It’s not unusual to find it tough to talk normally after oral surgery, but an Oregon tax consultant who had several teeth removed and replaced with dentures was stuck with a strange twist — an accent that folks describe as British, Swedish or Eastern European. [More]
healthcare
Adults Flocking To Parents' Health Plans
By 5.9.11
A health care reform law that allows adults to remain on their parents’ health plans until age 26 has sparked masses of those 25 and under to take advantage. [More]
Judge Throws Out Doctor's Defamation Lawsuit
By 5.9.11
A Minnesota judge weighed a touchy healthcare issue in a defamation lawsuit, deciding whether or not a doctor’s right to protect his reputation outweighs the family of a patient’s intentions to publicize their grievances against the doc. The District Court judge sided with the family, tossing out the doctor’s defamation lawsuit. [More]
Costs To Treat Kids With Lead Poisoning Dwarfs That Of Cancer, Autism
By 5.5.11
When you picture costly, long-term ailments that kids suffer, cancer, intellectual disabilities and asthma spring to mind. But far more U.S. healthcare dollars are spent on lead poisoning than any of those maladies, according to a study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine published in Health Affairs. [More]
Study Finds Prostate Cancer Test Doesn't Lower Risk Of Death
By 4.1.11
In a study that will no doubt draw sighs of relief from middle-aged men nervous about going in for prostate cancer screenings, researchers concluded undergoing certain tests for the cancer doesn’t lower the risk of death in patients. [More]
Study: Smoking Increases Breast Cancer Risk
By 1.25.11
If you were looking for yet another reason to trash that last pack of cigarettes, medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine has got one for you. Smoking slightly ups your odds of developing breast cancer, according to a study. [More]
Caesarian Births More Popular Than Ever
By 12.21.10
Caesarian section births are becoming more and more of the thing to do in United States, with a larger contingency of pregnant mothers opting for the procedure over vaginal births every year. [More]
5 Drugs That Will Never Cure You
By 11.30.10
If you want to make a lot of money, invent a drug that treats chronic conditions without ridding patients of symptoms entirely. Your customers will be on the hook for your product for the rest of their lives, boosting your bottom line all the while. [More]
FDA Says CT Scans Need To Be Safer
By 11.10.10
Acting to make the administration of CT scans safer, the Food and Drug Administration released documents that urged better training for those who administer tests as well as warnings for patients about the radiation levels to which the tests expose them. [More]
Health Insurance Companies Really Hate Your Sick Children
By 9.23.10
The health insurance industry is generally known for its efficiency, generosity and — of course — for its customer-first attitude. That’s why it comes as such a shock that several of the more beloved insurance institutions like Wellpoint, Aetna, Cigna and United Healthcare have decided to stop selling you insurance policies for your sick children. [More]
Botox Competitor Tries To Compete By Offering Rebate… On Botox
By 3.12.10
We all know what Botox is. But can you name any of the anti-wrinkle injection’s competition? That’s why the maker’s of competing drug Dysport are not only offering rebates to attract new customers, they’re also offering rebates on Botox if you’re unhappy with their product. [More]
How Healthy Is Your County?
By 2.17.10
Finally, after years of settling regional disputes with high school football, a new study has come out that could give some scientific grounding to your “I live in a better county” argument. [More]
How Would Health Care Reform Affect You?
By 9.25.09
Consumers Union has put together a breakdown of the health care bills in Congress to let you see how they would affect you, based on your age and what kind of insurance you currently have (if any). It’s an interesting tool to see what the various proposed changes are.
New Website Compares Healthcare Prices
By 8.12.09
Healthcare Blue Book, a new for-profit website, allows prospective patients to find “fair prices” on surgery, hospital stays, doctor visits, and medical procedures. The audience here is people who either don’t have insurance, have a high deductible, or are considering medical treatments that their insurer won’t cover.
"This American Life" On Health Insurance's Fine Print
By 8.12.09
A recent episode of This American Life-the fine, fine public radio show-has an excellent piece on the health insurance industry’s use of “rescission.” This is when people with individual insurance policies come down with an illness (or get pregnant) and the insurance company denies coverage by claiming it was a preexisting condition.
What Does Health Care Reform Mean For You?
By 8.10.09
The debate over health care reform has devolved into scaremongering with death panels and rationed care. What’s really going on, and what does it really mean for you and your family? Inside, the New York Times breaks down the competing bills…
Need An Ambulance? If You're Overweight, It's Going To Cost An Extra $543
By 7.4.09
An ambulance ride with American Medical Response in Topeka, Kansas will soon cost an extra $543 for folks weighing 350 pounds or more. Though AMR already owns cots that can support up to 500 pounds, they claim that because of rising demand from so-called “bariatric patients,” they now need to buy winches and “extra large and reinforced cots.”
