Health Mar 16 Pregnant Californians’ access to doula care delayed as state and professionals spar over payment California was supposed to start paying doulas this year to help Medicaid enrollees have healthy pregnancies. But the benefit has been delayed because doulas feel lowballed by the state’s proposed payment rate.
Health Jun 20 Why so many insured hospital patients are surprised by out-of-network bills At a hospital, patients often don’t know whether they are being treated by an out-of-network doctor -- until the bill arrives.
Health Sep 27 Funding hangs in limbo for the nation’s 1,400 community health centers With four days left in the government’s fiscal year, Congress has not voted on reauthorizing billions of dollars now going to community health centers and other health programs for the 2018 budget year that starts Sunday.
Health Mar 22 Should the U.S. make it easier to import prescription drugs? With prescription drug prices soaring and President Donald Trump vowing to take action, an old idea is gaining fresh traction: allowing Americans to buy medicines from foreign pharmacies at far lower prices.
Health Sep 07 How caregivers combat helplessness and aid dementia hospice patients Hospice’s purpose, at least one of them, is to ease a dying patient’s pain at the end of life and improve the quality of that life. But what’s to be done when a dementia patient in her waning days can’t…
Health Jul 29 Seniors who live alone rate physical health higher, mental health lower People over 65 who live alone were more likely to describe their health as excellent or very good than were seniors who live with others, according to a study exploring connections between older Americans’ health status and their living arrangements.
Health Jul 14 Oldest Americans aren’t the ones with biggest end-of-life medical bills Kaiser researchers said their findings suggest that providers, patients and their families may favor more costly, lifesaving care for younger seniors, and turn to hospice care when patients are older.
Health Jun 08 FDA makes it easier for some patients to get experimental drugs The Food and Drug Administration removed an obstacle from of its “compassionate use” policy this month, eliminating some paperwork that physicians must do to obtain experimental drugs for some patients with immediately life-threatening illnesses.