Biden and Harris team up for health care event in North Carolina

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will promote their health care agenda on Tuesday in North Carolina, a battleground state that Democrats hope to flip in their favor after falling short to Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections. Fourteen years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act … Read more

State Medicaid offices target dead people’s homes to recoup their health care costs

WASHINGTON — As Salvatore LoGrande fought cancer and all the pain that came with it, his daughters promised to keep him in the white, pitched roof house he worked so hard to buy all those decades ago. So, Sandy LoGrande thought it was a mistake when, a year after her father’s death, Massachusetts billed her … Read more

Biden’s budget proposal for a second term offers tax breaks for families and lower health care costs

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday released a budget proposal aimed at getting voters’ attention: It would offer tax breaks for families, lower health care costs, smaller deficits and higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Unlikely to pass the House and the Senate to become law, the proposal for fiscal … Read more

Insurer delays and denials hamper patients seeking at-home breathing machines

Lou Gehrig’s disease took away Grace Armant’s ability to speak, but the 84-year-old still has plenty to say about her insurance. UnitedHealthcare has rejected several requests from her doctors for coverage of a machine Armant needs to breathe as she deals with the fatal illness. “They are no good,” Armant said, typing slowly into a … Read more

South Korean doctors hold massive anti-government rally over medical school recruitment plan

SEOUL, South Korea — Thousands of senior doctors rallied in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Sunday to express their support for junior doctors who have been on strike for nearly two weeks over a government plan to sharply increase the number of medical school admissions. The rally came as the government said it would … Read more

Why thousands of junior doctors in South Korea are striking, and what it means for patients

SEOUL, South Korea — Thousands of junior doctors in South Korea have been refusing to see patients and attend surgeries since they walked off the job Feb. 20 in response to the government’s push to recruit more medical students. As of Tuesday, about 8,940 medical interns and residents have left their worksites in protest, disrupting … Read more

Seoul gives young doctors 4 days to end walkouts, threatening prosecutions or suspended licenses

SEOUL, South Korea — Junior doctors in South Korea have four days to end their walkouts, the government said Monday, or they could face prosecution or have their medical licenses suspended. About 9,000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government plan to increase medical school … Read more

How Laguna Beach, California, is helping residents age in place

Laguna Beach, California Luciano Lejtman | Moment | Getty Images When most people think of Laguna Beach, California, they think of its scenic coves and beaches. But the small coastal city — with a population of around 22,600 — is also pioneering a new model for elder care. About 77% of adults ages 50 and … Read more

Parents facing diaper duty could see relief from bipartisan tax legislation introduced in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. — For weary parents rolling up their sleeves for around-the-clock diaper duty, a bill with bipartisan support in Kentucky would deliver tax relief when purchasing a necessity that adds up to a hefty expense. The measure would exempt diapers from the state’s 6% sales tax. Senators from both parties have signed on as … Read more

Florida scores drug import win — but many hurdles remain

The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow Florida to import some prescription drugs from Canada marks a major shift in U.S. drug policy, and could open the door to other states looking for ways to rein in high drug prices.  The approval was three years in the making and came only after Florida sued … Read more