If you’re wealthy, you’ll be able to afford help in your home or care in an assisted living facility or a nursing home. If you’re poor, you can turn to Medicaid for nursing homes or aides at home.

But if you’re middle-class, you’ll have a thorny decision to make: whether to buy long-term care insurance.

It’s a more complex ...Read more

After an unprecedented crackdown on misleading advertising claims by insurers selling private Medicare Advantage and drug plans, the Biden administration hopes to unleash a special weapon to make sure companies follow the new rules: you.

Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are encouraging seniors and other members of the ...Read more

For 35 years, Angela Jemmott and her five brothers paid premiums on a long-term care insurance policy for their 91-year-old mother. But the policy does not cover home health aides whose assistance allows her to stay in her Sacramento, California, bungalow, near the friends and neighbors she loves. Her family pays $4,000 a month for that.

“We ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As the international community observes World AIDS Day on Friday, doctors in South Florida confront a challenging reality: More women locally are getting HIV. A percentage of those women will become pregnant and give birth to babies who are infected.

“We know how to prevent HIV in babies,” said Dr. Lisa-Gaye ...Read more

Mayo Clinic doctors are using innovation to improve the lives of people who suffer from congestive heart failure and other chronic heart conditions. The Organ Care System, also known as "heart in a box," is potentially helping to expand the donor pool, which is crucial, considering that more than 4,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a new ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. What are the recommendations for who should get it?

ANSWER: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the 2023-2024 COVID-19 (mRNA) vaccine for everyone 6 months or older. The COVID-19 vaccine is strongly ...Read more

The CDC has issued an update on a salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes, raising the number of states to 34 after Alaska and Kansas were found to have cases. The number of people who have been sickened has increased, but the death toll remains at two.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...Read more

SEATTLE — Even brief exposure to highway pollution could cause significant increases in blood pressure, a new study from the University of Washington has found, adding to a growing body of work correlating vehicle exhaust with negative health outcomes.

The effects are near immediate: Two hours in Seattle’s rush hour was enough to increase ...Read more

Epilepsy, also known as seizure disorder, is common, and there are many types. About 1 in 26 people in the U.S. will develop the disease in their lifetime. It affects people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages. Anyone can develop epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring seizures. Having a single seizure doesn't mean ...Read more

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common digestive disorders in the world.

It happens when acid comes up from the stomach, which is acid-resistant, into the esophagus, which is less acid-resistant.

Dr. James East, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, says GERD may be common, but there can be ...Read more

MANKATO, Minn. -- Last year's heavy snow season has many people thinking about what Mother Nature has in store this year. To stay healthy this holiday season and beyond, Mayo Clinic Health System is recommending people pace themselves while clearing snow.

"Many people don't realize the workout involved while shoveling and digging out from a ...Read more

About 30% of Utah residents who were cut from Medicaid this year say they became uninsured, according to state officials who conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of people disenrolled from the program.

Utah has dropped more than 130,000 out of about 500,000 Medicaid beneficiaries since April, after the federal government lifted a pandemic-era ...Read more

After two years of record-breaking heat that brought a surge of deaths and health emergencies, several states have enacted or are considering measures designed to protect residents — with a new focus on younger people whose vulnerability is rising with the temperatures.

Nationally, heat-related deaths rose from about 1,000 in 2018 to 1,722 in...Read more

Looking to change up the holiday menu this year? Whether your table craves a fresh, new dish to wow the crowd or you’re hosting vegetarian or vegan guests, consider going meatless or serving up more plant-based dishes. Not to worry, this doesn’t have to mean bucking tradition. Most any dish can easily be made without meat, and many holiday ...Read more

Hey, sometimes you don’t see the fine print “refrigerate after opening” on the jar’s label. Or, you grew up with the peanut butter in the pantry and never thought anything of it. But we’re adults now, and we can be smarter about how we store things.

If you keep these common ingredients refrigerated or frozen, you’ll cut down on food...Read more

There are certain things our bodies do so often and so automatically that we barely notice them. Yawning, growling stomachs, and runny noses are good examples. Each is a universal part of our daily human experience.

But did you ever wonder why? Below are a few things we know and a few we suspect.

Why do you yawn?

Perhaps you associate yawning...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Many of my co-workers are using glasses that block blue light when they are on their computers. I am interested in getting a pair but want to know more about their value and how they can help.

ANSWER: Blue light glasses are gaining in popularity, but it is important to understand what blue light is. Blue light is one of the ...Read more

Dupuytren (DOO-puh-tren) contracture is a disorder that can cause the fingers to curl in, primarily the ring and small fingers.

It's a genetic condition mostly affecting men over 60 of Northern European descent. Others at risk include people with diabetes and those with a family history of the condition.

Dr. Shelley Noland, a Mayo Clinic hand...Read more

After years of debilitating bouts of fatigue, Beth VanOrden finally thought she had an answer to her problems in 2016 when she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder.

For her and millions of other Americans, that’s the most common cause of hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was playing a pickup game of football with my kids, took a tumble, and my kneecap made a popping sound. It really hurt, then seemed to get better, but something's not right. Any idea what might be going on?

ANSWER: If your kneecap pops or slides to the outside of your knee, you'll definitely know that something's going on. ...Read more