health care

Obamacare's Test Kitchen For Payment Experiments Faces An Uncertain Future

4:48pm November 30, 2016

by Julie Appleby

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation has explored payment changes that could cut health care costs and improve quality. But will the center survive in a new administration?

People await a decision outside the Supreme Court on June 27. The court struck down a Texas law restricting abortions.

Abortion-Rights Groups Challenge Restrictions In Three States

4:46pm November 30, 2016

by Jennifer Ludden

Abortion-rights supporters are going on the offensive to challenge state laws that limit access to abortion, even as they anticipate more restrictions under a Trump administration.

Juana Rivera (left) speaks with agent Fabrizzio Russi about buying insurance through the Affordable Care Act in Miami in 2014.

Millions Of People Are Having An Easier Time Paying Medical Bills

4:37pm November 30, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The number of people who say they are struggling to pay medical bills has dropped by 13 million in the past five years, a study finds. An improving economy and the Affordable Care Act are why.

One more coffee, one more cigarette/One more morning, trying to forget — Van Morrison, You Just Can't Win.

It's Never Too Late To Quit Smoking, Even In Your 60s

2:10pm November 30, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

It's true that the earlier a smoker quits the better, but even people who quit in their 60s lowered their risk of death compared to those who kept puffing away.

Women Could Pay More Than Men For Health Care Under Trump

6:53pm November 29, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

The Affordable Care Act requires that insurers cover maternity services, birth control and screening such as mammograms. Trump administration plans to repeal Obamacare could end that.

Seema Verma, now in line to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on Nov. 22.

Trump Picks Seema Verma To Run Medicare And Medicaid

5:30pm November 29, 2016

by Jake Harper

Seema Verma, a consultant who has been Vice President-elect Mike Pence's health policy adviser in Indiana, played a key role in the state's expansion of Medicaid.

Rep. Tom Price has introduced his own alternative to the Affordable Care Act four times. The legislation provides an idea of how he might lead the Department of Health And Human Services.

5 Things To Know About Rep. Tom Price's Health Care Ideas

5:20pm November 29, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Rep. Tom Price has proposed an alternative to Obamacare that emphasizes tax credits, health savings accounts and continuous insurance coverage as a way to deal with existing health conditions.

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Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Rep. Fred Upton (right), R-Mich., who have spearheaded the 21st Century Cures Act, speak after a 2015 House of Representatives vote in its favor.

Congress Poised To Pass Sweeping Law Covering FDA And NIH

5:15pm November 29, 2016

by Richard Harris

The House could vote Wednesday on a vast bill that stretches nearly a thousand pages and holds changes large and small for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.

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Anti-Zika advice applied to a wall in front of a housing project in the Puerta de Tierras section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. This public health message was part of an island-wide effort to stem the spread of Zika.

Zika Pregnancies And Big Questions In Puerto Rico

10:32am November 29, 2016

by Jason Beaubien

More than 2,600 pregnant women on the island have tested positive for Zika. While the number of confirmed cases of fetal abnormalities has been small, officials are concerned about long-term effects.

Rep. Tom Price (center) appeared in early 2016 before the House Rules Committee, when he sponsored legislation that would repeal President Obama's signature health care law.

Trump Chooses Rep. Tom Price, An Obamacare Foe, To Run HHS

10:28pm November 28, 2016

by Joe Neel

Rep. Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon, has represented the northern Atlanta suburbs since 2005. In recent years, he has led Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.