John Egan Students at four major universities in New York soon could be able to focus a little more on classroom exams and a little less on medical exams. On Aug. 1, officials in New York announced that under a new pilot program, Columbia University, Cornell University, New York University and the University of Rochester … Read more
Jennifer Nelson Eating disorders affect people from all walks of life, most frequently young men and women, teens and children. As many as 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S. battle anorexia or bulimia, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. And as … Read more
Chris Kissell If your kidneys no longer function on their own, a transplant can save your life. But young blacks people and people without private health insurance are less likely to be assessed as candidates for kidney transplants when they start dialysis treatment, according to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of … Read more
Michele C. Hollow Years ago, mainstream medical professionals looked suspiciously at alternative practitioners. Treatments for acupuncture, homeopathy and chiropractic therapies were not covered by most health insurance companies. The same could be said for veterinary practices and pet health insurance companies; until recently, the majority of veterinarians and pet health insurers frowned on alternative medicine for pets. … Read more
The U.S. is purring with cats, as Americans own about 86.4 million feline friends. Yet millions of those cats are uninsured. At VPI Pet Insurance, America’s largest pet insurance company, only 13 percent of the 485,000 pets covered are cats. “Cat owners believe that their indoor cats will not have accidents, get poisoned or have cat fights,” … Read more
John Egan Texas remains the state with the largest percentage of residents under age 65 who don’t have health insurance, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Texas, 26.3 percent of residents lacked health insurance in 2010, newly released Census Bureau numbers show. Rounding out the top five are Florida (24.9 percent), Nevada … Read more
Craig Guillot Visit a doctor’s office or a hospital these days, and it could take awhile to find out how much you owe. With the back-and-forth among your health care providers, your insurer and medical billing companies, it’s not uncommon for patients to wait months to receive all of their medical bills. But with all of … Read more
John Egan State programs designed to crack down on abuse of prescription painkillers are failing to adequately do their job, a new study suggests. Meanwhile, public and private health insurers continue to cough up at least $72.5 billion a year to cover abuse of prescription painkillers – costs that contribute to higher health insurance premiums for everyone. … Read more
John Egan Americans are cutting back on their visits to the doctor, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. In 2010, working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses or other health care providers, down from 4.8 in 2001, according to the report. Among those who made at least one visit to a … Read more
Tamara E. Holmes Many Americans get health insurance as a benefit through their jobs. But for those without health benefits – especially those on a very tight budget – maneuvering through the health care system can be challenging. With the average health insurance premium at $5,615 a year for an individual, according to the Henry J. Kaiser … Read more