Source: https://medicalxpress.com/

  • How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt
    by Darius Tahir on 08/06/2023 at 09:00

    Some GOP members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have two-stepped around vaccine skepticism, proclaiming themselves to be pro-vaccine while also validating the beliefs of people who oppose vaccine mandates. The result could have serious public health consequences.

  • Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients — But Aren’t Easy to Find
    by Kate Ruder on 08/06/2023 at 09:00

    The pandemic disrupted the massage industry. Now those who specialize in hospice massage therapy are in demand and redefining their roles.

  • Debt Deal Leaves Health Programs (Mostly) Intact
    on 07/06/2023 at 18:00

    The bipartisan deal to extend the U.S. government’s borrowing authority includes future cuts to federal health agencies, but they are smaller than many expected and do not touch Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. becomes the first drugmaker to sue Medicare officials over the federal health insurance program’s new authority to negotiate drug prices. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, and Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News senior correspondent Sarah Jane Tribble, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” feature, about the perils of visiting the U.S. with European health insurance.

  • Personal Medical Debt in Los Angeles County Tops $2.6 Billion, Report Finds
    by Molly Castle Work on 07/06/2023 at 16:15

    Medical debt is a leading public health problem, researchers say. Despite the county’s ongoing expansion of health coverage, the prevalence of medical debt remained unchanged from 2017 to 2021.

  • A Windfall in Health Insurance Rebates? It’s Not as Crazy as It Sounds
    by Julie Appleby, KFF Health News on 07/06/2023 at 09:00

    The billion-dollar amount cited by former Sen. Al Franken, while an estimate, is likely very close to what insurers will owe this year under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that compels rebates when insurers spend too little on actual medical care.