Uwe Reinhardt, PhD, writes Why Many Medicare Beneficiaries Cling to an Allegedly Worse Deal in JAMA Forum earlier this month. In a nutshell, he argues that traditional Medicare remains so popular...
Diane Archer
Can you see clearly now?
Medicare does not cover vision care, and most studies of people with chronic conditions overlook the burden of not being able to see clearly. A 2015 JAMA report looks at the handicap of visual...
Health information you can trust
A recent Altarum Institute study underscores the difficulties of finding health information you can trust. It focuses on how to improve access to health information for lower income people. As we...
Expand Social Security, don’t means test it
Ever since a few weeks ago, when President Obama joined with Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Social Security Works and a growing league of policy makers and policy experts calling...
Beware of debt collectors: John Oliver
Some 30 million Americans have at least one debt in collection. Bewared of debt collectors. In Last Week Tonight, John Oliver explains how easy it can be for people to set up companies that buy...
Anti-aging pill for dogs?
Anti-aging pill for dogs? Yes, that’s right. According to BuzzFeed News, some people are getting their vets to prescribe rapamycin for their dogs. Rapamycin is a drug that has been around a...
To save money, calories and your teeth, stay away from sports...
Given all the ads promoting Gatorade and other sports drinks, it’s easy to believe sports drinks deliver special benefits. Based on the research, it appears you can save money, calories and...
Music: Could it be medicine for the mind and body?
Some people relax to Mozart and others to the Mamas and the Papas. Whatever your beat, music may improve your well-being. Several studies suggest that it may be medicine for the mind and body...
Death rate up in U.S., though fewer dying of cancer
New CDC data show that the death rate is up in the U.S in 2015 to almost 2.6 million. The number of deaths (age-adjusted) rose from 723.2 deaths in 2014 to 729.5 per 100,000 last year. With the...
Link between hospital boards and quality of care
Quality of care in U.S. hospitals remains a serious concern. A good number of hospitals do not follow evidence-based practices a lot of the time. The data suggests a link between hospital boards...