Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients 鈥 But Aren’t Easy to Find
The pandemic disrupted the massage industry. Now those who specialize in hospice massage therapy are in demand and redefining their roles.
All Coverage
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How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt
Some GOP members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have two-stepped around vaccine skepticism, proclaiming themselves to be pro-vaccine while also validating the beliefs of people who oppose vaccine mandates. The result could have serious public health consequences.
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Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact
The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government鈥檚 borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program鈥檚 new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join 吃瓜不打烊鈥 chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest 吃瓜不打烊-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.
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Personal Medical Debt in Los Angeles County Tops $2.6 Billion, Report Finds
Medical debt is a leading public health problem, researchers say. Despite the county鈥檚 ongoing expansion of health coverage, the prevalence of medical debt remained unchanged from 2017 to 2021.
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Burnout Threatens Primary Care Workforce and Doctors鈥 Mental Health
Burnout is a widespread problem in the health care industry. Although the pandemic made things worse, burnout among doctors is a long-standing concern that health systems have become more focused on as they try to stop doctors from quitting or retiring early.
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A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It鈥檚 Not as Crazy as It Sounds
The billion-dollar amount cited by former Sen. Al Franken, while an estimate, is likely very close to what insurers will owe this year under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that compels rebates when insurers spend too little on actual medical care.
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A ‘Payday Loan’ From a Health Care Behemoth
UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurer in the United States. And it keeps growing. This has led some health care experts to call for antitrust regulation of this 鈥渂ehemoth鈥 company.
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Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There鈥檚 No One-and-Done Solution.
Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.
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As Fewer MDs Practice Rural Primary Care, a Different Type of Doctor Helps Take Up the Slack
The number of DOs is surging, and more than half of them practice in primary care, including in rural areas hit hard by doctor shortages.
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California Confronts the Threat of 鈥楾ranq鈥 as Overdose Crisis Rages
California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that鈥檚 increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results. It鈥檚 mostly been an East Coast phenomenon, but 鈥榯ranq,鈥 as it is known, is beginning to appear in the Golden State.
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Will a 鈥楴ational Patient Safety Board,鈥 Modeled After the NTSB, Actually Fly?
A push is underway to create a National Patient Safety Board modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent federal agency that investigates plane crashes and other transportation disasters. But unlike the NTSB, some patient safety advocates say, the current proposal is toothless and wouldn鈥檛 provide transparency about the nation鈥檚 hospitals.
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How to Negotiate With Resistant Aging Parents? Borrow These Tips From the Business World
Negotiation techniques can help health care providers and family caregivers find common ground with older adults who resist advice or support.
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The Gun Violence Epidemic Is 鈥楲ocking Us Back in Our Room鈥
As the leading cause of death for teens, firearm injuries are detrimental to more than just physical health. It takes a major toll on young people鈥檚 mental health.
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The Debt Ceiling Deal Takes a Bite Out of Health Programs. It Could Have Been Much Worse.
A bipartisan deal to raise the government鈥檚 borrowing limit dashed Republican hopes for new Medicaid work requirements and other health spending cuts. Democrats secured the compromise by making relatively modest concessions, including ordering the return of unspent covid funds and limiting other health spending.
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Our 300th Episode!
When 吃瓜不打烊鈥 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 podcast launched in 2017, Republicans in Washington were engaged in an (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to 鈥渞epeal and replace鈥 the Affordable Care Act. The next six years would see a pandemic, increasingly unaffordable care, and a health care workforce experiencing unprecedented burnout. In the podcast鈥檚 300th episode, host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner explores the past and possible future of the U.S. health care system with three prominent 鈥渂ig thinkers鈥 in health policy: Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania, Jeff Goldsmith of Health Futures, and Farzad Mostashari of Aledade.
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Watch: Payback for the Opioid Crisis: How Did the Sackler Family Skirt Liability?
吃瓜不打烊 senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss the ruling surrounding drugmaker Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis and her reporting into the ongoing distribution of opioid settlement funds.
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As Medicaid Purge Begins, 鈥楽taggering Numbers鈥 of Americans Lose Coverage
In what鈥檚 known as the Medicaid 鈥渦nwinding,鈥 states are combing through rolls to decide who stays and who goes. But the overwhelming majority of people who have lost coverage so far were dropped because of technicalities, not because officials determined they are no longer eligible.
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More States OK Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Beyond Two Months
Montana, Alaska, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are among the latest states moving to provide health coverage for up to a year after pregnancy through the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people.
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How a Medical Recoding May Limit Cancer Patients鈥 Options for Breast Reconstruction
The federal government鈥檚 arcane process for medical coding is influencing which reconstructive surgery options are available, creating anxiety for breast cancer patients.
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Readers and Tweeters Weigh Marijuana’s Merits Against Those of Alcohol or Opioids
吃瓜不打烊 gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Morning Briefing
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FDA Fills Leadership Roles For Centers Overseeing Vaccines, Drugs, Tobacco, And AI
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NYC Mayor Says Former City Leaders Lied About Toxic Air After 9/11 Attacks
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In Vaccine Mandate Vs. Religious Freedom Case, High Court Rejects Mom's Plea For Exemption
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