health care

Austin, Texas, dentist Brad Buckingham received a bill for more than $70,000 after a bike accident landed him in the hospital and he needed emergency hip surgery.

Health & Safety

Texans Can Appeal Surprise Medical Bills, But The Process Can Be Draining

4:49pm February 05, 2019

by Ashley Lopez

In Texas many people have a right to mediation of medical bills. But the concept can be off-putting, and patients often think they need a lawyer, which isn't the case.

"There does seem to be across-the-board understanding that what's happening to patients right now isn't right or fair," Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said about surprise medical bills.

Health & Safety

Bipartisan Support Builds For Limits On Surprise Medical Bills

11:41am February 05, 2019

President Trump said that taming unexpected medical bills would be a top priority for his administration. The sentiment found support from many in Congress.

The Joliet Treatment Center, southwest of Chicago, is one of four facilities now providing mental health care to some of Illinois' sickest inmates. It's a start, say mental health advocates, but many more inmates in Illinois and across the U.S. still awai

Most Inmates With Mental Illness Still Wait For Decent Care

2:42pm February 03, 2019

by Christine Herman

Nearly three years after the state of Illinois agreed in a court settlement to revamp mental health care in prisons and provide better treatment, a judge says the care remains "grossly insufficient."

Families that lost loved ones to the opioid crisis protested outside Suffolk Superior Court in Boston as lawyers for Purdue Pharma entered the courthouse for a status update in the Massachusetts attorney general's suit against the company on Jan. 25.

Lawsuit Details How The Sackler Family Allegedly Built An OxyContin Fortune

1:50pm February 01, 2019

The Massachusetts attorney general alleges that the family behind Purdue Pharma knew that OxyContin was causing overdoses, yet continued to cash in. New documents in the case were released Thursday.

Failed Virginia Bill Sparks National Debate About Abortion

5:43pm January 31, 2019

by Sarah McCammon

President Trump and Republican abortion opponents are criticizing Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Democrats in the state over defense of a bill that sought to reduce restrictions on later abortion.

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Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., at an Oakland, Calif., campaign rally this week. Harris says she backs a single-payer health system, but she hasn't yet offered details on how she would finance that plan.

Several Democrats Eyeing A Presidential Run Embrace 'Medicare-For-All'

4:35pm January 30, 2019

by Alison Kodjak

The idea, they say, would be to eliminate the health insurance industry and replace it with government-run health insurance. The industry is already gearing up to oppose any moves in that direction.

Anthem Blue Cross of California, one of the state's largest health insurers, is battling Sutter Health over how much it should pay the company's 24 hospitals and 5,000 doctors in Northern California to care for tens of thousands of patients.

Patients Suffer As Insurers And Big Health Systems Spar For Market Share

12:46pm January 30, 2019

by Barbara Feder Ostrov

As hospital chains and insurers across the U.S squeeze one another, hoping to increase their market share, many patients are suddenly finding their preferred doctors and hospitals are out of network.

Matt Gleason fainted at work after getting a flu shot, so colleagues called 911 and an ambulance took him to the ER. Eight hours later, Gleason went home with a clean bill of health. Later still he got a hefty bill that wiped out his deductible.

Health & Safety

A Fainting Spell After A Flu Shot Leads To $4,692 ER Visit

8:51pm January 28, 2019

by Phil Galewitz

A 39-year-old man fainted after getting a flu shot at work, so his colleagues called 911. The man turned out to be fine, but the trip to the emergency room cost him his annual deductible.

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Children of Mexican immigrants wait to receive a free health checkup inside a mobile clinic at the Mexican Consulate in Denver, Colo., in 2009. The Trump administration wants to ratchet up scrutiny of the use of social services by immigrants. That's alrea

Fear Of Deportation Or Green Card Denial Deters Some Parents From Getting Kids Care

7:40am January 26, 2019

by Ashley Lopez

A Texas girl needs autism treatment, but her immigrant mother is afraid of turning to Medicaid. As more U.S. children go without health coverage, border watchers partly blame politics of intimidation.

Steep Climb In Benzodiazepine Prescribing By Primary Care Doctors

6:40pm January 25, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

U.S. prescriptions for Valium, Ativan and other benzodiazepines have shot up since 2003, statistics show, especially for chronic pain. Roughly half those prescriptions are from primary care providers.