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Medi-Cal’s reliance on prisoners to make cheaper eyeglasses proves shortsighted

To dodge hefty costs for eyewear, California's health insurance program for low-income people, Medi-Cal, has an innovative strategy: It contracts exclusively with the state's prisons, and inmates make glasses for its beneficiaries.

11 Jul 2022

In America, cancer patients endure debt on top of disease

Jeni Rae Peters would make promises to herself as she lay awake nights after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.

9 Jul 2022

Digital mental health companies draw scrutiny and growing concerns

When Pat Paulson's son told her he was feeling anxious and depressed at college, Paulson went through her Blue Cross Blue Shield provider directory and started calling mental health therapists.

8 Jul 2022

Seeking to kick-start Biden’s agenda, Schumer unveils a bill for Medicare drug price negotiations

Democratic senators on Wednesday took a formal step toward reviving President Joe Biden's economic agenda, starting with a measure to let Medicare negotiate prices with drugmakers and to curb rising drug costs more broadly.

7 Jul 2022

Transgender patients report better mental health after gender-affirming facial feminization surgery

A UCLA study offers the first evidence that transgender patients who receive gender-affirming facial feminization surgery reported better mental health after their procedures.

6 Jul 2022

‘Free’ screening? Know your rights to get no-cost care

An ounce of prevention … well, you know the rest. In medicine, prevention aims to spot problems before they worsen, affecting both a patient's health and finances.

6 Jul 2022

Redlined neighborhoods in the 1930s now suffer from higher rates of poor health outcomes

A new study from University Hospitals (UH) Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute further proves that people living in areas that were subjected to housing discrimination decades ago now suffer from higher rates of poor health outcomes, including heart disease, kidney failure and diabetes.

5 Jul 2022

Neighborhood ‘redlining’ may increase risk of cardiovascular diseases

The historical discriminatory housing policies known as "redlining" are associated with heart disease and related risk factors today in impacted neighborhoods, more than 60 years after they were banned, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Jul 2022

How to get rid of medical debt — or avoid it in the first place

Lori Mangum was 32 when apple-size tumors sprouted on her head. Now — six years and 10 surgeries later — the skin cancer is gone. But her pain lives on, in the form of medical debt.

1 Jul 2022

How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public

Consumers, employers, and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can?

1 Jul 2022

Big employers are offering abortion benefits. Will the information stay safe?

In response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Americans' constitutional right to abortion, large employers thought they had found a way to help workers living in states where abortions would be banned: provide benefits to support travel to other states for services. But that solution is only triggering questions.

1 Jul 2022

Study: Nearly 80% of people in the U.S. have low to moderate cardiovascular health

About 80% of people in the U.S. have low to moderate cardiovascular health based on the American Heart Association's new Life's Essential 8™ checklist according to a new study published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal. Life's Essential 8™, also published today in Circulation, details the Association's updated guidance to measure cardiovascular health, adding healthy sleep as essential for ideal heart and brain health.

29 Jun 2022

Sleep turns out to be a significant factor for maintaining cardiovascular health

Sleep duration is now considered an essential component for ideal heart and brain health. Life's Essential 8™ cardiovascular health score replaces Life's Simple 7™, according to a new Presidential Advisory, Life's Essential 8 - Updating and Enhancing the American Heart Association's Construct on Cardiovascular Health, published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal.

29 Jun 2022

Government watchdogs attack Medicare Advantage for denying care and overcharging

Congress should crack down on Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors that sometimes deny patients vital medical care while overcharging the government billions of dollars every year, government watchdogs told a House panel Tuesday.

29 Jun 2022

Bisphosphonates appear to improve COVID-19 exposure outcomes

A new retrospective study examines the effect of bisphosphonates on COVID-19 outcomes.

27 Jun 2022

Trump’s legacy looms large as Colorado aims to close the Hispanic insurance gap

Armando Peniche Rosales has a crooked toe that for years has predicted the weather, growing sensitive when rain or cold is coming.

23 Jun 2022

Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac rehabilitation participation regardless of income

Participation in cardiac rehabilitation is low among Asian, Black and Hispanic adults compared to white adults, with significant disparities by race/ethnicity regardless of income, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Jun 2022

New weight loss treatment is marked by heavy marketing and modest results

First came the "edible billboard," which appeared last year during the holidays in New York's East Village loaded with cake treats. Then, in late January, came the national marketing campaign, with TV and digital media promoting the idea that trying to lose weight doesn't mean a person can't enjoy eating.

22 Jun 2022

New scientific statement highlights the cardiopulmonary effects of e-cigarette use among adolescents

E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular among adolescents, and the latest available scientific evidence suggests the use of these products has adverse health effects that may accrue over time, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease over the course of the life of people who use e-cigarettes, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published today in the Association's peer-reviewed journal, Circulation: Research.

21 Jun 2022

Medi-Cal will cover doulas at more than twice California’s initial proposed rate

California will cover doula services for low-income residents at more than twice the state's initial proposed rate under a spending plan lawmakers passed last week.

21 Jun 2022

Health Insurance News and Research

Medi-Cal’s reliance on prisoners to make cheaper eyeglasses proves shortsighted

In America, cancer patients endure debt on top of disease

Digital mental health companies draw scrutiny and growing concerns

Seeking to kick-start Biden’s agenda, Schumer unveils a bill for Medicare drug price negotiations

Transgender patients report better mental health after gender-affirming facial feminization surgery

‘Free’ screening? Know your rights to get no-cost care

Redlined neighborhoods in the 1930s now suffer from higher rates of poor health outcomes

Neighborhood ‘redlining’ may increase risk of cardiovascular diseases

How to get rid of medical debt — or avoid it in the first place

How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public

Big employers are offering abortion benefits. Will the information stay safe?

Study: Nearly 80% of people in the U.S. have low to moderate cardiovascular health

Sleep turns out to be a significant factor for maintaining cardiovascular health

Government watchdogs attack Medicare Advantage for denying care and overcharging

Bisphosphonates appear to improve COVID-19 exposure outcomes

Trump’s legacy looms large as Colorado aims to close the Hispanic insurance gap

Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac rehabilitation participation regardless of income

New weight loss treatment is marked by heavy marketing and modest results

New scientific statement highlights the cardiopulmonary effects of e-cigarette use among adolescents

Medi-Cal will cover doulas at more than twice California’s initial proposed rate

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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