• health insurance

    Faced With A Broken Health Care System, Some Doctors Are Opting-Out

    A combination of rising costs and low insurance reimbursements is forcing some primary care physicians to opt-out of the insurance game completely — accepting a flat fee instead of private insurance or Medicare. For a $4,500 annual fee, patients who formerly used their insurance to pay for doctor's visits can get 24-hour access to doctors, unhurried appointments, home visits and state-of-the-art annual physicals. Or they can find another doctor. More »

    12:05 PM on Tue Oct 28 2008
    By Meg Marco
    21,163 views, 156 comments

    Most discussed El_Guapo: 4500? I couldn't afford that, and I doubt most others could as well. It's tough enough saving for a home, more »

  • your health

    Half Of Doctors Routinely Prescribe Placebos

    The New York Times says that half of doctors responding to a nationwide survey admitted to routinely prescribing placebos. More »

    12:29 PM on Mon Oct 27 2008
    By Meg Marco
    8,944 views, 93 comments

  • corrections

    Southwest Never Meant To Apologize To Doctor They Had Arrested

    In our post earlier today about the 65-year-old doctor who tried to use the bathroom on a recent Southwest flight and was subsequently arrested, we noted that the airline sent him an apology letter and a $100 voucher. That seemed kind of inappropriate for the situation, right? It turns out the letter was never meant for Dr. Madduri and was sent to him by mistake. According to our reader RedwoodFlyer (Sockatume also picked up on it), the letter was actually about him and was sent to all the other passengers on the flight; he was never meant to see it. More »

    8:31 PM on Wed Sep 24 2008
    By Chris Walters
    27,223 views, 111 comments

    Most discussed jeffbone: Maybe I'm the only one who pays attention during those announcements anymore...the only thing I've ever heard relating to the more »

  • racial profiling

    Doctor Flying Southwest Tries To Go To Bathroom, Ends Up In Jail

    A 65-year-old urologist, born in India but living in the United States for 38 years now, was flying from his home in Missouri to a medical convention in Las Vegas on June 26th, 2008. Did you notice that "born in India" detail? Apparently his attempts to go to the bathroom angered and frightened a flight attendant, who wouldn't tell Dr. Sivaprasad Madduri why he couldn't use the lavatory (the pilot was using it) and who wouldn't listen to Dr. Madduri's explanation that he was taking a medicine that acts as a diuretic. When the plane landed he was arrested, spent the night in jail, and was told the next day to plead guilty and pay $2500 if he wanted a quick resolution. More »

    12:14 PM on Wed Sep 24 2008
    By Chris Walters
    28,614 views, 158 comments

    Most discussed Skankingmike: You guys have to understand a few things. 1.) Who on that plane knew this mans story? Nobody i could more »

  • Your Health

    10 Practical Tips To Keep Your Cellphone From Killing You

    Have you heard, cellphones are deadly. Science told us so this week when Dr. Ronald B. Herberman of the esteemed University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute realized that cellphones emit death rays that fry your brain and turn you into a baby-eating Communist, or give you cancer or whatever. Dr. Despair isn't a downer though! Inside, 10 practical ways to keep your precious little brain safe from those ubiquitous chirping cancer slabs... More »

    12:00 AM on Sun Jul 27 2008
    By Carey
    35,568 views, 77 comments

    Latest by Zeniq: I am now afraid of my cell phone. It's 2 feet away, lurking, waiting to radiate me... more »

  • Your Health

    Modern Psychiatry: Brought To You By Selfless Pharmaceutical Companies

    Psychiatry is nothing more than a well-funded front for big pharma, according to lawmakers investigating the field's premier organization, the American Psychiatric Association. Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists can write prescriptions, giving pharmaceutical companies a powerful incentive to lavishly subsidize both their lifestyle and profession. More »

    9:45 AM on Sun Jul 13 2008
    By Carey
    6,683 views, 83 comments

    Latest by scamps: @Canino: Long version - I have Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder. I was diagnosed back in the 80s, when more »

  • taking it seriously

    This Rejected Chiropractor Is "Sorry You Don't Take Your Health Seriously"

    The excellent blog, Passive Aggressive Notes has a submission from a reader who rejected his chiropractor. Clay decided not to go back after the doctor refused to show him his x-rays unless Clay attended a seminar about payment plans and treatment options. A few days later he got a note that said: More »

    10:38 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
    By Meg Marco
    18,952 views, 98 comments

    Latest by revmatty: @StankGunner: Note also the fairly recent study that showed that *fake* acupuncture is about as effective "real" acupuncture, which sort more »

  • rectal exams

    Jury Says 'Up Yours' To Rectal Exam Lawsuit

    Remember Brian Persaud, the Brooklyn construction worker who tried to sue a New York hospital for performing a by-the-books rectal exam on him in 2003? On Monday, a Manhattan jury tossed his lawsuit, claiming he failed to show he suffered assault and battery. This means we'll never get to hear both sides splitting hairs about what constitutes a full "rectal examination"—Persaud says the doctor did it, and the doctor says she didn't.
    More »

    11:38 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
    By Chris Walters
    10,466 views, 59 comments

    Latest by EdnaLegume: @UFIA: I spit soda laughing. more »

  • health

    Tell Us: How Do You Choose A Doctor?

    We just saw a piece on CNN about how to choose a doctor in which they suggested that people make a bunch of appointments for "a hangnail" and shop around. More »

    2:34 PM on Thu Feb 14 2008
    By Meg Marco
    5,520 views, 113 comments