In a recent talk for the Brookings Institute’s Hamilton Project and a subsequent opinion piece in the Washington Post, Lawrence Summers speaks to how to address the real risk (better than 50-50...
Diane Archer
Medical error: Third leading cause of death
Sixteen years ago, the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America issued a blockbuster report highlighting the numerous opportunities for error in our complex health...
Most Americans favor Medicare for all
Most Americans favor Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for all” proposal, according to a new Gallup poll. Indeed, nearly six in ten Americans support a single-payer health care system for...
Drug charity programs help drug company profits
As drug prices continue to escalate way faster than inflation, an increasing number of people are hard-pressed to pay for their medications–even when they have insurance. Insurers keep premiums...
FDA requires companies to show amount of added sugars in...
For the first time since nutrition labels appeared on processed foods back in 1994, these labels will have a new look and improved nutrition information. Among other things, the Food and Drug...
U.S. spending on mental disorders higher than for any other...
A new Health Affairs study of U.S. health spending finds that spending on mental disorders was higher than for any other condition in 2013. In total, the U.S. spent $201 billion on mental health...
John Oliver: When should you believe the science?
When should you believe the science? John Oliver makes a compelling case on Last Week Tonight that you should not put much faith in what the media reports on the latest scientific studies. For...
What care do you want if you become seriously ill? Talk to your...
One fourth or so of Medicare annual spending–about $33,500 a person–goes to the cost of care for the 1.8 million people over 65 who die each year. The cost of their care is high largely...
Pay attention when someone you love leaves the hospital
It’s not something most of us would instinctively believe, but hospitals can be dangerous places and leaving the hospital can be equally or more dangerous. According to the U.S. Agency for...
What is a silent heart attack?
Silent heart attacks occur more often than you might imagine, representing more than 45 percent of all heart attacks, according to the American Heart Association. They generally have no symptoms...