But that hasn't stopped them from shifting costs to other insured patients.

Health & Safety

Trump Administration Moves Forward In Attempt To Invalidate Affordable Care Act

9:51am March 26, 2019

Justice Department files notice that it agrees with a federal judge's ruling that the ACA should be thrown out. The administration had previously said it wanted only parts of the law invalidated.

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Contrast agent, a drug that enhances CT scans, is sometimes skipped because of concerns about side effects.

Health & Safety

Are The Risks Of Drugs That Enhance Imaging Tests Overblown?

12:10pm March 23, 2019

by Clayton Dalton

A contrast agent doesn't make you feel better or treat what's ailing you. But by making CT scans clearer, contrast might be crucial in helping your doctor make the right diagnosis.

One of the Trump administration's proposals would change the prices Medicare pays for certain prescription drugs by factoring in the average prices Europeans pay for the same medicines.

It Will Take More Than Transparency To Reduce Drug Prices, Economists Say

1:59pm March 22, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

The Trump administration wants to increase transparency in prescription drug pricing. But health economists say the administration's call to tie prices to what other nations pay might work better.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says suggestions that a medical abortion can be reversed after more than an hour has passed aren't supported by scientific evidence.

Controversial 'Abortion Reversal' Regimen Is Put To The Test

10:55am March 22, 2019

by Mara Gordon

Several states require doctors who perform medical abortions to tell their patients the procedure can be "reversed" with progesterone. There's an absence of evidence to support that contention.

Authorities intercepted a woman using this drug kit in preparation for shooting up a mix of heroin and fentanyl inside a Walmart bathroom last month in Manchester, N.H. Fentanyl offers a particularly potent high but also can shut down breathing in under a

Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic's Third Wave Begins

10:29am March 21, 2019

by Martha Bebinger

Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are rising — up 113 percent on average each year from 2013 to 2016. Dealers are adding cheap fentanyl to the illicit drug supply, and some users get it accidentally.

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Health & Safety

FDA Approves Drug That Could Help Women With Postpartum Depression

6:07pm March 20, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

The first drug for severe postpartum depression has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Thousands of women could benefit from the drug, but there are drawbacks, including a $35,000 price tag.

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