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Section: Health

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

Documentary Probes Native American Connection to Tobacco

Tobacco use has been dropping in Minnesota for years, but there is one community where nicotine addiction remains stronger than ever. “In the Upper Midwest, the smoking rate among mainstream Minnesotans is about 14 percent,” said Adam Kintopf, senior communications manager for the anti-smoking nonprofit ClearWay Minnesota. “Among American Indians, however, the smoking rate is […]

November 27, 2017

Rural Hospitals Struggle to Survive, Another Closes

Rural hospitals across the U.S. are struggling to survive. Since 2010, 80 rural hospitals have closed and 673 are at risk of closing — 210 of which are at “extreme risk,” according to iVantage Health Analytics. Under the Affordable Care Act, Disproportionate Share Hospital payments to rural facilities were sharply reduced. Further cuts in CMS […]

November 27, 2017

Obamacare Enrollment Surges in Wyoming

Three weeks into open enrollment, more than 8,300 Wyomingites have signed up for insurance on the health care exchange, a surge of nearly 2,000 people compared to a similar period last year. The figures, provided Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, show 8,348 people have purchased a plan through HealthCare.Gov between Nov. […]

November 27, 2017

Fake “Doctor” Treated Patients for 5 Years

PRINCE GEORGE’s COUNTY, M.d. (WBFF) — Dozens of patients are now learning the truth about their doctor who is accused of being a fake. For five years, Dr. Charles Akoda delivered babies and prenatal care at Prince George’s County Hospital, but Jeff Abell reports what he also delivered were credentials, which he admits were fake. […]

November 27, 2017

Opioid Crisis Cost $504 B In 2015, Council Reports

WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump says the opioid epidemic is “ravaging so many American families and communities.” It also appears to be more expensive than previously thought, according to a government analysis released on November 20. The White House Council of Economic Advisers pegs the true cost of the crisis in 2015 at $504 billion. The […]

November 27, 2017