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Health Inc. : Shots - Health News As spending on care rises, the business of health keeps getting more important. We feature news on and analysis of drugmakers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and others in the business of providing health care.

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Health News From NPR

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Friday April 27, 2012

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Wanted: Mavericks And Missionaries To Solve Mississippi's M.D. Shortage

KFF Health News

April 27, 2012 • In rural Mississippi, the number of doctors per person is among the lowest in the country. Now, a new scholarship program is trying to attract medical students to begin their practice there. The success — or failure — of the program depends largely on the recruiter's ability to pick the right students.

Wanted: Mavericks And Missionaries To Solve Mississippi's M.D. Shortage

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Thursday April 26, 2012

Health Insurers Set To Pay $1.3 Billion In Rebates

Come summer, mailboxes of 1 in 3 buyers of individual health insurance buyers could get rebate checks. JS Callahan/tropicalpix/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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JS Callahan/tropicalpix/iStockphoto.com

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Health Insurers Set To Pay $1.3 Billion In Rebates

April 26, 2012 • Health insurers that haven't spent the required share of premiums on health care will be sending rebate checks to employers and consumers. All told, an estimated $1.3 billion is expected to be returned to customers this summer.

Wednesday April 25, 2012

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Doctor Pay: Where The Specialists Are All Above Average

April 25, 2012 • Who makes the most? Specialists who do things to you. Orthopedic surgeons and radiologists top the earnings chart at an average income of $315,000 a year, according to data compiled by Medscape.

Wednesday April 11, 2012

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Ark. Judge Socks Johnson & Johnson With $1.1 Billion Penalty

April 11, 2012 • An Arkansas judge's penalty is just the latest legal setback related to the company's marketing of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug. Among the drug's possible side effects are weight gain and increased risk for diabetes.

Monday April 9, 2012

With Cancer Care, The U.S. Spends More, But Gets More

Newer cancer treatment drugs have raised the cost of treatment even more. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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With Cancer Care, The U.S. Spends More, But Gets More

April 9, 2012 • Cancer care costs more in the U.S., but people live longer than they do in European countries, according to new research. But the numbers are 10 years old, and it will take more research to know if today's increased spending is worth it.

Thursday April 5, 2012

Fox In Socks! Dartmouth Names Its Medical School After Dr. Seuss

An imagined new facade for Dartmouth's school of medicine (with apologies to Dr. Seuss). Adam Cole/NPR hide caption

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Adam Cole/NPR

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Fox In Socks! Dartmouth Names Its Medical School After Dr. Seuss

April 5, 2012 • No word yet on whether memorizing The Cat in the Hat will now become a requirement for medical school admission.

Wednesday April 4, 2012

Drug Spending Levels Off, But Not For The Usual Reasons

The one group for whom prescription drug spending rose last year was young adults ages 19 to 25. Roel Smart/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Roel Smart/iStockphoto.com

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Drug Spending Levels Off, But Not For The Usual Reasons

April 4, 2012 • Seniors are traditionally the biggest consumers of prescription drugs, but they aren't using as many. Greater use of generics also played a role in last year's slow growth.

Monday April 2, 2012

As Health Care Giants Merge, Pharmacies Aren't Happy

It remains to be seen whether bigger will actually be better. GMVozd/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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GMVozd/iStockphoto.com

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As Health Care Giants Merge, Pharmacies Aren't Happy

April 2, 2012 • Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions provide prescription drug benefit services to more than 1 in 3 Americans. The FTC says their union won't stifle competition in the industry, but community pharmacy groups are furious.

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Health Insurers Move Ahead, With Or Without Individual Mandate

KFF Health News

April 2, 2012 • With all the attention focused on the Supreme Court hearings on the fate of the Affordable Care Act, it might seem that the future of all reforms to the health care system is in the balance. But some in the insurance industry say many changes are already in motion.

Health Insurers Move Ahead, With Or Without Individual Mandate

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Tuesday February 28, 2012

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Feds Accuse Texas Doctor In $350 Million Medicare Fraud

February 28, 2012 • A Texas doctor and six co-conspirators indicted for an alleged long-running health care scam look to have set a new record for a medical practice: $350 million in fraudulent Medicare bills and $24 million under Medicaid over nearly six years ending in late 2011.

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Coming To A Strip Mall Near You, A Health Insurance Store

February 28, 2012 • Some health insurers are angling to appeal to millions of new insurance shoppers by opening retail stores where people can buy a policy, check on an existing claim, maybe even take a class in healthy cooking or yoga.

Thursday January 19, 2012

Stories About High Health Care Costs Win Prizes

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Stories About High Health Care Costs Win Prizes

January 19, 2012 • A nonprofit group that's trying to get doctors and other health professionals to be more thoughtful about health costs just named winners in an essay contest. Two essays by patients suggest haggling over prices and questioning the necessity of some care can pay off.

Friday January 13, 2012

Drugmakers Boost Prices, Despite Political Risks

AstraZeneca's Nexium is one of many drugs that had a hefty price increase this month. Rennett Stowe/Flickr hide caption

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Rennett Stowe/Flickr

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Drugmakers Boost Prices, Despite Political Risks

January 13, 2012 • This month, the biggest companies raised list prices for brand-name drugs an average of 4.5 percent. Back in Jan. 2008, the same companies raised prices an average of 2.8 percent.

Thursday January 12, 2012

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Biggest Bucks In Health Care Are Spent On A Very Few

January 12, 2012 • Just 1 percent of the population accounted for 21.8 percent of all U.S. health spending in 2009. And just 5 percent accounted for half the total spending.

Biggest Bucks In Health Care Are Spent On A Very Few

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Monday January 9, 2012

Why Millions Of Prescriptions Will No Longer Be Filled At Walgreens

A customer walks out of a Walgreens store in New York City. Adam Rountree/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Adam Rountree/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Why Millions Of Prescriptions Will No Longer Be Filled At Walgreens

KFF Health News

January 9, 2012 • Starting this year, many Americans may be surprised to find that their local Walgreens or Duane Reade is no longer in their insurance network. That's because of a dispute between two health care giants. If the back of your insurance card says Express Scripts, you are affected.

Why Millions Of Prescriptions Will No Longer Be Filled At Walgreens

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