US Rural Hospitals Are Closing, Reaching Crisis Stage, Leaving Millions Without Nearby Health Care

Presidential candidates and other politicians have talked about the rural health crisis in the U.S., but they are not telling rural Americans anything new. 

Health care is Americans’ number-one priority, based on recent polls, so it’s no wonder it’s been a hot topic in the Democratic primary.

An important new study in the United States has found doctors who receive just one cheap meal from a drug company tend to prescribe a lot more of that company’s products.

Most people expect hospital treatment to make them better. But for some, a stay in hospital can actually make them sicker. 

The devastating health effects of the opioid epidemic have been well documented, with over 700,000 overdose deaths and millions more affected.

As I spoke recently with colleagues at a conference in Florence, Italy about health care innovation, a fundamental truth resurfaced in my mind: the U.S. health care industry is just that.

Hardly a week goes by without another story in the media covering a family somewhere in America dealing with an outrageous medical bill.

The current outbreak of measles has startled public health practitioners, who declared measles controlled over two decades ago.

Medical robots are helping doctors and other professionals save time, lower costs and shorten patient recovery times, but patients may not be ready.

From the valsartan blood pressure drug contamination that exposed thousands of patients to cancer-causing impurities, to a massive pacemaker recall undertaken to fix a hazardous software bug in half-a-million cardiac devices, health care product quality problems are ever-present and highly dangerous.

President Trump promised to protect healthcare for people with pre-existing conditions, but his administration is now fighting to throw out the entire Affordable Care Act. Ali Velshi is joined by Kentucky

Ontario Premier Doug Ford may be planning a two-tiered, profit-driven health-care system, according to the Toronto Star. This is clearly the wrong solution to the health-care woes of the province, and the nation as a whole.

Weeks after my father passed away from cancer in 2010, my newly widowed mother received a bill for US$11,000.

Imagine there was a store where there were no prices on items, and you never knew what you’d pay until you’d picked out your purchases and were leaving the shop.

The doctor was desperate. ‘I need to talk to my patients,’ she said, ‘and give them time to ask questions.

The United States spends much more per person on health care than other developed countries. But it’s largely because prices are higher, not because Americans get more care, according to a new study.

When low-income Michigan residents enrolled in an expanded Medicaid program, many got more than just coverage for their health needs—they also got a boost to their wallets, according to a new study.

Living and working conditions are the primary causes of good health, and disease and premature death as well. Far more than eating green vegetables and going to the gym more often, living and working conditions have a big impact on health. This has been known in Canada since at least the mid-1850s and any visitor to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website will find ample documentation of this fact.

The VA has long been in crisis. Nevertheless, it has pioneered evidence-based medicine and, overall, gets better outcomes at lower costs than many private health care providers.

The U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world. So why does it underperform relative to many peer countries by most measures?

If you could take a test that would reveal the diseases you and your family might be more likely to get, would you want to do it?

Almost all parties agree that the health care system in the U.S., which is responsible for about 17 percent of our GDP, is badly broken.

So far, policymakers have tried to reduce costs by tinkering with how care is delivered. But focusing on care delivery to save money is like trying to reduce the costs of house fires by focusing on firefighters and fire stations.

Public support for single-payer health care has been rising in recent months amid failed Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

“A crippling problem.” “A total epidemic.” “A problem like nobody understands.” These are the words President Trump used to describe the opioid epidemic ravaging the country during a White House listening session in March.

Disability is often incorrectly assumed to be rare. However, global estimates suggest than one in seven adults has some form of disability.

Two seemingly unrelated national policy debates are afoot, and we can’t adequately address one unless we address the other.

It is easier than ever to buy stuff. You can purchase almost anything on Amazon with a click, and it is only slightly harder to find a place to stay in a foreign city on Airbnb.

Much has been made of the distress and discontent in rural areas during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Few realize, however, this is also felt through unequal health.

I was beyond frustrated. I felt extremely hopeless. I believed that I had zero options, despite the fact that I could no longer remain in the same physical or mental state. My bills had piled up so much I was about to get evicted. I had to do something. I got into my uninsured car and drove myself back to the E.R.

With the passage of the Republicans’ health care act, the House of Representatives seems to be saying that coming up with a plan to insure Americans really wasn’t all that hard after all.

As a neonatologist, I worry about patients with pulmonary hypertension. This unforgiving disease, sometimes seen after premature birth, can end with sudden death from constricting blood vessels in the lungs.

'We have got to end the international disgrace of being the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people as a right not a privilege.'

Republicans have tirelessly campaigned to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a conservative, market-based approach to health care.

As House Republicans labor to define a new plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, often called “Obamacare,” public support for the 2010 legislation is at an all-time high, according to a national survey taken in January.

Plans put forth by House Speaker Paul Ryan and HHS Secretary Tom Price are 'unlikely' to fulfill President Donald Trump's campaign promises—'but single payer could'

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Feb. 9 upheld the restraining order on President Trump’s immigration ban.

The United States faces a major problem with prescription drug prices. Even as the prices of most goods and services have barely budged in recent years, the cost of drugs has surged.

The health of rural America is failing, and a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without adequate replacement could prove disastrous.

There’s a joke among insurers that there are two things that health insurance companies hate to do – take risks and pay claims. But, of course, these are the essence of their business!

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to “repeal and replace Obamacare.” A logical question is: With what?

A cancer diagnosis can be a serious financial hardship for many elderly and disabled patients on Medicare, with annual out-of-pocket costs ranging from $2,116 to $8,115, on top of what they pay for health insurance, a new survey shows.

Pundits have been discussing the merits (or not) of Fidel Castro’s legacy as his body lies in state.

Repealing Obamacare was central to both Donald Trump’s, and the Republican party’s, policy platforms. The President-elect has since softened his stance and there are several Republican proposals to replace Obamacare with a more viable alternative.

Candidate Trump repeatedly called for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act during the campaign, but it is unclear what President Trump will actually do about the ACA.

Trump's transition site says administration will 'modernize Medicare'—code for Ryan-style death by privatization

Amidst the partisan rancor and the unusual tilt toward questions on civility during the second and third presidential debates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew the attention of health experts when they articulated their path forward for health policy in America.

Clinical trials have been the gold standard of scientific testing ever since the Scottish naval surgeon Dr James Lind conducted the first while trying to conquer scurvy in 1747.

The two largest soda makers in the US use their sponsorships of health organizations to bolster their image, which helps them lobby against public health bills, a new study suggests.

New research finds racial disparities in emergency treatment for certain types of pain, specifically backaches and stomachaches.

It’s that time of year again. Insurance companies that participate in the Affordable Care Act’s state health exchanges are signaling that prices will risedramatically this fall.

It is a truism that aging of populations will result in large and potentially unmanageable increases in the number of older adults with dementia.

Despite the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of a 75 percent reduction in maternal deaths by 2015, the estimated maternal mortality rate for 48 US states and the District of Columbia actually increased by 26.6 percent from 2000 to 2014.

While commanding four vessels sailing between England and India in 1601, Captain James Lancaster performed one of the great experiments in medical history.

The rising price for EpiPens, a drug delivery system that is crucial for persons experiencing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, has resulted in outrage.

Since the Affordable Care Act – or what many call Obamacare – has been labeled a failure since the day it started, according to some political types, it’s difficult to know if the recent defections by large insurance companies are really a death knell or just growing pains.

When a person goes to the doctor, there’s usually one thing they want: a diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is made, a path toward wellness can begin.

The U.S. coal industry is in rapid decline, a shift marked not only by the bankruptcy of many mine operators in coal-rich Appalachia but also by a legacy of potential environmental and social disasters.

The best argument for a single-payer health plan is the recent decision by giant health insurer Aetna to bail out next year from 11 of the 15 states where it sells Obamacare plans.

Women who need to see the urologist prefer female providers, but there aren’t enough of them to meet that need, a new study shows.

When considering Latinos, educators often struggle with how to close the achievement gap. That gap is often defined as a disparity in academic success between native English speakers and those for whom Spanish was their first language.

As the spotlight shifts from the Republican to Democratic convention, Hillary Clinton’s plans for health care reform, including a proposed new “public option” for health insurance for some Americans, may draw greater attention from voters.

One key goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to lower health care costs by giving consumers more choice over their insurer. Economic theory suggests that when consumers make informed and active choices in a competitive market, companies respond by lowering prices and improving the quality of their offerings.

There are few areas where there is more bipartisan support than the need to provide adequate health care for the country's veterans. While many of us opposed the war in Iraq and other recent military adventures, we still recognize the need to provide medical services for the people who put their lives at risk.

If the U.S. moved to electric vehicles, there would be a substantial cut in air pollution – and health benefits to go with it.In Paris late last year, the countries of the world pledged to reduce emissions to keep global warming “well below a 2 degree Celsius” rise in global average temperatures compared with preindustrial levels.

Economists have tallied up how much it will likely cost to care for all Americans with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) this year: $268 billion. In 10 years that number is expected to climb to $461 billion, but they say it could top out at $1 trillion if ASD prevalence continues to increase.

Health insurance for freelancers can be expensive. When employed by a company, health insurance is generally covered, but strike out on your own and you find yourself paying several hundred dollars or more per month for minimal coverage. As freelancers are expected to make up fifty percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020, one can’t help but think there has to be a better way—and there is.

The health of a nation is often measured in economic terms – how much a country chooses to spend, where that money comes from, what it spends it on and how much that money translates into quality of care. This infographic shows how health expenditure, access to care and health outcomes compare with seven other OECD countries.

After President Obama’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night, today’s discussion has largely focused on his tax proposals. While these are important measures, two other areas he addressed raise issues that will have at least as many consequences.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released its Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases, the second in a series tracking worldwide progress in the prevention and control of cancers, lung disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It focuses on how to reach the internationally agreed overarching target of a 25% reduction of premature mortality from these four major non-communicable diseases by 2025.