Jun 03 How and where to dump your leftover opioid medications — responsibly By Emily Bazar, Kaiser Health News Opioids commonly languish in medicine cabinets, making easy pickings for someone with an addiction. Here is step-by-step advice for cleaning out your drug closet. Continue reading
Jun 02 How children’s hospitals are helping kids sleep at night By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News Children’s hospitals are now adopting some of the strategies used to foster better sleep at hospitals serving adults. Continue reading
May 26 MIT’s tiny portable drug-making lab can replace an entire factory By Martha Bebinger, WBUR This prototype machine produces 1,000 pills in 24 hours, faster than it can take to produce some batches in a factory. Continue reading
May 25 Could Medicare’s drug pricing plan give regulators too much power? By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News The aim, the government says, is to maintain quality while slowing spending in Medicare Part B by more closely tying payments to how well drugs work, using methods drugmakers, insurers and benefit managers are already trying in the private sector. Continue reading
May 24 To scope out Zika, Houston scientists set traps for mosquitoes By Carrie Feibel, Houston Public Media Mosquito control is serious business in Harris County, Texas. The county, which includes Houston, stretches across 1,777 square miles and is the third most populous county in the U.S. The area’s warm, muggy climate and snaking system of bayous provide… Continue reading
May 23 What is mechanical tenderizing, and why is it hazardous to your steak? By Lydia Zuraw, Kaiser Health News A new label on some of the steaks in your grocery store highlights a production process you may have never heard of: mechanical tenderizing. Continue reading
May 20 People with HIV are far less likely to get cancer treatment, study shows By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News 33 percent of patients with HIV and lung cancer failed to receive any treatment for the cancer compared with 14 percent of those who weren’t infected. Continue reading
May 19 There is a push to insure immigrants before Obama leaves office By Pauline Bartolone, Kaiser Health News California state legislators and advocates are racing to get federal approval in the waning months of the Obama administration for a proposal to allow immigrants living in the U.S. illegally onto the California insurance exchange… Continue reading
May 18 New York may drop sales tax on tampons and pads By Fred Mogul, WNYC Five states have eliminated sales taxes on pads and tampons: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland and Minnesota. In New York, a bill awaits the governor’s signature, and other efforts to improve access to sanitary products are underway. Continue reading
May 17 Feds cap how much sensitive medical data employers can collect through wellness programs By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Employer wellness programs can gather medical information from employees and spouses — so long as financial incentives or penalties don’t exceed 30 percent of the annual cost for an individual in the company’s group health plan, according to final rules issued… Continue reading