Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Musicians Struggle To Buy Insurance In A City That Thrives On Music
The music industry generates $1.6 billion a year for Austin, Texas. But many musicians can’t afford the basics, including health insurance. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians steps in to help.
It’s Never Too Soon To Plan Your ‘Driving Retirement’
Experts say families should re-think how seniors give up the car keys. Planning transportation options way ahead of time can avoid often painful conversations and confrontations.
Consumer Confusion Continues In Obamacare’s Third Year
Officials are reaching out to people who sat on the sidelines for the first two years of the health law, and they are finding the law is still not well understood – and, for some, insurance is still too expensive.
Texas’ Changing Relationship To Obamacare
For the moment, Texas Republicans still consider the Affordable Care Act to be political kryptonite, but the story on the local level is different: many moderates want the money that would come with expanding Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor.
A Med School Teaches Science And Data Mining
At NYU medical school, students learn to access huge troves of data to become doctors who understand the health care system, and individual ailments, better.
Alaskans Face Tough Choices Because Of High Insurance Costs
The highest Obamacare insurance rates in the country are in Alaska. Though most people get a subsidy to help defray the cost, those who don’t are increasingly wondering if they should cancel their health insurance.
Fewer Black Men Apply To Medical School Than In 1978
Just 1,337 black men applied to medical school in 2014 and 515 enrolled. Why?
Suing A Nursing Home Could Get Easier Under Proposed Federal Rules
Many families must sign a binding arbitration agreement when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home, pledging not to sue if something goes wrong. Proposed rules would ban that requirement.
The North Carolina Experiment: How One State Is Trying To Reshape Medicaid
With legislation that passed last month, North Carolina is trying to build a hybrid managed care, accountable care model – with doctors, hospitals and insurance companies all sharing some risk. Advocates worry it could eclipse gains made by Medicaid in the state in the past.
A Looming Tax On High-End Health Plans Draws Fire From Many Sides
A plan to tax high-value health insurance plans is meeting stiff resistance from both sides of the aisle in Congress despite calls to make employers more demanding health coverage shoppers – and the $87 billion in revenue the tax could generate over the next decade.
Biking Behind Bars: Female Inmates Battle Weight Gain
Women in prison often eat to relieve stress or boredom. The resulting weight gain can make other physical and emotional problems worse. In one prison, spinning helps keep the pounds and rage at bay.
California Gov. Brown Signs Aid-in-Dying Bill Into Law
Brown said that he weighed the controversial issue carefully, and in the end decided that it would be a comfort to know the option was available if he were facing a painful, prolonged death.
Telemedicine Expands Despite Uncertain Financial Prospects
Apps and video chats are a part of many people’s days, so many industry leaders see big potential for medicine delivered remotely. But a lot of insurers still aren’t willing to pay for it.
Newly Insured Treasure Medicaid, But Growing Pains Felt
People newly covered by the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion appreciate their insurance. But seeing specialists is still a hurdle for many.
Kids With Ebola? Texas Children’s Hospital Is Ready If It Happens In U.S.
One of the 55 hospitals nationwide that the CDC named as future “Ebola treatment centers” is Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. One year after the first confirmed case of Ebola in the U.S., the hospital is about to open a new eight-bed biocontainment wing — the only one of its kind for children in the country.
Hospital Workers Find Solace In Pausing After A Death
Sometimes, no matter how hard emergency workers try, nothing can save a patient. One nurse says after the frenzy stops, taking time to reflect on that death helps him cope. And the idea is spreading.
Seniors Tell Medical Students What They Need From Doctors
Many students avoid geriatrics because of the low pay and high complications, but six people over 90 offer a different perspective to help attract young doctors.
From Pills To Pins: Oregon Is Changing How It Deals With Back Pain
Alternative therapies aren’t proven to work any better than drugs — and they may even cost more. But Oregon hopes paying for them will reduce costs of hospitalizing for, and treatment of, opioid abuse.
How One Home Health Agency Earned Five Stars
In North Carolina, Brookdale Home Health Charlotte was one of just two agencies out of the state’s 172 to earn the maximum five stars from the federal government.
In Colorado, Health Insurance Surges But Cost Still A Concern
A comprehensive statewide survey shows Colorado cut its uninsured rate in half, with one in five state residents on Medicaid. But out-of-pocket health expenses can still be hard for families to afford.
