WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1, 2018 (HealthDay News) — In a sign that the U.S. opioid epidemic is still not under control, a new report shows that prescriptions for the highly addictive painkillers haven’t declined in the last decade. After peaking in 2012-2013, opioid use and doses leveled off. But doses wereContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1, 2018 (HealthDay News) — People who want to have weight-loss surgery are facing much longer wait times now than a decade ago, a new study finds. Among weight-loss surgery patients in Michigan, the typical wait time almost doubled between 2006 and 2016 — from 86 days, toContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, July 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Gaps in private insurance coverage are common among American adults with type 1 diabetes, raising their risk for health crises, a new study finds. “Type 1 diabetes requires intensive daily management in order to simply remain alive, so interruptions to care and coverageContinue Reading
FRIDAY, June 8, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Having health insurance is essential, especially for catastrophic situations. But it’s important to choose a plan carefully because your costs can go well beyond the monthly premium. Knowing key terms will help you calculate potential expenses more accurately. First is your deductible, theContinue Reading
TUESDAY, May 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Alec Smith was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes shortly before his 24th birthday. When he turned 26, he lost his health insurance. Less than a month later, he lost his life because he couldn’t afford the exorbitant price of his life-saving insulin. “AlecContinue Reading
TUESDAY, May 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Millions of U.S. seniors can now take part in a Medicare program designed to prevent prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes. Almost half of Americans 65 and older have prediabetes, and many don’t know it. In addition to an increased risk ofContinue Reading
TUESDAY, May 15, 2018 (HealthDay News) — It’s no secret that money worries can lead to health issues, so reducing monthly bills is a great goal. But it’s also important to know that some so-called time-saving conveniences can actually cost you more. For instance, one study found that people whoContinue Reading
THURSDAY, March 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Medical care costs in the United States can be so overwhelming that Americans fear the cost of treatment more than the illness itself, a new poll shows. “It’s shocking and unacceptable that medical bills strike more fear in the hearts of Americans thanContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, March 28, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s disease may discourage Americans from learning about their risk and from joining clinical trials for potential new treatments, a small survey reveals. “We found that concerns about discrimination and overly harsh judgments about the severity of symptoms were most prevalent,”Continue Reading
MONDAY, March 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The scenario may sound familiar: Your doctor sends your prescription electronically to the pharmacy, and you go to pick it up. Only you can’t, because the insurance company requires “prior authorization” for that particular medication. Now you’re caught in the middle, as yourContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, March 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — People who’ve had a heart attack are more likely to be prescribed and take recommended blood-thinning drugs if they get vouchers to waive their co-payments, a new study shows. The finding comes from a study of 11,000 people treated for heart attack atContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Feb. 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The number of uninsured American adults held steady at about 13 percent in 2017, but many more insured Americans are being presented with high deductibles, new research shows. A high-deductible health plan was defined by the study as one in which a singleContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Jan. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Americans spent more on health care in 2016, even though their use of health care did not increase, and rising costs are the reason why, a new report shows. “It is time to have a national conversation on the role of price increasesContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — More American women started getting recommended mammography screening after an “Obamacare” rule made the tests free, a new study finds. The rule meant that Medicare and most private insurers could no longer require women to foot part of the bill — whether throughContinue Reading