health care

The price of getting a health insurance card may seem expensive, but officials say the minimum tax penalty for remaining uninsured is $695, and could rise to more than $10,000 for wealthy families who choose not to get coverage.

Still Uninsured? Buy A Health Plan This Week To Avoid A Tax Penalty

4:19pm January 28, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Millions are still uninsured, even as the Jan. 31 deadline to sign up for a plan under the Affordable Care Act approaches. No deadline extensions this year, federal health officials warn.

Gilead Sciences' new drug Sovaldi effectively cures hepatitis C, but the price is straining state budgets.

California Pays Insurers Millions More For Hepatitis C Drugs

3:10pm January 28, 2016

by Pauline Bartolone

Private insurers billed California $387.5 million to treat just 3,624 patients with new medications for hepatitis C. The people are covered by the state's Medicaid program.

General surgeons are among the doctors most likely to be the subjects of paid malpractice claims.

Health & Safety

A Few Doctors Account For Outsize Share Of Malpractice Claims

10:59am January 28, 2016

by Lisa Aliferis

When it comes to medical malpractice, a history of claims against a doctor is the strongest indicator that more malpractice claims are likely.

Teaching Parenting Skills At Doctor Visits Helps Children's Behavior

8:09pm January 27, 2016

by Vanessa Rancaño

Using video to teach good parenting habits when children are babies leads to better behavior in kids later on, a study finds. The program is aimed at helping children in low-income families.

Rachel Star Withers says that video blogging about schizophrenia and depression has helped her manage the disorders.

Would You Tell The World You Have Schizophrenia On YouTube?

4:38pm January 27, 2016

by Angus Chen

Rachel Star Withers decided to let people know what was going on inside her head: the hallucinations, the voices. She says going public has helped her deal with schizophrenia and helps others, too.

Health & Safety

Do-It-Yourselfers Face Penalties Over Their Cut-Rate Health Insurance

11:47am January 27, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

People sometimes put together policies, such as short-term and critical illness plans, instead of buying more expensive health coverage. But they likely will be penalized under the federal health law.

Anti-Abortion Activists Indicted On Felony Charges In Planned Parenthood Case

7:06pm January 26, 2016

by Jennifer Ludden

A grand jury in Houston has returned indictments against two members of a group that targeted Planned Parenthood with a string of undercover videos last year. The felony indictments are a twist as the panel was originally tasked with investigation the group's claim that Planned Parenthood was selling fetal tissue.

Queue Listen Now

Journal editors want researchers to unlock the data vault.

Journal Editors To Researchers: Show Everyone Your Clinical Data

3:19pm January 26, 2016

by Harlan Krumholz

The world's leading medical journals have a proposal that could transform medical science: Researchers would have to publicly share their clinical data to get their studies published.

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Grand Jury Indicts Anti-Abortion Activists Behind Planned Parenthood Videos

10:35pm January 25, 2016

by Wade Goodwyn

A grand jury indicted two activists and cleared a Houston, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic in a possible misconduct case. The two activists covertly recorded conversations regarding fetal tissue.

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Grand Jury Indicts Anti-Abortion Activists Who Made Undercover Videos

8:15pm January 25, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The Texas grand jury investigating Planned Parenthood found no wrongdoing by the abortion provider, but it indicted two anti-abortion activists involved in making covert videos of the organization.