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Proposed legislation would require the state attorney general鈥檚 consent for a wide range of private equity acquisitions in health care. The hospital lobby negotiated an exemption for for-profit hospitals.
This installment of InvestigateTV and 51视频 Health News鈥 鈥淐ostly Care鈥 series digs into patients’ getting charged hospital prices for doctor鈥檚 office care. For five years, a patient got the same injection from the same office. Then it changed how it billed and she owed more than $1,100 for one treatment.
Exercise is considered fundamental treatment for Parkinson鈥檚 disease, a progressive condition that attacks the central nervous system. But there鈥檚 a huge equity gap, researchers say, with Black people missing from popular treatment programs.
How do the top-of-the-ticket candidates compare on abortion, medical debt, and more? Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
51视频 Health News and California Healthline staff took to the airwaves in the last couple of weeks to discuss maternal health care challenges in rural areas. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
Clashes between residents 鈥 verbal, physical, and sexual 鈥 can be spontaneous and too unpredictable to prevent. But the chance of an altercation increases when memory care homes admit and retain residents they can鈥檛 manage, according to a 51视频 Health News examination of inspection and court records and interviews with researchers.
California is among a growing number of states that offer dental benefits to low-income residents, but some lawmakers want the state to go further by covering more cleanings and costlier implants. Dentists and health experts worry the approach doesn鈥檛 address the root of the problem: Many providers don鈥檛 accept Medicaid.
Vice President Kamala Harris this week officially became the Democratic nominee for president and named Minnesota governor and former U.S. congressman Tim Walz as her running mate. Meanwhile, a new study finds the number of abortions taking place since the overturn of 鈥淩oe v. Wade鈥 continued to rise into early this year, despite the imposition of abortion bans around the country. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join 51视频 Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
As Congress pushes for Medicare to cover payment for anti-obesity drugs, Denmark 鈥 Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk鈥檚 home 鈥 has limited coverage of the drug after cost overruns 鈥渆mptied all the money boxes in the entire public health system.鈥
Ten states have not expanded Medicaid, leaving 1.5 million people ineligible for the state and federal insurance program and also unable to afford private insurance. Seven of those states are in the South, where expansion efforts may have momentum but where lawmakers say political polarization is holding them back.
For rural patients, getting cancer treatment close to home has always been difficult. And now chemotherapy deserts are expanding across the United States as hospitals winnow services to save money, creating financial and logistical hurdles for people seeking lifesaving care.
Congress and state legislatures are considering age bans and other limits for Instagram and TikTok out of concern that they harm kids鈥 mental health. But some researchers and pediatricians question whether there鈥檚 enough data to support that conclusion.
Former President Donald Trump has distanced himself from a Heritage Foundation document that outlines positions on abortion and a range of other social issues. But Democrats view it as a window into the far right鈥檚 to-do list and a clear opening for political attack.
For decades, state and federal agencies have restricted or delayed tribes and tribal epidemiology centers from accessing public health data, a blackout that leaves health workers in Native American communities cobbling together information to guide their work, including tracking devastating disease outbreaks.
Colorism 鈥 a form of prejudice and discrimination in which lighter skin is favored over darker skin 鈥 has been associated with mental health conditions such as depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. But skin tone often goes unaddressed with therapists and clinical specialists.
Kamala Harris fought health care consolidation during her tenure as California鈥檚 attorney general, and she could escalate the fight nationally if she wins in November. Still, the pace of mergers has accelerated.
51视频 Health News senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health C茅line Gounder discussed vaccines in a couple of recent media appearances.
Hospitals in several states are partnering with a private equity-backed company to offer combined emergency and urgent care in a single building. But patients may not realize prices vary between the two services 鈥 often by a lot.
The percentage of people who say they鈥檝e tried to end a pregnancy without medical assistance increased after “Roe v. Wade” was overturned. One of the most common reasons for seeking a self-managed abortion was privacy concerns.
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