In the category of almost too good to believe, coffee appears to be good for your health. The U.S.D.A. in its dietary guidelines for Americans says that up to five cups of coffee a day could have...
Diane Archer
Does Pfizer care about malfunctioning EpiPens?
The New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accused Pfizer of failing to address complaints about malfunctioning EpiPens, used to prevent serious allergic reactions...
Beware of researchers with conflicts of interest
When reading about health care, it’s sometimes hard to know who’s telling the truth and who’s burying it. That’s why I try to base all JustCare posts on findings from...
Why won’t insurers cover some generic drugs?
Some people are finding that they cannot fill their prescriptions for generic drugs at the pharmacy; their insurers will only cover the brand-name versions. Why won’t health insurance companies...
What are Accountable Care Organizations?
Medicare has been experimenting with new payment models to bring down health care costs, improve health care quality and promote healthy communities. One payment model launched in 2013 is a...
New leukemia drug will cost $475,000
The cost of cancer care now averages over $100,000. That’s more than twice the cost of cancer treatment a decade ago. Still, pharmaceutical companies are prepared to test their monopoly...
Talking to your kids about your stuff
There are so many important conversations for families to have as parents and children get older. A lot of these discussions can be enriching, even if they are not easy. The New York Times recently...
Medicare and Medicaid are more cost effective than commercial...
In his latest post for the New York Times, Austin Frakt makes the case that both Medicare and Medicaid for all would bring down health care spending and deliver as good care as commercial insurance...
What to do if your in-network doctor goes out of network?
It used to be that our health care system valued continuity of care. Insurers covered care from virtually any doctor or hospital, and we could stick with our doctors over our lifetimes. And...
Pharmacy benefit managers can drive up your drug costs
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are multi-million dollar businesses established to help insurers manage their pharmacy claims, Kaiser Health News explains. PBMs also decide which drugs will go on a...