Jun 16 WATCH: Trump’s opioid commission launches new look at health crisis By Laura Santhanam https://youtu.be/dzg-WhYGSe4 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he never felt uncomfortable telling people about his mother’s lung cancer after she smoked cigarettes for decades. But he wonders if he would have been as open if she instead consumed heroin instead… Continue reading
Jun 15 Dr. Alzheimer and the patient who helped reveal a devastating disease By Dr. Howard Markel This week marks the 153rd birthday of Alois Alzheimer, the German psychiatrist who is often credited for first describing the clinical and micro-anatomic features of a brain disease that steals the memories of millions of people each year. Continue reading
Jun 15 How lack of transparency became ‘regular order’ on Capitol Hill By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News Congressional history has repeated itself as Senate GOP leaders write their health care bill. How did secrecy and transparency become "regular order" on Capitol Hill?… Continue reading
Jun 14 How this mother keeps hope alive after Zika virus By JoNel Aleccia, Kaiser Health News Aryanna, who was born in late January, and the other infants are now at the center of efforts by U.S. officials to monitor the lasting effects of the devastating outbreak, even as another dangerous mosquito season begins. Continue reading
Jun 13 What’s at stake for children’s health care? By Laura Santhanam Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program combined have helped usher in near-universal health care coverage for kids, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. But now children's advocates fear those programs… Continue reading
Jun 12 Watch 6:29 Cervical cancer is most deadly in India. This program is trying to change that. By PBS News Hour Cervical cancer afflicts a half million women across the world every year, but it's most deadly in India. For many Indian women, seeing a doctor is the last resort and an unaffordable luxury. A pilot program aims to change that… Continue watching
Jun 12 Why cancer patients don’t have enough information to make decisions about their treatments By Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News At a time when expensive new cancer treatments are proliferating rapidly, patients have more therapy choices than ever before. Yet they are largely kept in the dark because their doctors either can’t or won’t communicate clearly. Many patients compound the… Continue reading
Jun 11 FDA wants to yank an opioid painkiller over concerns about abuse By Ed Silverman, STAT The Food and Drug Administration has asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to withdraw its Opana ER painkiller over concerns that the drug is too easily abused, the first time the agency has made such a move. Continue reading
Jun 10 ‘Part of the new reality’: Despite confusion, Zika warnings are here to stay By Helen Branswell, STAT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to warn women who are pregnant to avoid traveling to wide swathes of Latin America and the Caribbean. Continue reading
Jun 09 Polio outbreak reported in Syria By Helen Branswell, STAT An outbreak of vaccine-related polio cases has been reported in war-torn Syria, the World Health Organization announced Thursday — another hurdle for a nearly 30-year eradication effort that has seen more than its share of setbacks. Continue reading