health care

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Docs Urge Cutting Out Booze, Quicker Hypertension Care

New advice lowers treatment threshold and warns against any drinking

(Newser) - New blood pressure guidelines are encouraging health care providers to begin treatment sooner and to advise patients to avoid alcohol. The updated recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology reflect recent research suggesting that earlier intervention may help prevent more serious cardiovascular issues down...

GOP Rep Gets a Tongue-Lashing at Town Hall

Changes to Medicaid fuel heated exchanges in Nebraska

(Newser) - Shouts of "Vote him out!" echoed through a packed Nebraska town hall on Monday as Rep. Mike Flood struggled to defend President Trump's policy and tax bill—and faced an audience ready to challenge every word. About 750 attendees made their dissatisfaction clear during the event...

Got ACA Health Insurance? Steel Yourself for Next Year

Average premium could rise 75%, millions may lose coverage as federal subsidies are phased out

(Newser) - Americans who buy their health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, also known as ObamaCare, can expect a steep jump in premiums next year, according to a new analysis from health policy group KFF . The research finds that the average premium will climb by 75%, largely due to the...

Jeffries Takes Health Care Cuts to GOP Leaders' Backyard

Town hall in Louisiana to address effects of Trump's bill

(Newser) - The top Democrat in the US House is holding a town hall Thursday in Louisiana, home to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his deputy, to rally against the health care cuts in the GOP bill that President Trump signed into law. Led by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Democrats are...

DOJ: It's the Biggest Takedown of Health Care Scams Ever

Yearly amount topped $14B, officials say on scheme that led to 320-plus people being charged

(Newser) - State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history. Law enforcement reported seizing more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency,...

Texas Hospitals Spent $122M on Migrant Care in November

Gov. Greg Abbott's order triggers new reporting on health care costs for those not lawfully in the US

(Newser) - Texas hospitals tallied nearly $122 million in health care costs incurred by undocumented migrants in one month in the state's first measure of those costs. The data was collected and released in the wake of an executive order signed in August by Gov. Greg Abbott that requires hospitals...

Berated by John Oliver, Health Insurance Exec Sues

Dr. Brian Morley, ex-medical director of AmeriHealth Caritas, claims defamation

(Newser) - A former health insurance boss is suing John Oliver for defamation, arguing the Last Week Tonight host "knowingly manipulated" his words to make millions of viewers believe he'd illegally denied care to a quadriplegic. In an episode on Medicaid released April 14, 2024, Oliver described the case of...

31M Americans Had to Borrow for Health Care in 2024

That's 12% of the adult population, to the tune of $74B, according to latest Gallup survey

(Newser) - When you've got a medical issue, the only thing worse than the issue itself can be the bill that accompanies it—and as it turns out, a good percentage of us can't afford that bill. According to the latest West Health-Gallup survey , conducted among 3,500-plus respondents in...

Our ERs, Hospitals Have Become More Dangerous
The ER Has Become
More Dangerous
Mar 2, 2025 8:03 PM CST

The ER Has Become More Dangerous

Violence against health care workers in emergency departments, other hospital units is rising

(Newser) - A man who took hostages in a Pennsylvania hospital during a shooting last weekend that killed a police officer and wounded five others highlights the rising violence against US health care workers and the challenge of protecting them. Such violence takes place in emergency departments, but also in maternity wards...

Mayor Warns Locals: Don't Even Think About Getting Sick Here

Italian village of Belcastro announces joke ban on illness and injury to highlight health care issues

(Newser) - Feeling under the weather? If you're a resident of the Italian village of Belcastro, you're breaking the law—kind of. Mayor Antonio Torchia has announced that locals are "ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance," as well as to avoid any...

Ex-Cigna Bigwig: I Left Insurer After 'Crisis of Conscience'
Ex-Cigna Exec: What I Saw
'Shook Me to My Core'
OPINION
Dec 18, 2024 12:55 PM CST

Ex-Cigna Exec: What I Saw 'Shook Me to My Core'

In op-ed for NYT , Wendell Potter talks of time with health insurer, leaving due to 'crisis of conscience'

(Newser) - The gunning down of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has busted open an often-angry conversation about the state of health insurance in the United States, and now, an ex-exec with one of the country's biggest insurers is adding fuel to that fire. "What I saw made me quit,"...

Mike Johnson Causes a Stir With ObamaCare Comments
House Speaker on
Defense After
'No ObamaCare'
Remark
THE RUNDOWN
Oct 31, 2024 10:45 AM CDT

House Speaker on Defense After 'No ObamaCare' Remark

Mike Johnson's comments on ACA sets off Dems, though Johnson says reaction is off the mark

(Newser) - President Biden isn't the only big name in DC who's catching flak for remarks made in the final stretch of Election 2024. Appearing at a GOP campaign rally on Monday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, House Speaker Mike Johnson broached the subject of 2010's Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare,...

In 53-Year First, Senate Holds Person in Criminal Contempt

Health care CEO Ralph de la Torre 'is not above the law,' Bernie Sanders says

(Newser) - Democratic and Republican senators were united Wednesday in voting to hold Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre in criminal contempt of Congress. After the unanimous vote, lawmakers said it was the first time since 1971 that the chamber had held a person in criminal contempt and asked the...

In This Catholic Hospital System, 'Unusual Activity'

Cyberattack fells Ascension, diverting ambulances and wreaking havoc across the US

(Newser) - A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the US forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests, and blocked online access to patient records. An Ascension spokesperson said it detected "unusual activity" Wednesday on its computer network...

In Hack Update, UnitedHealth Reveals Ransom Was Paid

It says a 'substantial proportion' of Americans possibly had data stolen

(Newser) - Hackers stole health and personal data from what could amount to a "substantial proportion" of Americans, UnitedHealth said in a Monday update on the February cyberattack on its Change Healthcare subsidiary. UnitedHealth also confirmed that it paid a ransom "as part of the company's commitment to do...

In Haiti, 'Everything Is Crashing'
In Haiti, 'Everything Is Crashing'
Apr 24, 2024 8:29 AM CDT

In Haiti, 'Everything Is Crashing'

Health care system nears collapse as gangs attack hospitals, medical supplies dwindle

(Newser) - On a recent morning at a hospital in the heart of gang territory in Haiti's capital, a woman began convulsing as a doctor and two nurses raced to save her. They stuck electrodes to her chest and flipped on an oxygen machine while keeping their eyes on a computer...

Major Errors Climbed After Equity Firms Bought Hospitals

Research is the first to document decline in care after a sale to investors

(Newser) - Private equity firms own only a small percentage of US hospitals, but they've been working to increase their share for two decades. They've pooled money from institutional investors and individuals to build investment funds that buy up hospitals and related health care entities, often intending to sell them...

Next Strike Begins, With 75K Workers in 5 States
Kaiser Permanente Reaches
Deal With 75K Workers
UPDATED
Oct 13, 2023 9:03 AM CDT

Kaiser Permanente Reaches Deal With 75K Workers

Health care staffers already staged one strike and had threatened another

(Newser) - Unions representing 75,000 health care workers who recently held a strike against industry giant Kaiser Permanente over wages and staffing shortages have reached a tentative agreement with the company, per the AP . The three-day strike last week involving 75,000 workers in multiple states officially ended last Saturday, and...

There's a Rising Crisis in Giving Birth in Rural US

Many maternity centers are closing, leading women to have to travel or depend on alternatives

(Newser) - A growing number of rural hospitals have shuttered their delivery units, forcing pregnant women to travel for care or face giving birth in an emergency room, reports the AP . Fewer than half of rural hospitals now have maternity units, prompting government officials and families to scramble. One solution gaining ground...

Older and About to Become an Ex? Think Health Insurance

If you're about to divorce in your 50s, 60s, or older, think ahead so you're not left in the lurch

(Newser) - More than 1 in 3 people who divorce in the United States are age 50 or older, and 1 in 4 are 65 or older, according to a 2022 analysis published in the Journals of Gerontology. Divorcing as you near retirement—or after you've retired—comes with considerations: Are...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser