Category: Public Health

Doctor Alexa Will See You Now: Is Amazon Primed To Come To Your Rescue?

Amazon, along with a host of other technology companies, is working on ways to use its smart speaker devices to bring a range of health care services into your home.

Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.

Migrant Moms Await Due Dates And Court Dates

A growing number of pregnant women are among the migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Many must wait in Mexico until their cases are heard, spending weeks or months in migrant shelters with limited access to health care.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Cue The Drug Price Debate

Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee unveiled their long-awaited proposal to try to rein in prescription drug costs, even as bipartisan leaders of the other Senate committee that oversees health announced it would not bring its drug price bill to the Senate floor until fall. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this, plus court actions on health issues.

On A Mission To Help People Control Diabetes — And Save Money On Insulin

Patients with Type 2 diabetes are often steered toward medicine or insulin treatment. But with additional support, it’s possible to use diet and exercise to control blood sugar. The rising price of insulin drives patients to lower their dependence on the medicine.

On A Mission To Help People Control Diabetes — And Save Money On Insulin

Patients with Type 2 diabetes are often steered toward medicine or insulin treatment. But with additional support, it’s possible to use diet and exercise to control blood sugar. The rising price of insulin drives patients to lower their dependence on the medicine.

When A Doctor’s Screen Time Detracts From Face Time With Patients

Electronic health records can help reduce medical errors, but when not used well they can strain the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Wei Wei Lee, an internist with the University of Chicago Medicine, has developed strategies to make sure tech is a tool, not a barrier.

Summer Setbacks: The Long Road To Lower Drug Prices Hits Some Potholes

Efforts to control drug prices seemed on a glide path earlier this year after gaining traction at the White House and in Congress. But prospects today look less certain and highly controversial.

Why It’s So Hard To Predict How Much Funding 9/11 First Responders Need

Eighteen years ago, most first responders were not thinking about their future health when they spent hours searching “The Pile” for the remains of terror victims. Today, their illnesses are a slow-moving epidemiological nightmare that has been as difficult for scientists to study as it has been easy for politicians to overlook.

Child Drowning Rates Drop As Communities Adopt Stricter Building Codes

Children are far less likely to drown than they were in the 1980s, in California and across the nation. Experts say state and local laws that require more fencing and security features around family swimming pools have made a difference and should be expanded nationwide.