Jul 29 $1,000 Sovaldi now hepatitis treatment of choice By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press The price is sky-high, but so is demand. A new $1,000-per-pill drug has become the treatment of choice for Americans with hepatitis C, a liver-wasting disease that affects more than 3 million. Continue reading
Jul 29 Affordable Care Act challenge shot down by appeals court By Associated Press WASHINGTON — In the latest effort to sidetrack Obamacare, a federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a challenge by a conservative group that said Congress imposed new taxes unconstitutionally when it created the Affordable Care Act. Continue reading
Jul 28 Watch 5:20 Faced with challenging Ebola outbreak, medical workers use education to combat fear By PBS News Hour The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 670 people and spread to four countries. Among those now infected are two American aid workers and the lead Ebola doctor in Sierra Leone. Gwen Ifill interviews Dr. Estrella Lasry… Continue watching
Jul 28 Watch Lawmakers announce bipartisan breakthrough on VA health care reform By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jul 28 Next time you see him, give your doctor a fist-bump By Travis Daub Scientists at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom tested the germ-exchange rates of handhakes, fist bumps and high-fives to determine which mode of mano-to-mano contact spreads the most bacteria. In the study, one participant wore a sterile glove and exchanged… Continue reading
Jul 28 Marketplace shoppers discover new health plans have many limitations By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Nationally, regulators and insurance agents are inundated with complaints, while state lawmakers are considering rules to ensure consumers’ access to doctors. For 2015 plans which will be on sale beginning in November, the federal Department of Health and Human Services… Continue reading
Jul 27 Second American tests positive for Ebola in Liberia By Xander Landen A second American citizen working to treat Ebola patients in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly virus, an international aid organization reported Sunday, amid the outbreak that has ravaged West Africa since March. It was reported Saturday that a… Continue reading
Jul 27 Why automatic renewal of 2015 health coverage may backfire By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Insurance exchange customers who opt for convenience by automatically renewing their coverage for 2015 are likely to receive dated and inaccurate financial aid amounts from the government, say industry officials, advocates and other experts. Continue reading
Jul 26 FDA will consider approval of biosimilar drug for first time By Hannah Yi Americans are a small step closer to accessing less-expensive specialty drugs known as biologics. The Food and Drug Administration for the first time accepted an application for the approval of a copycat “generic” version of the brand name drug Neupogen,… Continue reading
Jul 25 Watch Connecting strength and vulnerability of the creative brain By PBS News Hour Why have so many creative minds suffered from mental illness? Nancy Andreasen, Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa, has devoted decades of study to the physical differences in the brains of writers and other highly… Continue watching