In Louisiana, Obamacare Subsidies Mean Financial Independence For Some
Meet three people from the Bayou State who would likely lose their insurance and their newfound sense of financial stability if the Supreme Court rules subsidies illegal in the King v. Burwell case.
Cancer Spawns Construction Boom In Cleveland
When the Cleveland Clinic opens its new cancer center, it will be five minutes away from a competitor’s new cancer hospital.
Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages
Some hospitals are using a remote command center to keep an eye on ICU patients. This brings the expertise of a major medical center to rural hospitals — and may help keep the rural centers open.
Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City
Economic challenges are squeezing the city of Lakewood, just outside of Cleveland, forcing the closure of one hospital, even as another is built in a more affluent suburb.
What’s At Stake In The Supreme Court Obamacare Case
Despite political opposition to the Affordable Care Act, more than 186,000 people in Louisiana signed up for health insurance through healthcare.gov. The vast majority of those received subsidies, which could be lost in the King v. Burwell case before the Supreme Court.
Big Bills A Hidden Side Effect Of Cancer Treatment
High deductible health insurance plans and soaring drug costs make cancer a tremendous financial burden for many patients.
Boston Bombing Survivors Struggle With Medical And Emotional Recovery
Two years after the marathon bombing, Martha and Alvaro Galvis still suffer from physical wounds and emotional pain.
Medical Schools Try To Reboot For 21st Century
The American Medical Association is funding experiments at universities around the country to try to change how we train physicians.
Med Students Chip In To Help The Uninsured
Almost 1 million New York City residents are still uninsured. Rather than go to emergency rooms or city hospitals, some of them get free care from medical school students.
Houston Firefighters Bring Digital Doctors On Calls
The city is harnessing telemedicine to cut down on the overwhelming number of residents seeking primary care help by calling 911.
Battle For Mental Health Parity Produces Mixed Results
Some of the obvious problems, such as separate deductibles for mental health care, have been eliminated. But advocates are concerned about more subtle insurance processes, such as reviews of medical necessity, that could be hampering coverage.
Some Face A Big Bill From Medi-Cal — After They Die
California is one of the few states that charge the estates of deceased Medicaid beneficiaries for the cost of their health coverage. A bill is moving through the state legislature to stop the practice.
FDA Heads Into Uncharted Territory Of ‘Biosimiliar’ Drugs
Under a new process set out by the health law, the FDA approved the first so-called biosimilar drug for sale in the U.S. It’s a copy of the cancer medicine Neupogen that will be sold under the brand name Zarxio.
Mental Health Privacy Questions Arise In Rape Case At University Of Oregon
In a lawsuit over a rape case involving three basketball players, the university accessed a student’s mental health records detailing treatment she received at the campus clinic.
Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia
A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.
Digital Dilemma For Medicine: How To Share Records
Most industries share complicated digital files to do business, but health care still leans hard on paper printouts and fax machines. Despite a $30 billion taxpayer investment in electronic health records since 2009, most of those systems are unable to talk to each other.
Fancy Flourishes At Hospitals Don’t Impress Patients, Study Finds
A study at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins finds that patients in older buildings rate their care about the same as those in a sleek new hospital tower.
In The Medicare Bonus Round, The Winners Are…Small, Specialty Hospitals!
Some hospital revenue is now going to be tied to how happy you – the patient – are when you stay there. But not all hospitals are going to be capable of winning the Medicare sweepstakes.
Texas Insurance Brokers Play Bigger Obamacare Role
Despite an uneasy relationship with the health law, insurance brokers are touting their expertise and helping Texans sign up for Affordable Care Act insurance.
Tax Preparers Brace To Be Bearers Of Bad Health Law News
With Affordable Care Act open enrollment ending Feb. 15, taxpayers could find themselves shut out of health insurance – and saddled with big fines – if they don’t do their taxes early this year.