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
Jun 08 How the back pain industry is taking patients for an unhealthy ride By Danielle Venton and Jon Brooks, KQED Future of You Searching for solutions to back pain can lead sufferers into an expensive and sometimes dangerous maze of ineffectual treatments, procedures and pills, journalist and investigative reporter Cathryn Jakobson Ramin found. Continue reading
Jun 08 If the individual health insurance market withers, who would revive it? By Julie Rovner, KFF Health News In his high-stakes strategy to overhaul the federal health law, President Donald Trump is threatening to upend the individual health insurance market with several key policies. But if the market actually breaks, could anyone put it back together again?… Continue reading
Jun 08 Even moderate drinking may expedite brain decline By Ike Swetlitz, STAT Drinking just a handful of beers a week is associated with long-term changes to a person’s brain, a new study finds — although the functional meaning of these changes is unclear. Continue reading
Jun 07 Nevada bill would require insulin makers to post profits By Emily Kopp, Kaiser Health News The cost of insulin medications has steadily risen over the past decade by nearly 300 percent. Continue reading
Jun 06 Twitter Chat: How to change the conversation about living with disabilities By Lora Strum “I have a choice everyday I wake up, I can look at myself as the poor guy with a disability or I can go out and inspire people,” Ryan Hudson-Peralta said. Continue reading
Jun 06 Hospitals now tap lawyers to fulfill patients' legal needs By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News As health care systems continue to shift toward becoming comprehensive medical homes for patients, health care providers are increasingly incorporating lawyers into the team of professionals who are on hand to help people at no additional charge to patients. Continue reading