health care

A voucher gets a company's drug reviewed faster by the Food and Drug Administration.

Health & Safety

Price Rises For Ticket To A Quicker Drug Review By FDA

3:35pm August 19, 2015

by Scott Hensley

A voucher that can get a drug through the Food and Drug Administration faster was created to reward companies that develop medicines for neglected diseases. The market for vouchers is heating up.

Jo Ann Farwell, a retired social worker, has a brain tumor; she wanted to make sure her sons were clear about her end-of-life wishes. So, after talking with her doctor, she filled out a form that Oregon provides to ease those family conversations.

Medicare Says Doctors Should Get Paid To Discuss End-Of-Life Issues

2:05pm August 19, 2015

After a six-year delay, Medicare proposes to reimburse doctors who hold end-of-life discussions with Medicare patients. The federal program is now soliciting public comments on the idea.

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Cris and Valerie Fiore hold one of their favorite pictures of their sons Anthony (with the dark hair) and Nick. Anthony died from a heroin overdose in May 2014 at the age of 24. Cris Fiore's eulogy described his son's death as a shock, but "not a surprise

When Rehab Might Help An Addict — But Insurance Won't Cover It

9:34am August 16, 2015

by Ben Allen

Federal law requires insurance firms to cover treatment for addiction as they do treatment for other diseases. But some families say many drug users aren't getting the inpatient care they need.

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Dyha Gresham (front, left), her older sister Briceshanay (in back) and Briceshanay's daughter Uri stand in their New Orleans home with the family's cat Sugar-Pepper and dog Selena. After Katrina, Briceshanay says, she relied on theater and the arts to hel

Katrina's Emotional Legacy Includes Pain, Grief And Resilience

4:35pm August 14, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Ten years after the storm some residents have found healing — in the arts, family and new opportunities. Others suffer lingering grief and other difficulties they trace to Katrina.

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'Defunding' Planned Parenthood Is Easier Promised Than Done

6:08pm August 12, 2015

by Julie Rovner

Some Republican candidates for president claim they have defunded Planned Parenthood in their states already. But the truth, others say, depends on how you define "defund."

Whistleblower Says Medicare Advantage Plans Padded Charges In Home Visits

1:15pm August 12, 2015

by Fred Schulte

Medicare Advantage health plans are privately run, but reimbursed by Medicare. A Texas lawsuit claims that, to inflate charges, 30 Advantage plans in 15 states exaggerated how sick patients were.

Rates of unintended pregnancy among young women in the military are about 50 percent higher than among young women in the general population, research suggests.

Women In Combat Zones Can Have Trouble Getting Contraceptives

9:14am August 11, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Fifteen percent of active duty service members are women, and 97 percent of those women are of childbearing age. So why is it still tough for many to get refills of contraceptives when deployed?

Patient reviews of doctors tend to focus on non-medical issues like wait time, billing and front office staff.

On Yelp, Doctors Get Reviewed Like Restaurants — And It Rankles

2:44pm August 10, 2015

by Charles Ornstein

Doctors hate online rankings, saying patients don't get the nuances of medicine. But health care reviews on Yelp are more positive overall than they are for restaurants and other services.

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Workers for the Safe Streets violence interruption project including Gardnel Carter, center, talk with Baltimore residents in 2010.

Crime Interrupts A Baltimore Doctor's Reform Efforts

3:13pm August 08, 2015

by Audie Cornish

Dr. Leana Wen came to Baltimore as health commissioner to combat the city's longstanding problems with violence, drug addiction and health disparities. She finds that solutions don't come easy.

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Brenda Hummel and her 7-year-old daughter Andrea in their home near Des Moines, Iowa. Andrea was born with severe epilepsy and gets her health care through Medicaid.

Patients In Iowa Worry About Private Management Of Medicaid

5:37pm August 07, 2015

by Clay Masters

The way one fifth of Iowa's residents get health care is about to change. The governor is putting Medicaid in the hands of private insurance companies, and 11 firms are vying for that business.

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