Jul 02 Does palliative sedation ease suffering during end-of-life care? By Michael Ollove, Stateline While aid-in-dying, or “death with dignity,” is now legal in seven states and Washington, D.C., medically assisted suicide retains tough opposition. Palliative sedation, though, has been administered since the hospice care movement began in the 1960s and is legal everywhere. Continue reading
Jul 01 The age plateau: New study suggests, at certain age, risk of death no longer increases By Meghana Keshavan, STAT Humans are living longer than ever before. But does our species have a fixed shelf life, or could we prolong our lives indefinitely?… Continue reading
Jun 30 Justice Department announces crackdown on fraudulent opioid prescriptions By Lev Facher, STAT Federal agencies on Thursday announced charges in what Attorney General Jeff Sessions called “the largest health care fraud takedown in American history,” an investigation into over $2 billion in alleged fraud by doctors, pharmacists, and nurses. Continue reading
Jun 29 The brilliant brothers behind the Mayo Clinic By Dr. Howard Markel Although Will Mayo rose to become an assistant in surgery and a demonstrator in anatomy at Michigan, one of his professors told him he would never succeed in medicine. Continue reading
Jun 29 My husband needs at-home health services. Where do I start? By Philip Moeller Medicare does cover at-home care services if they are prescribed by a physician or other licensed caregiver, but does not cover so-called custodial care. Continue reading
Jun 28 More Americans exercise, but more U.S. adults also edge closer to obesity, survey says By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press If more Americans are exercising, how can more also be getting fatter?… Continue reading
Jun 28 More toddlers appear alone in court for deportation under family separation By Christina Jewett, Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News Requiring unaccompanied minors to go through deportation alone is not a new practice. But in the wake of the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy, more young children — including toddlers — are being affected than in the past. Continue reading
Jun 28 How family separation strains employees at a Texas child detention center By Kavitha Surana, Robert Faturechi, ProPublica Almost universally, employees complained of being worked to the bone. A current employee in Texas said that as new children started being bused in daily, management cancelled vacations and placed staffers on 12-hour shifts. Bathroom breaks are a challenge. Employees… Continue reading
Jun 26 FDA increasingly approves drugs without conclusive proof they work By Caroline Chen, ProPublica As pharma companies underwrite three-fourths of the FDA’s budget for scientific reviews, the agency is increasingly fast-tracking expensive drugs with significant side effects and unproven health benefits. Continue reading
Jun 26 Sen. Schumer, Rep. Pelosi discuss pre-existing conditions By Associated Press Democrats in the House and Senate are urging President Donald Trump to defend protections for pre-existing conditions under the Affordable Care Act. Continue reading