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Geographic location strongly influences stage of breast cancer diagnosis

Where a woman lives significantly affects whether her breast cancer is diagnosed at an early or late stage, according to a national analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

11 Mar 2026

Primary care is in trouble. So doctors band together to boost their market power.

Western Massachusetts, a patchwork of rural communities and low-income cities, is a difficult place to find a primary care doctor if you don't already have one.

11 Mar 2026

Florida hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers want to add work requirements anyway.

In states that have long refused to expand Medicaid to more low-income adults, people in the program aren't subject to new rules under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act requiring them to prove they're working in order to get and keep coverage.

9 Mar 2026

Could GLP-1 drugs help curb addiction? Large veteran study points to potential benefit

A large cohort study of more than 600,000 US veterans with type 2 diabetes found that initiating GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with lower risks of developing substance use disorders compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors. Among veterans with existing substance use disorders, GLP-1 receptor agonist use was also linked to fewer overdose events, hospitalizations, and suicide-related outcomes.

8 Mar 2026

Virtual mental health visits show little impact on rural care access

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health specialists started using telemedicine much more frequently.

5 Mar 2026

Lawmakers, health groups resist their states’ rural health fund plans

In the final days of 2025, governors around the country trumpeted the hundreds of millions of federal dollars they won from a new, $50 billion rural health fund.

4 Mar 2026

Even patients are shocked by the prices their insurers will pay — and it costs all of us

Samantha Smith of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, went into the operating room for emergency removal of an ectopic pregnancy.

3 Mar 2026

Can brain training prevent dementia? Long-term trial shows speed training with boosters makes a difference

A 20-year follow-up of older adults in the ACTIVE randomized trial linked to Medicare claims found that speed of processing cognitive training with booster sessions was associated with a significantly lower risk of diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Memory and reasoning training did not show comparable long-term reductions in dementia risk.

2 Mar 2026

NIH grant funds evaluation of expanded Medicare Advantage benefits

Today, more than half of older Americans receive their Medicare coverage through private Medicare Advantage plans. In 2020, that program made a sweeping policy shift, allowing those plans to offer supplemental benefits beyond traditional medical care, including groceries, meal deliveries, utilities, transportation, pest control, and air filters.

27 Feb 2026

To avoid care disruptions, know when the clock runs out on your prior authorization

A woman with multiple sclerosis wanted to be able to walk up the stairs at home without losing her balance.

27 Feb 2026

He needs an expensive drug. A copay card helped — until it didn’t.

Over the course of 2025, Jayant Mishra of Mission Viejo, California, progressively developed scaly, itchy red patches on his skin. Then came the pain and swelling in the joints of his hands, making it difficult to do his work at a bank.

27 Feb 2026

Misdiagnosed Parkinson's patient regains life after NPH treatment

At age 66, Richard "Dick" Nash first suspected something might be wrong when he participated in a Dallas walk for juvenile diabetes in honor of his granddaughter.

26 Feb 2026

Sustainable inhalers offer better outcomes for COPD patients

26 Feb 2026

Heart attack deaths increase in young adults, especially women

A new study found that heart attack deaths were up among younger adults with women more likely than men to die after a first heart attack.

26 Feb 2026

‘Kind of morbid’: Health premiums threaten their nest egg. A terminal diagnosis may spare it.

Early on, Jean Franklin got some career advice she followed religiously: "Pay yourself first." So she did, socking away hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement savings by the time she became a stay-at-home mom at age 41.

26 Feb 2026

Hospitals fighting measles confront a challenge: Few doctors have seen it before

At around 2 a.m., 7-year-old twin brothers arrived at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Both had a fever, a cough, a rash, pink eye, and cold symptoms.

24 Feb 2026

UCLA Health finds eco-friendly inhalers improve COPD outcomes

New research from UCLA Health suggests that certain inhalers used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not only less harmful to the environment but can also lead to slightly better patient outcomes. Inhalers are essential therapies for COPD and other lung conditions, but many commonly used devices rely on propellants that are potent greenhouse gases.

23 Feb 2026

Medicare News and Research

Geographic location strongly influences stage of breast cancer diagnosis

Primary care is in trouble. So doctors band together to boost their market power.

Florida hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers want to add work requirements anyway.

Could GLP-1 drugs help curb addiction? Large veteran study points to potential benefit

Virtual mental health visits show little impact on rural care access

Lawmakers, health groups resist their states’ rural health fund plans

Even patients are shocked by the prices their insurers will pay — and it costs all of us

Can brain training prevent dementia? Long-term trial shows speed training with boosters makes a difference

NIH grant funds evaluation of expanded Medicare Advantage benefits

To avoid care disruptions, know when the clock runs out on your prior authorization

He needs an expensive drug. A copay card helped — until it didn’t.

Misdiagnosed Parkinson's patient regains life after NPH treatment

Sustainable inhalers offer better outcomes for COPD patients

Heart attack deaths increase in young adults, especially women

‘Kind of morbid’: Health premiums threaten their nest egg. A terminal diagnosis may spare it.

Hospitals fighting measles confront a challenge: Few doctors have seen it before

UCLA Health finds eco-friendly inhalers improve COPD outcomes

When it comes to health insurance, federal dollars support more than ACA plans

Should drug companies be advertising to consumers?

Stroke care varies across Medicare coverage types

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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