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Section: Health

Nurses Slam AMA for Stand on Independent Practices

AMA opposes what it calls “inappropriate scope of practice expansion,” while the nurses group says care from nurse practitioners is safe and typically more efficient than care from physicians. “The American Medical Association has asserted, once again, its commitment to put the profit of its physician membership ahead of patients and their access to high-quality […]

December 4, 2017

Allergens in Many Homes, but Research Shows Disparities

Allergens are widespread, but highly variable in U.S. homes, according to the nation’s largest indoor allergen study to date. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health report that over 90 percent of homes had three or more detectable allergens, and 73 percent of homes had at least one allergen at elevated levels. The findings (link […]

December 4, 2017

Health Nominee Takes Controversial Stand on Birth Control

President Trump’s new nominee for health and human services secretary had his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, where lawmakers grilled him about his position on birth control coverage. Trump’s pick, Alex Azar, said the agency should be weighing employers’ consciences against women’s birth control access. This suggests that he is aligned with the Trump administration’s […]

December 4, 2017

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Panel Calls for More Controls on Drug Prices

The U.S. must take urgent steps to rein in the out-of-control cost of prescription drugs, including aggressive government intervention to negotiate lower prices for American patients, a panel of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommended Thursday in a sweeping new report on pharmaceutical pricing. The report — titled “Making Medicines Affordable: A […]

December 4, 2017

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Co-Author Relays Concerns about President’s Sanity

Tony Schwartz, the co-author of President Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” claimed Wednesday that some people who work in the White House are concerned about Trump’s mental health. During an interview on MSNBC, Schwartz — a frequent Trump critic — said Trump is a “man who is deeply mentally ill.” Read More

December 4, 2017

Tax Bill Would End Obama Mandate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sweeping tax overhaul that passed the U.S. Senate on Saturday contains the Republicans’ biggest blow yet to former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, repealing the requirement that all Americans obtain health insurance. The individual mandate is meant to ensure a viable health insurance market by forcing younger and healthier Americans to […]

December 4, 2017

Sessions Wants More Cops on Opioid Duty

If the opioid epidemic was simply a problem of supply – people being able to access drugs too easily – than a targeted new effort in Appalachia announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday would be a huge stride toward combating the crisis. The problem with this approach, however, is that experts agree the opioid […]

December 4, 2017

Living with Cystic Fibrosis

Twice a day in our house, we turn on a projector that casts cartoon music videos on a blank stretch of wall. The songs are catchy and bright and usually keep our toddler captivated for the amount of time we need him to hold still. “There are no monsters who live in our home,” goes […]

November 29, 2017

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Industry Groups Push to Delay Obamacare Taxes

Industry groups are gearing up for a final push to repeal or delay taxes in ObamaCare before the end of the year. Stalling the taxes on medical devices and health insurance, which were included in the health-care law to help pay for its coverage expansion, has been a rare area of some bipartisan cooperation on […]

November 29, 2017

Medical Prison Warden Reassigned

ATLANTA — The warden at a troubled medical prison in Georgia has been reassigned to his previous job. Warden Scott Wilkes is being moved from the Augusta State Medical Prison to the Augusta Transitional Center, Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joan Heath told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . He was promoted from the transitional center to […]

November 29, 2017

Little Sisters of the Poor Battles States Over Birth Control

Little Sisters of the Poor battles states in court over birth control mandate. The Catholic charity Little Sisters of the Poor is fighting an effort by California and Pennsylvania to block the Trump administration’s effort to roll back Obamacare’s birth control mandate. The charity was part of a large lawsuit brought by religious nonprofits that […]

November 29, 2017

Telehealth Program Improves Veterans’ Access to Care

The Birmingham Veterans Administration and Cullman County Health Department held a ribbon cutting Tuesday for a new telehealth program. The Alabama Public Health Telehealth Network allows veterans to go to the Cullman County Health Department and connect remotely for a visit with their provider in Birmingham, using a secure audio-video internet connection. Read More

November 29, 2017

GAO: VA Failed to Report Bad Medical Providers

A new GAO report exposes that Veterans Affairs shamefully put veterans lives at risk by failing its duty to report bad doctors and other clinicians. The GAO report confirms a USA Today report exposing VA has concealed and avoided investigations and mandated reporting of bad health care workers for many years. Maybe if VA had […]

November 29, 2017

Change Prices of 7 Key Foods to Save Lives

The food you put in your body can have profound implications on your health. Consistently eating fresh, nutrient-rich food can decrease your risk of developing certain diseases, while consuming too much sugary or processed food increases those risks. But one barrier to eating fresh food like fruits and vegetables is that they’re often higher in […]

November 29, 2017

Report Details Racial Disparities in Rural America

For years, studies have pointed out the gaps between rural and urban communities when it comes to health outcomes. But there are also significant health divides between ethnicities within rural America, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Though urban areas still have more diverse populations, the study authors found that […]

November 29, 2017

Flu Shot Myths

I have a vivid childhood memory after my mom received a flu shot. I can remember looking through an open door into my mom’s dimly lit bedroom. She was wearing a night gown, so worn it was almost opaque. My mom was too sick to work, and her coughs seemed to rattle her entire body. […]

November 27, 2017

What If Amazon Got Into the Pharmacy Business?

People are starting to seriously think about what it might mean if Amazon were to get into the healthcare industry. In a 70-page report released Monday, analysts at Morgan Stanley broke down all of the potential ways Amazon could get into the industry, at varying degrees of involvement. Read More

November 27, 2017

Anti-Smoking Ads Begin After Decade Of Delay

WASHINGTON — Decades after they were banned from the airwaves, Big Tobacco companies have returned to prime-time television, but not by choice. Under court order, the tobacco industry for the first time will be forced to advertise the deadly, addictive effects of smoking, more than 11 years after a judge ruled that the companies had […]

November 27, 2017