Health

The infectious disease that sprung Al Capone from Alcatraz

By Dr. Howard Markel

after he was finally imprisoned for his life of crime, it was neither case law nor strong-armed tactics that set him free. It was, in fact, a tiny microbe called Treponema pallidum.

Block grants are the heart of GOP's Medicaid plans. Here's how they work

By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News

Republican plans to transform Medicaid could help set debate on the role of government and entitlements. Here's an explanation of how it could work.

Opioids as a first response to pain? Hospitals are rethinking that policy

By Max Blau, STAT

With heroin deaths now surpassing gun homicides, hospitals have been retraining staff to minimize prescriptions of narcotic painkillers.

Scorching your toast and potatoes could cause cancer, UK scientists say

By News Desk

Scientists in the UK are cautioning against cooking potatoes and toast to a blackened color, saying a by-product of the cooking process could cause cancer.

Republican states look to tweak Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, not eliminate it

By Christine Vestal, Stateline

As candidates two years ago, the Republican governors of Kentucky and Arkansas swore they would do away with “Obamacare” if elected. But a funny thing happened between the campaign trail and the governor’s mansion: Reality set in.

Trans patients, looking for fertility options, turn to cancer research

By Corinne Segal

There are an estimated 1.4 million trans Americans, and physicians told the PBS NewsHour Weekend that demand is increasing for health care specific to them. Many doctors are confronting the issue of fertility among trans communities.

A guide to Obama and Trump's differences on health policy

By Dylan Scott, STAT

While Trump may play some wild cards in the realms of medicine, science, and public health, you can look for some surprising continuity with Obama’s administration.

Diabetes-related kidney disease drops among Native Americans

By Michael D. Regan

The Indian Health Service said an aggressive campaign to educate and treat diabetes, bolstered by $150 million in annual federal funding, played a large part in the reductions.

How Trump's executive order impacts future of the Affordable Care Act

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Julie Pace, Associated Press

President Donald Trump's first executive order targets the sweeping "Obamacare" law by giving federal agencies broad leeway to chip away at the measure.

A 'civil war' over painkillers rips apart the medical community

By Bob Tedeschi, STAT

As doctors and regulators restrict access to opioid treatments, many patients who genuinely need drugs to manage their pain say they are being left behind.