Health
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Trump order pushes for disclosure of secret health care prices
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump called for hospitals to disclose to patients up front how much they charge for tests, surgeries and other procedures, in an executive order he signed Monday.
The federal regulations Trump is calling for push forward a relatively simple idea: that patients should know how much hospitals charge for common ...Read more
Most people won't confront a relative about Alzheimer's. This woman knew it was time
Cecilia Gray came home from work, only to smell the dreadful odor again. She knew just where it came from.
She walked through her living room and straight into the kitchen to find a pot on the stove coated with the burnt remains of food that had been cooking for hours.
She confronted her mother, Dolores Martinez-Graves, who had moved in with ...Read more
German patients get the latest drugs for just $11. Can such a model work in the US?
BERLIN -- Patients who come to the Havelhohe cancer clinic in the leafy outskirts of Germany's capital are often very sick.
Struggling with advanced-stage cancers, many need strong doses of expensive, cutting-edge chemotherapy that can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But like all Germans, none of the patients sitting quietly in ...Read more
Sen. Alexander details bipartisan plan to fix surprise medical bills
WASHINGTON -- Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., who are pushing a major legislative package to lower health costs, announced their favored solution to handle disputes about surprise medical bills.
Those unexpected and often high charges patients face when they get care from a doctor or hospital that isn't in their ...Read more
Democratic voters want to hear candidates' views on health care, but priorities vary
With the first Democratic debates a week away, health care is the top issue the party's voters say they want candidates to address, according to a poll released Tuesday.
But what they mean by that varies widely.
Nearly 9 out of 10 Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents said it is very important for candidates to discuss health issues. ...Read more
Treatment for toenail fungus isn't always necessary
Dear Mayo Clinic: I am in my late 50s, and a few of my toenails have turned a yellowish color and seem to have thickened. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
A: What you're likely experiencing is a fungal nail infection. Fungal nail infections are common, especially among older adults. As nail ...Read more
A trio of Trump rules will remake US health insurance markets
NEW YORK -- President Donald Trump's attempt to transform American health insurance is almost complete.
Twenty months ago, frustrated after attempts to repeal Obamacare fell apart in the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump pledged to use executive power to do what Congress failed to legislate. An executive order set in motion regulations to ...Read more
Why so many older Americans rate their health as good or even excellent
A common myth about aging is that older adults are burdened by illness and feel lousy much of the time. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Most seniors report feeling distinctly positive about their health.
Consider data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (the most recent available), administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease ...Read more
Mayo mindfulness: Improve your well-being
Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling at every moment -- without interpretation or judgment.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of ...Read more
Dietary supplements are a waste of money for most seeking to avoid dementia, experts say
Sales of purported brain-health supplements such as fish oil and jellyfish are expected to reach $5.8 billion by 2023, but in a report released recently, an AARP panel of brain experts called them a huge waste of money for healthy seniors seeking to avoid or reverse dementia.
"The market is so large they get by without rigorous documentation of...Read more
Trump administration rule would undo health care protections for LGBTQ patients
A new Trump administration proposal would change the civil rights rules dictating whether providers must care for patients who are transgender or have had an abortion. Supporters of the approach say it protects the freedom of conscience, but opponents say it encourages discrimination.
The sweeping proposal has implications for all Americans, ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: When can cataract surgery wait?
Dear Mayo Clinic: I was just diagnosed with a cataract, but it's not bothering me at all. Is it a good idea to have cataract surgery now, or can I wait? What is the recovery from this surgery like?
A: It's not uncommon for a cataract to develop slowly, so you may not notice vision problems right away or the problems may be minimal. Eventually, ...Read more
Study: Women's health worsened over 5 years after being denied an abortion
States across the country are tightening regulations on abortion providers in the name of protecting women's health. But a long-term study of women who sought abortions has found that those who ended their pregnancies reported slightly better health than their counterparts who requested the procedure but were denied.
The findings, reported ...Read more
Trump's chief of Medicare discusses 'Medicare for All,' Obamacare and drug prices in Chicago
CHICAGO -- As the nation inches closer to the 2020 presidential election, issues with the U.S. health care system are moving into the spotlight.
At stake: the future of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare; proposals to expand "Medicare for All"; and ideas to target high drug prices. They're all topics sure to spark fierce debate in...Read more
'Medicare for All'? American Medical Association says no, drawing protest in Chicago.
CHICAGO -- Doctors gathered in Chicago for the American Medical Association's annual meeting this week are increasingly finding themselves at the uncomfortable center of a national debate over "Medicare for All."
A group of doctors, nurses and medical students protested the meeting, criticizing the association's opposition to Medicare for All -...Read more
How measles detectives work to contain an outbreak
On any given day, more than 4,000 people pass through the library at California State University, Los Angeles.
On April 11, one of them had measles. The building has only one entrance, which means that anyone who entered or exited the library within two hours of that person's visit potentially was exposed to one of the most contagious diseases ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?
Dear Mayo Clinic: Is there a specific test to definitively diagnose fibromyalgia? If not, how do doctors confidently diagnose this disorder?
A: No one test can be used to diagnose fibromyalgia. But unlike in the past, fibromyalgia is no longer a diagnosis of exclusion, which means that all other conditions that could trigger similar symptoms ...Read more
Nearly half of men hospitalized with physical injuries develop depression or PTSD, study suggests
Nearly half of black men who come to a Philadelphia hospital with a physical injury -- anything from a sports accident to a gunshot wound -- develop depression or post traumatic stress disorder in the following months, a new study found.
The research, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, was published in JAMA Surgery. ...Read more
'Desperate Housewives' actress advocates for HPV vaccination after learning the STD caused her anal cancer
First it was her husband. Then it was herself.
But actress Marcia Cross is determined it won't be their daughters.
The "Desperate Housewives" star is speaking out about the human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV.
Cross' husband, actor Tom Mahoney, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2009, and Cross found out a year and a half ago she had...Read more
How conquering a rare leukemia in children revolutionized cancer care for millions
Fifty years ago, children with an aggressive form of leukemia went from diagnosis to death in a few months, as the disease rampaged through their lymph nodes, spleens, livers, and nervous systems.
Today, 90% of children with the blood malignancy, called acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), are cured.
That success story -- one with deep ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Trump order pushes for disclosure of secret health care prices
- Treatment for toenail fungus isn't always necessary
- Most people won't confront a relative about Alzheimer's. This woman knew it was time
- Sen. Alexander details bipartisan plan to fix surprise medical bills
- German patients get the latest drugs for just $11. Can such a model work in the US?
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