The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on whether the federal government was wrong not to make certain payments to Land of Lincoln health insurance, which collapsed in 2016, leaving nearly 50,000 Illinois residents scrambling for coverage.

The insurer blamed its midyear downfall partly on the federal government, saying it was owed risk ...Read more

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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