health care

When a woman addicted to opioids gives birth, she is too often dismissed as an obstacle to her infant's health. A Connecticut hospital is challenging that attitude — and the culture of care.

More babies are being born dependent on opioids. The good news is they can safely be weaned from the drug. But there is little research on which medical treatment is best, or on the long-term effects.

Cuts in provider networks spurred Medicare officials to allow more than 15,000 Medicare Advantage members to pick new plans in seven states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Seconal used to cost less than $200 a bottle. After Valeant Pharmaceuticals bought the medication, the cost rose to $3,000. Advocates for aid in dying say that's a burden for the terminally ill.

For the fourth time in five years, the justices consider a requirement of the Affordable Care Act that most health plans provide women access to birth control without copays.

The program was tested in YMCAs around the country, and helped people lose about 5 percent of their body weight in a year. The goal is to make it a Medicare-eligible prevention program.

Almost twice as many people as expected have signed up for Medicaid, and it has saved Montana $3 million so far, according to a progress report. But the program still has critics.