Health Headlines for Tuesday, November 29
Costs of widely prescribed drugs soar
USA Today
Jess Franz-Christensen did not realize the seriousness of her son’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis until staff in the doctor’s office offered to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
$6.3 Billion Measure Aims to Cure Ailing Health Care Policies
New York Times
In one of the most sweeping and rare bipartisan acts of this Congress, lawmakers will move this week on a $6.3 billion bill to increase funding for research into cancer and other diseases, address problems in the nation’s mental health systems and enact potentially far-reaching regulatory changes for drugs and medical devices.
Tom Price, Obamacare Critic, Is Said to Be Trump’s Choice for Health Secretary
New York Times
If President-elect Donald J. Trump wanted a cabinet secretary who could help him dismantle and replace President Obama’s health care law, he could not have found anyone more prepared than Representative Tom Price, who has been studying how to accomplish that goal for more than six years.
Flu – or flu vaccine – in pregnancy not tied to autism in kids
Reuters
Pregnant women who get the flu, or a flu vaccine, are not increasing their baby’s risk for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a new study suggests.
Tests may help spot brain damage after even mild concussions
Reuters
Brain scans may help identify athletes who suffer from brain damage after mild concussions, a small study of current and former professional football players suggests.
Health Republic’s big deficit means hospitals likely out millions
Politico
Health Republic Insurance of New York, the failed Obamacare co-op that abruptly shut down at the end of 2015 and left hospitals and doctors on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid claims, has less than $100 million in total assets and more than $465 million in liabilities, according to an unaudited financial statement posted to the company’s website.