health care

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Report Uncovered Walter Reed Problems in 2004

(Newser) - The mess at Walter Reed was detailed in a damning task force report in 2004, obtained by Salon, in which soldiers described their frustrations with outpatient care and bureaucratic nightmares. Not only was the report ignored, but the official who sat on it for three years is now up for...

Insurer Ties Employee Pay to Patient Health

Plan will offer bonuses for boosting patients' use of preventive services

(Newser) - The country's largest health insurer says it will pay up for good health--offering bonuses to employees who boost patients' use of preventive medical services. WellPoint Inc.'s plan is intended to encourage participation in programs like diabetes management, which helps patients handle their medical needs before they end up in...

How We Fight: In Public and In Private

Jonathan Alter relives his own struggle with cancer

(Newser) - Fit and under fifty when diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, Newsweek reporter Jonathan Alter talks about his own battle with cancer in the wake of a week of high-profile recurrences. Now in remission, as Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow were until last week, Alter  describes managing the fear...

Hospitals Dial 911
Hospitals
Dial 911
Apr 2, 2007 2:57 PM CDT

Hospitals Dial 911

Small, specialized facilities unprepared for emergencies

(Newser) - Believe it or not, some small, physician-owned hospitals are calling in paramedics to revive their patients in emergencies. Already accused of cherry picking patients and focusing on profit-maximizing procedures, the facilities are now drawing fire for literally relying on other hospitals to rescue patients when complications arise, reports Reed Abelson...

Alzheimer's Patients Dying In Prescription Scandal

Sedatives shown to double death rates

(Newser) - Sedatives commonly prescribed to Alzheimer's and dementia patients are leading to their premature death, new research reported in the Guardian concludes.  The drugs, called neuroleptics, combat the diseases' more alarming symptoms, including agitation and hallucinations. Their widespread off-label use in the U.K.—where they're licensed only for...

Condom-Hating Health Official Steps Down

Bush's top family planning official resigns after legal action against him

(Newser) - Bush's top family planning official resigned unexpectedly yesterday, on the heels of a legal action against him in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reports. The lawsuit  initiated by Medicaid  targets Dr. Eric Keroack's private practice in Marblehead. Abortion rights groups protested his appointment five months ago, claiming he opposed birth control...

Insurers Fighting Claims of Elderly
Insurers Fighting Claims of Elderly
Mar 26, 2007 10:36 AM CDT

Insurers Fighting Claims of Elderly

“They’ll do anything to avoid paying, because if they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die."

(Newser) - Elderly patients who bought long-term care policies are finding their claims denied by companies calculating that they don’t have the resources or the energy to fight and are likely to die before their cases are settled. An investigation by Charles Duhigg identifies insurance companies that reject coverage for the...

Court Orders Abortion Access in Poland

Even where abortion is severely restricted, it must be available to women legally entitled

(Newser) - Even countries that severely restrict abortion must make them available to those who are entitled to them by law, the European court of human rights ruled yesterday. A Polish mother sued because her fourth pregnancy's damage to her failing eyesight made her legally eligible for an abortion to preserve her...

POX STRIKES BACK
POX
STRIKES
BACK
Mar 20, 2007 10:02 AM CDT

POX STRIKES BACK

Chickenpox docs want second doses of vaccine—but some parents are resisting

(Newser) - Doctors now recommend that kids get a second dose of chickenpox vaccine, but a lot of wary parents are balking. A recent study concluded that the longer patients had gone since getting the first dose, the more likely they were to contract the pox, and the more likely that it...

The Moral-Hazard Myth
The Moral-Hazard Myth
Mar 18, 2007 8:43 PM CDT

The Moral-Hazard Myth

Why Our Insurance Systems Doesn't Work

(Newser) - Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, examines the premise underlying U.S. health insurance known by the Dickensian term: Moral Hazard. The theory of Moral Hazard describes the notion that insurance can change peoples’ behavior. Without deductibles, co-payments and other barriers to use, people will use too...

Disabled Vets Get Unequal Treatment

Some wounded soldiers face long waits—the longest in states that sent the most troops

(Newser) - The V.A. is treating some disabled veterans like second-class soldiers, making them wait twice as long for benefits that are, when they finally come, less generous than others get. It all depends on where a soldier lives and how he served—active duty or National Guard. Worst: The more...

Walter Reed Exposes Weakened Top Brass

Retired general blames military for acquiescing to misguided civilian moves

(Newser) - Blame the Walter Reed scandal on "the silence of our top officers," writes a retired Army general. Paul Eaton, who spent a year in Baghdad rebuilding the Iraqi army, says the administration and Congress "pointedly failed to provide the money and resources for our returned troops,"...

Tech-Savvy Docs Get More Time With Patients

New software allows them to run "micropractices"

(Newser) - A growing number of primary care doctors are opting out of hospitals and big medical groups to open up mom 'n' pop doc shops. Key to these "micropractices,"  reports the Wall Street Journal, is technology that allows doctors to schedule their own appointments, order prescriptions, and process...

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