Health

PHILADELPHIA — In a massive, soot-stained 19th-century former Methodist church that fills an entire block here, dozens of addiction counselors and peer support specialists work to help injection drug users stay as healthy as possible until they decide they’re ready... Read More

ORLANDO, Fla. — Almost halfway through the ACA open enrollment period, Florida is leading the nation in the number of people who have signed up for health insurance, according to the federal data released on Wednesday. Of the 1.7 million... Read More

It was a moment of genuine bipartisanship at the House Ways and Means Committee in October, as Democratic and Republican sponsors alike praised a bill called the “Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2019.” The bill, approved by the panel... Read More

WASHINGTON — The number of known military installations with water sources contaminated by cancer-linked firefighting foam is likely to rise, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. In 2018, the Pentagon reported that 401 sites — including wells, on-base drinking sources and groundwater... Read More

Hospitals will soon have to share price information they have long kept obscured — including how big a discount they offer cash-paying patients and rates negotiated with insurers — under a rule finalized Friday by the Trump administration. In a... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A Food and Drug Administration official told a U.S. Senate committee this week that new regulations to control vaping are likely coming soon, but couldn’t say when. His testimony drew rebukes and words of frustration from members of... Read More

The newest faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences has a great smile — and a wagging tail. Shetland, not quite 2 years old, is half golden retriever, half Labrador retriever. As of this fall, he... Read More

WASHINGTON — Year by year, resistance to extending Medicaid to more low-income Americans in conservative states has given way. That trend seems likely to continue into 2020. In some states, Democratic governors who favor expansion have replaced Republicans who were... Read More

Lobbying campaigns and legislative battles have been underway for months as Congress tries to solve the problem of surprise billing, when patients face often exorbitant costs after they unknowingly receive care from an out-of-network doctor or hospital. As Congress considers... Read More

Andrew Echeguren, 26, had his first psychotic episode when he was 15. He was working as an assistant coach at a summer soccer camp for kids when the lyrics coming out of his iPod suddenly morphed into racist and homophobic... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has rolled out a new video tutorial aimed at helping veterans file disability compensation benefits claims online. The tutorial tells veterans how they can learn about and apply for benefits earned using... Read More

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices, both conservative and liberal, appeared skeptical Wednesday of a Trump administration argument that the federal Clean Water Act should not apply to sewage plant wastewater that flows into the ground and eventually seeps into federally... Read More

WASHINGTON — Absent action by Congress in the next three weeks, Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health, is going to have to figure out what medical services to deny hard-pressed communities in rural eastern North Carolina. “It runs the... Read More

HAMBURG, Germany — Every now and then, Katie West considers returning to the United States. She moved to Germany for graduate school three years ago and now works as a health systems researcher in Hamburg. Her family is an ocean... Read More

A federal judge blocked an Alabama abortion ban Tuesday that would have made the procedure a felony at any stage of pregnancy in almost all cases. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who was appointed to the bench by President Jimmy... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Ohio doled out medical marijuana dispensary licenses, state officials took location into account. The idea was to grant licenses to a geographically diverse set of applicants so all patients, regardless of their hometown, had access to... Read More

When Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens made an appointment for a mammogram last year, she expected a simple breast cancer screening — not a heavy-handed sales pitch. A receptionist asked if she wanted a free upgrade to a “3D mammogram,” or tomosynthesis.... Read More

HAMBURG, Germany — Researchers around the world hail Germany for its robust health care system: universal coverage, plentiful primary care, low drug prices and minimal out-of-pocket costs for residents. Unlike in the U.S., the prospect of a large medical bill... Read More

WASHINGTON - Accustomed as they are to believing government can do a great deal of good for a great many, serious Democrats have grown increasingly concerned over the potential long-term ramifications of Medicare for all proposals. While it's easy --... Read More

WASHINGTON - A quartet of House Democrats want to see Medicare Part B coverage expanded to include routine vision benefits. Right now, Medicare only covers surgery and screenings for people who are at a high risk of getting cataracts and... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Max Rose hosted a roundtable for seniors in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday to bring them up to speed on his proposal to lower prescription drug prices. Rose met with members of AARP Bay Ridge Chapter 3630 to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., wants $10 billion allocated to the National Institutes of Health over the next 10 years as a catalyst for medical cures and scientific breakthroughs. The Biomedical Innovation Expansion Act introduced last week by Spanberger... Read More

The governors of five northeastern states came together for a summit on Thursday to discuss the outlines of a joint regional approach to cannabis and vaping policies. "This issue is complicated, controversial and consequential. It is probably one of the... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — When Paul Bagga was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer that soon spread to his brain, the nonsmoker was devastated and terrified. More than five years later, the Flourtown retiree, 67, is going strong, thanks to participating in clinical... Read More

WASHINGTON - If Democrats want to hold their majority in House in 2020 they'll focus on core issues important to their constituents like protecting healthcare coverage, fighting corruption, and expanding economic opportunity, according to a new analysis by Third Way,... Read More

WASHINGTON - A House subcommittee has advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., that would require the EPA to list a dangerous class of compounds known as PFAS chemicals on its Toxics Release Inventory. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump traveled to The Villages, a retirement community of 125,000 residents north of Orlando, to tout a plan to "save" Medicare, but House Democrats quickly panned the president, his plan and his rhetoric. The central theme... Read More

This year's term begins Monday, Oct. 7, and will extend into late June, encompassing the presidential primaries and ending just before the Republicans and Democrats host their presidential nominating conventions. As always, one can expect the Justices' statements from the... Read More

WASHINGTON – Representative Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, led a group of freshman House Democrats in introducing legislation to protect Americans from "surprise bills" due to out-of-date insurance directors. The UPDATE Act requires insurance companies to regularly update their provider directories to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Every year, as reliably as the start of Major League Baseball's playoffs, and the arrival of multi-colored fall foliage, the U.S. Supreme Court returns in October to tackle 70 to 80 of the nation's toughest legal questions. This... Read More