Immunosuppressed people grapple with return to work

While the emergence of the delta variant in the U.S. has made many companies delay the return to in-person work or mandate vaccinations, in other offices, immunosuppressed people like Elizabeth Groenweghe are left to cobble together their own strategies to minimize their risks. The delta variant raises the stakes for many who were already concerned…

‘Wisdom and fear’ lead 90 percent of seniors to get vaccinated

Amid the latest surge in covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, the United States on Tuesday hit a milestone that some thought was unattainable: 90% of people 65 and older are at least partly vaccinated against the disease. “This really shows our elders are wiser than the rest of us,” said Dr. David Wohl, professor of medicine…

Bike crash leads to nightmare medical bills

In a sprint with a pack of riders at the velodrome track in eastern Pennsylvania, Phil Gaimon sailed over his handlebars after colliding with a fellow racer. Gaimon hit the ground hard. The result: a fractured collarbone, five broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung and a broken scapula — his worst injuries in the 10 years…

Contraception is free to women, except when it’s not

For Stephanie Force, finding a birth control method that she likes and can get without paying out-of-pocket has been a struggle, despite the Affordable Care Act’s promise of free contraceptives for women and adolescent girls in most health plans.

Trauma centers charge big fees for treating minor injuries

Tens of thousands of times a year, hospitals charge enormously expensive trauma alert fees for injuries so minor the patient is never admitted. In Florida alone, where the number of trauma centers has exploded, hospitals charged such fees more than 13,000 times in 2019 even though the patient went home the same day, according to a…

Despite variants, CDC says booster shot not yet needed

Pfizer said it would soon publish data about a third dose of vaccine and submit it to the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and other regulators. The company specified it would seek FDA emergency use authorization for a booster dose in August. But in an unusual move, two top federal agencies said Americans…

Hospital price transparency: For many, it’s still anyone’s guess

A Trump administration price transparency took effect at the start of this year. It requires hospitals to post a range of actual prices — everything from the rates they offer cash-paying customers to costs negotiated with insurers. Many have complied. But some hospitals bury the data deep on their websites or have not included all the categories…

How singing helped me through long COVID

It was October and my shortness of breath had worsened after weeks of teasing improvement. I felt breathless walking or resting, lying down or sitting, working or watching Netflix, talking or silently meditating. But not while singing.

Expensive brain cancer drug no longer option under Medicare

Brain-tumor experts and patient advocates are among those decrying a decision by the seller of a cancer drug to exit a federal discount program for Medicare patients, leaving some unable to afford a treatment that can run as much as $1,000 a capsule. The move by Miami-based NextSource Biotechnology means the drug Gleostine no longer qualifies…

Debate over how much to pay for phone doctor appointments

It took COVID-19 to give millions of Americans the option of telling their doctor about their aches and pains by phone.  But now that more doctors and patients are returning to in-person appointments, policymakers across the country are divided over how much taxpayer money to keep spending on phone appointments. Although they were a lifeline…