Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Medical Schools Teach Students To Talk With Patients About Care Costs
Doctors and patients haven’t discussed the cost of medical care. But that conversation is becoming vital, and medical schools are trying to teach their students how to think – and talk – about cost.
Texas Strives To Lure Mental Health Providers To Rural Counties
Over a hundred counties in Texas don’t have a mental health worker, affecting about 3 million Texans. A new loan repayment program may not be enough to recruit them to rural areas.
In Ohio, New Abortion Clinic Opens, Bucking National Trend
Since the Roe v. Wade decision, Ohio has been a trendsetter in passing laws that restrict abortion. That’s why it is especially unusual that in a small Ohio town just south of Cleveland, a new clinic that performs abortions opened its doors.
Why Don’t We Have Mental Health Parity?
The law says insurance companies must pay for mental health benefits the same as they do everything else. Addiction as much as diabetes. Depression as much as cancer. But around the country, consumers are taking their insurers to court saying the companies are refusing to pay up. The insurance providers say mental health is complicated, […]
Katrina Shut Down Charity Hospital But Led To More Primary Care
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, many health facilities were destroyed or shut down, including urgent care centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and hospitals. But a new network of renovated and newly built primary care health clinics has opened, which many hope will bring stability to the health care of the city’s low-income residents.
Can Health Care Be Cured Of Racial Bias?
Even as the health of Americans has improved, the disparities in treatment and outcomes between white patients and black and Latino patients are almost as big as they were 50 years ago. A growing body of research suggests that doctors’ unconscious behavior plays a role in these statistics.
The Hospital Is In Network, But Not The Doctor: N.Y. Tries New Balance Billing Law
Consumers in New York are getting new protections against “balance billing,” where insurers bill patients for the difference between what insurers pay and what providers want, and states considering similar laws are watching closely.
Meet The California Family That Has Made Health Policy Its Business
On Medicare’s 50th birthday, two brothers who helped get it off the ground tell their stories. A younger member of the Lee family is at the helm of Covered California, the state insurance exchange.
Having A Baby? Big Differences Noted In Hospital Quality Across Mass.
WBUR compiles a database for pregnant women to compare hospitals in Massachusetts.
How Vandalism And Fear Ended Abortion In Northwest Montana
When Zachary Klundt broke into All Families Healthcare he destroyed the only clinic providing abortions in the Flathead Valley of Montana. More than a year later, the clinic remains closed.
Sometimes A Little More Minecraft May Be Quite All Right
The wildly popular video game Minecraft teaches kids basic spatial reasoning concepts and helps them think critically. So, if you’re using it for educational purposes, does it count as screen time, and should parents limit it?
The App Will See You Now, But May Not Get The Diagnosis Right
A third of adults say they have gone online to get help diagnosing symptoms, but a study shows the results are often inaccurate.
An Explicit Contract Makes Surrogacy Viable For An Oregon Woman
The agreement sets up expectations for the woman and covers a wide variety of contingencies to help protect her from unexpected problems.
California’s Tough New Law Overcomes Decades-Old Distrust Of Vaccines
California went from being a state with relatively lax vaccination rules to one of the most strict in the country. But opposition to vaccines is far from new.
Supreme Court Reprieve Lets 10 Texas Abortion Clinics Stay Open For Now
Abortion providers and foes react to the Supreme Court’s action that will allow 10 abortion clinics in Texas to remain open until a state law that would close them can be fully reviewed by the court.
Looming Decision Could Cripple Part Of N.C. Health Insurance Market
If the Supreme Court invalidates some Obamacare tax subsidies, individual health insurance marketplaces in places like North Carolina could be hurt by the remaining deluge of sick people who keep coverage — and the higher insurance premiums their presence demands.
California Law Will Allow Pharmacists To Prescribe Birth Control
As soon as this fall, pharmacists in California will be able to prescribe birth control. While some doctors’ groups are skeptical, lawmakers say pharmacists can fill a need for primary care providers, especially in rural areas.
Too Soon To Deride High Obamacare Rate Hikes
Prices for plans sold on the health law exchanges won’t be final until the fall, and some of the highest rate increases may be for plans that do not have very many people enrolled in them.
Pa., Del. Move To Maintain Health Insurance Subsidy Access
A soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court ruling could threaten health insurance subsidies for millions of people in about three dozen states. But many state officials aren’t sharing contingency plans lest they be seen as supporting Obamacare.
Insurer Uses Patients’ Personal Data To Predict Who Will Get Sick
A Philadelphia health insurance company analyzes its clients’ health data and other factors to find the frailest and assign them health coaches. That may improve health, but is it a breach of privacy?
