Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Elder Abuse: ERs Learn How To Protect A Vulnerable Population
An emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital trains staff to recognize signs of elder abuse and help victims.
Writing Your Way Through Cancer
A breast cancer survivor and author has helped numerous patients explore the feelings awakened by their disease — and feel better.
Charlottesville Postmortem: Why People Join Hate Groups
Unhappy childhood experiences can drive people to join white supremacist groups, studies have found.
Will GOP Pay A Price For Trying To Take Health Care Benefits From Voters?
Politicians who tried to take health care benefits from their voters may face political consequences as constituents come to understand what’s at stake — in a way they didn’t a few months ago.
‘Breakthrough’ Leukemia Drug Also Portends ‘Quantum Leap’ In Cost
A genetically altered cancer drug, based on CAR T-cell therapies, could be a big success with leukemia patients but at a staggering cost.
Dying At Home In An Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds
As more patients receive hospice care at home, some of the powerful, addictive drugs they’re prescribed are ending up in the wrong hands.
Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.
Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around
Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it.
Medicare Unveils ‘Skeletal’ Site For Hospice Comparison Shopping
This is the first federal website designed to help families choose a hospice, but experts aren’t impressed.
Gun Sellers Join Forces To Curb Suicide-By-Firearm, Rampant In Rural Areas
New research suggests that efforts to address climbing rates of rural suicide must focus on safe access to firearms. State-based coalitions are attempting just that.
Often Missing In The Health Care Debate: Women’s Voices
When leaders in Washington discuss the future of American health care, women are not always in the room. Here, nine women share their personal stories, fears and hopes.
Doctors Warm To Single-Payer Health Care
Growing numbers of physicians say they support a single-payer health care system, a 180-degree turn in opinion over a decade.
CBO: Killing Cost-Sharing Subsidies Would Hike Silver Plan Premiums And Deficit
The change would not be expected to have much long-term effect on the number of uninsured people. But it could cause a shift in which plans are popular with marketplace customers.
Insurers Can Bend Out-Of-Network Rules For Patients Who Need Specific Doctors
Individuals who require very specialized care for their health are advised to make their case when a plan doesn’t cover their doctor.
End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.
Climbing Cost Of Decades-Old Drugs Threatens To Break Medicaid Bank
Medicaid spent billions more in 2016 than the year before on decades-old prescription drugs, including many generics, a Kaiser Health News data analysis shows.
A Long And Winding Road: Kicking Heroin In An Opioid ‘Treatment Desert’
Heather Menzel thought returning to her rural California hometown was the answer to her addiction problems. Then she discovered the town had no medical treatment options for her — but plenty of heroin.
Obesity And Depression Are Entwined, Yet Scientists Don’t Know Why
As the link between obesity and depression becomes increasingly clear, so do the challenges of treating these distinct chronic conditions together.
Americans Eager For Leaders To Cooperate To Make Health Law Work
Majorities of Democrats and Republicans — and people who say they are supporters of President Donald Trump — say they want the country to make the law successful.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ No Vacation For Insurers
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the state of the individual health insurance markets in the wake of the failure (for now) of Congress’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
