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Republicans’ drive to tighten immigration overlooks need for doctors

Dr. Alluri Raju, a native of India, vividly remembers how his ethnicity prompted concern and discrimination in the southwest Georgia town of Richland. Doctors there hesitated to grant the family practitioner and general surgeon privileges to the local hospital when he arrived in 1981.

30 Oct 2018

GOP’s latest campaign punch on health care relies on classic hook: Medicare

Once again, Medicare is front and center in this fall's campaigns. Democrats throughout the election season have been hammering Republicans over votes and lawsuits that would eliminate insurance protections for preexisting conditions for consumers.

30 Oct 2018

Common diabetes medication may protect against age-related macular degeneration

Researchers from Taiwan have shown that people with type 2 diabetes who took a common diabetes medication, metformin, had a significantly lower rate of age-related macular degeneration.

29 Oct 2018

Experimental vaccine shows promise to protect stroke survivors from blood clots

A vaccine may one day be able to replace oral blood thinners to reduce the risk of secondary strokes caused by blood clots, without increasing the risk of serious bleeding or triggering an autoimmune response, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

29 Oct 2018

ECFC appreciates Administration for proposing rules to expand use of HRAs by employers

ECFC, the leading nonprofit organization promoting choice in benefit solutions, applauds the proposed regulations from the U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Labor regarding expanding the use of health reimbursement arrangements by employers.

26 Oct 2018

Gun store owner marshals voters to expand Medicaid in Idaho

Standing outside the gun shop she co-owns, next to her SUV sporting "NRA" on the license plate, Christy Perry pledges full support for President Donald Trump.

26 Oct 2018

Booming economy helps flatten Medicaid enrollment and limit costs, states report

Medicaid enrollment fell by 0.6 percent in 2018 — its first drop since 2007 — due to the strong economy and increased efforts in some states to verify eligibility, a new report finds.

25 Oct 2018

States explore paths to pay their share for Medicaid expansion — using political GPS

Last year, nearly 60 percent of Maine residents voted to expand the state's Medicaid program — an option provided by the Affordable Care Act that would extend health insurance to tens of thousands of the state's low-income people.

24 Oct 2018

Fixing Obamacare’s ‘family glitch’ hinges on outcome of November elections

Last Christmas Eve, Justine Bradford-Trent slipped on ice, slamming to the ground. Her elbow swelled. Was it broken? She couldn't tell.

23 Oct 2018

Gavin Newsom is bullish on single-payer — except when he’s not

Twenty minutes before the only scheduled 2018 California's gubernatorial debate, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled into the San Francisco parking garage in a black SUV. Through the tinted windows, a soft overhead light slightly illuminated the front-runner's chiseled features and slicked-back hair.

23 Oct 2018

Marketplace subsidies may be option in 2020 for plans without blanket benefits

States would be able to use federal funding to provide subsidies to people buying short-term health insurance policies, which typically don't provide comprehensive coverage, under guidance released Monday by the Trump administration.

23 Oct 2018

Politicians hop aboard ‘Medicare-for-all’ train, destination unknown

After decades in the political wilderness, "Medicare-for-all" and single-payer health care are suddenly popular. The words appear in political advertisements and are cheered at campaign rallies — even in deep-red states.

22 Oct 2018

People with periodontal disease less likely to reach healthy blood pressure ranges

People with high blood pressure taking medication for their condition are more likely to benefit from the therapy if they have good oral health, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

22 Oct 2018

Could we prevent Alzheimer's disease by treating herpes?

An exciting new paper suggests that over half of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease could be traced back to herpes simplex virus 1, which causes cold sores.

19 Oct 2018

As billions in tax dollars flow to private Medicaid plans, Who’s minding the store?

Like most people on Medicaid, the Los Angeles trucker was assigned to a private insurance company that coordinated his medical visits and treatment in exchange for receiving a set fee per month — an arrangement known as managed care.

19 Oct 2018

Parental education associated with increased family health care spending

Parents educated beyond high school invest more in family health care, reducing the likelihood of adverse medical conditions despite differences in family income and health insurance, according to a recent Rutgers study that appeared in the Southern Economic Journal.

19 Oct 2018