November 14, 2023
(STAT News) – The nation’s largest health insurance company pressured its medical staff to cut off payments for seriously ill patients in lockstep with a computer algorithm’s calculations, denying rehabilitation care for older and disabled Americans as profits soared, a … Read More
November 9, 2023
(Wall Street Journal) – The way medicines are paid for in the U.S. has become so convoluted that some drugmakers are setting two prices for the same drug—and many health plans are choosing to cover the more expensive version. The … Read More
November 9, 2023
(Axios) – A wave of medical services delivered via software has the potential to expand access to new therapies and help keep people out of the hospital — but the health system is still trying to figure out how to … Read More
November 8, 2023
(Wall Street Journal) – Amazon is turning to Prime members to bolster its healthcare business, an industry where the company has sought to expand for years. The tech giant on Wednesday revealed plans to offer its millions of Amazon Prime … Read More
November 8, 2023
(ProPublica) – At that point, Salim seemed in danger of joining millions of other Americans denied payment for medical treatment. These patients often settle for outdated, riskier procedures or simply forgo care. But Salim was no ordinary patient. He was, … Read More
November 7, 2023
(Washington Post) – Longevity has become an industry, a subject of bestsellers, podcasts and newsletters. But is a life meted out in metrics, often for a price, worth it? (Read More)
November 6, 2023
(Vox) – Of all the culprits that make it harder for Americans to afford and access health care, the sheer confusion many patients experience when trying to select an insurance plan or when faced with an expensive medical bill may … Read More
November 3, 2023
(KFF Health News) – The share of American consumers with medical debt on their credit reports has declined dramatically over the past year as major credit rating agencies removed small unpaid bills and debts that were less than a year … Read More
November 3, 2023
(The Guardian) – Raphael takes her reasoning a step further and argues that wellness has become a new form of faith. As organized religion has retreated from everyday life, she argues, wellness has rushed in to fill the void. “It’s … Read More
November 3, 2023
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 389, no. 16, 2023) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Yellow Jack’s Potential Return to the American South” by P.J. Hotez and A.D. LaBeaud “Wedding Websites, Free Speech, and Adverse Drug … Read More
October 31, 2023
(The Free Press) – MrBeast’s act of kindness exposed one of the big debates roiling the medical profession: should disabilities be fixed—or celebrated? (Read More)
October 30, 2023
(Axios) – COVID-19 treatments, including Pfizer’s Paxlovid, will begin transitioning to the commercial market this week, with costs of the drugs set to increase. Why it matters: The oral antivirals reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 and … Read More
October 27, 2023
(NPR) – It’s a part of getting older that many people worry about: The increased chance of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s that cause dementia. In wealthy countries, getting an early diagnosis can at least help a person’s family understand and … Read More
October 27, 2023
(Mother Jones) – In the days to follow, Edwards learned the facility’s peculiar vernacular. “Booty juice” was the intramuscular sedative that staffers gave to kids they thought were acting out. According to court documents, they would restrain children and pull … Read More
October 26, 2023
(STAT News) – Adult immunization rates are perennially suboptimal. Fewer than half of adults in the U.S. get a flu shot. Only about 1 in 5 adults got a Covid booster in 2022; even among the highest-risk group, adults 65 … Read More
October 25, 2023
(STAT News) – Participation in a clinical trial is often considered something of an equalizer in medicine. Researchers have pushed for better access to trials for historically disadvantaged populations, hoping that increasing diversity in trials will both advance medicine and … Read More
October 23, 2023
(Axios) – A new, more expansive definition of “infertility” could lead to more help for hopeful LGBTQ+ or single parents. Why it matters: The decision by an influential organization of reproductive health providers to redefine the condition could lead to … Read More
October 20, 2023
(Quartz) – More than a quarter of the US population has had their health data exposed in security breaches this year, with a rise in ransomware attacks and other hacking efforts affecting nearly 87 million patients, according to internet security … Read More
October 19, 2023
(Wired) – Even before this week’s deadly hospital blast, Gaza’s health system was already on the brink of collapse. At least 3,700 Palestinians in Gaza have been declared dead since the beginning of the Israeli-Hamas war, and an estimated 12,000 … Read More
October 18, 2023
(KFF Health News) – Crespo, 39, is among a growing number of homeless pregnant women in California whose lives have been overrun by hard drug use, a deadly coping mechanism many use to endure trauma and mental illness. They are … Read More
October 18, 2023
(Axios) – The average cost of workplace health insurance premiums for family coverage reached nearly $24,000 this year, jumping 7% from 2022, according to the latest annual KFF survey of employer-sponsored coverage. Why it matters: After a few years of … Read More
October 16, 2023
(NBC News) – By the end of the month, two Alabama hospitals will stop delivering babies. A third will follow suit a few weeks later. That will leave two counties — Shelby and Monroe — without any birthing hospitals, and … Read More
October 16, 2023
Hastings Center Report (vol. 53, Issue 4, 2023) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “The Moral Difference between Faces & FaceTime” by Kyle E. Karches “Risk?Sensitive Assessment of Decision?Making Capacity: A Comprehensive Defense” by Scott Y. H. Kim … Read More
October 13, 2023
(Washington Post) – Some brain injury patients may appear to be in a coma, but they are not. They are processing at least some of what is happening around them but cannot physically respond. Without a physical response, a physician … Read More
October 12, 2023
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 389, no. 11, 2023) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “A Doctrine in Name Only — Strengthening Prohibitions against the Corporate Practice of Medicine” by J.M. Zhu, H. Rooke-Ley and E. … Read More
