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The startlingly high cost of the ‘free’ flu shot

In the Byzantine world of health care pricing, most people wouldn't expect that the ubiquitous flu shot could be a prime example of how the system's lack of transparency can lead to disparate costs.

19 Nov 2019

For newborns with hearing loss, screening opens window to a world of sound

Four-year-old Betty Schottler starts each morning with the same six sounds: [m], [ah], [oo], [ee], [sh], and [s].

19 Nov 2019

Radiation from CT scans can increase risk of leukemia, thyroid cancer

A new study in JNCI Cancer Spectrum finds that exposure to radiation from CT scans is associated with higher risks of developing thyroid cancer and leukemia.

19 Nov 2019

Medicare buy-in could offer more affordable health care coverage to older adults

Opening Medicare to Americans aged 50 to 64 would lower health care premiums for the group, but also drive up costs for younger people who buy health insurance on exchanges created under the federal Affordable Care Act, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

18 Nov 2019

Counties experiencing most economic distress have highest heart disease mortality rates

Communities in the United States that experienced the most economic distress in the wake of the Great Recession saw a significant increase in death rates from heart disease and strokes among middle-aged people, according to a new multi-institution study led by researchers at Penn Medicine.

18 Nov 2019

Opening Medicare to senior Americans would lower health care premiums

18 Nov 2019

KHN’s ‘What the Health’: Spending bill slowdown

The fiscal year started a month and a half ago, but Congress has still not agreed on an annual spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services - or any of the other annual spending bills that fund the government.

14 Nov 2019

Nursing home safety violations put residents at risk, report finds

As huge swaths of California burned last fall, federal health officials descended on 20 California nursing homes to determine whether they were prepared to protect their vulnerable residents from fires, earthquakes and other disasters.

14 Nov 2019

Dialysis patients panic as financial ‘life raft’ becomes unmoored

Russell Desmond received a letter a few weeks ago from the American Kidney Fund that he said felt like "a smack on the face."

14 Nov 2019

U-M's insurance coverage benefit associated with increase in IVF rates

For couples wanting to have a baby, a diagnosis of infertility can be devastating. And while infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), offer hope for would-be parents, the procedure comes with a high price tag.

13 Nov 2019

Drug discount cards could lead to higher health care spending

New research published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) reveals that brand-name drug discount cards are leading to higher health care spending in Canada--increased costs that are ultimately passed on to patients.

12 Nov 2019

Male patients with lupus often have more severe disease, receive little support

A national survey of male patients with lupus finds the illness has a significant impact on their physical and emotional health, yet they often do not receive support that could help them cope.

11 Nov 2019

Study: Drug discount cards are leading to higher health care spending in Canada

New research published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) reveals that brand-name drug discount cards are leading to higher health care spending in Canada--increased costs that are ultimately passed on to patients.

11 Nov 2019

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction.

11 Nov 2019

Best practice treatment guide to quickly detect, treat patients with vaping-associated lung injury

As the outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with e-cigarettes, or vaping, continues to spread across the U.S., researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City have effectively developed a best practice treatment guide to quickly identify and treat patients who develop the new and potentially fatal respiratory injury, according to a new study.

9 Nov 2019

Fujitsu successfully verifies AI technology to improve efficiency in cancer genomic medicine

Fujitsu has announced the results of a joint research project it has been conducting with the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo since April 2018.

6 Nov 2019

Childhood trauma linked to health problems in adulthood warns CDC

The Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has released a report citing the dangers of traumatic events occurring in childhood. These traumatic events are named “Adverse Childhood Experiences” or ACE says the CDC and include abuse (physical and mental) or violence or growing up in an environment that is no congenial for development.

6 Nov 2019

The air ambulance billed more than his surgeon did for a lung transplant

Before his double lung transplant, Tom Saputo thought he had anticipated every possible outcome.

6 Nov 2019

Affordable Care Act reduced rate of uninsured patients with head and neck cancers

The rate of uninsured patients with head and neck cancers was "significantly reduced" following the implementation of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

5 Nov 2019

School-based telehealth program linked to reduced ED visits for children with asthma

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina report in JAMA Pediatrics an association between a school-based telehealth program and reduced emergency department visits for children with asthma living in a rural and underserved region of South Carolina.

5 Nov 2019