Health

Opioid overdose deaths dropped in these 14 states, prompting cautious optimism

By Christine Vestal, Stateline

In an opioid epidemic that began in the late 1990s, drug deaths have been climbing steadily every year, in nearly every state. A break in that trend, even if limited to just 14 states, has prompted cautious optimism among some…

Will my private insurer drop me if I don't get Medicare?

By Philip Moeller

A mother writes that the treatment facilities that treat her adult daughter's disorder do not take Medicare. What should they do?…

5 medical stories you might have missed

By Dr. Amber Robins, Laura Santhanam

It’s easy for politics to dominate our news feeds these days. But there are many important stories in the health and medical communities, too. Here’s what we’re reading now.

Trump administration unveils short-term medical plans with cheaper premiums, fewer benefits

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press

The plans would come with a disclaimer that they don't meet the Affordable Care Act's consumer protections, such as guaranteed coverage, or the requirement to offer robust benefits.

Trump said mental illness leads to gun violence. Here's why doctors disagree

By Associated Press

Mental health professionals welcome more resources and attention, but they say the administration is ignoring the real problem — easy access to guns, particularly the kind of high-powered highly lethal assault weapons used in many of the most recent mass…

Analysis: How defeatism undermines tougher gun laws

By Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

Congress has failed repeatedly to pass any gun-control measures after past calamities, even the 2012 massacre of 20 first-graders and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

This year's awful flu season may have just hit a plateau

By Helen Branswell, STAT

It’s too soon to say the flu season has peaked, but it’s at least possible it may have plateaued.

Analysis: 10 ways we can prevent school shootings right now

By Elizabeth Englander, Bridgewater State University

Because educators observe students’ emotional and behavioral development daily, they are best positioned to detect troubled behaviors and intervene.

Indiana Medicaid work requirements fuel worries for the poor

By Sarah Varney, Jason Kane

Indiana is one of the states poised to enact work requirements for some citizens with Medicaid coverage -- a controversial policy and long-sought goal for Republicans. But advocates for the poor have protested loudly in recent months, saying many will…

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Opioid makers gave $10 million to advocacy groups that promoted use of their pills, report says

By Matthew Perrone, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press

The investigation by Missouri's Sen. Claire McCaskill sheds light on the opioid industry's ability to shape public opinion and raises questions about its role in an overdose epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives.