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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.
Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

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Thursday

Tuesday

Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

How does the doctor decide what to write on the prescription pad? iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Health Inc.

Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

Paying doctors to prescribe particular drugs is illegal. But drugmakers pay some doctors to talk with their peers about prescription drugs.

Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

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Friday

Proton Beam Therapy Sparks Hospital Arms Race

A construction worker paints walls at the Maryland Proton Treatment Center in Baltimore. Each of the center's five rooms will contain a massive piece of equipment that will rotate around a cancer patient to deliver a special kind of radiation. Jenny Gold/Kaiser Health News hide caption

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Jenny Gold/Kaiser Health News

Health Inc.

Proton Beam Therapy Sparks Hospital Arms Race

KFF Health News

Local officials in Washington D.C., are on the verge of approving two high-tech radiation facilities for treating cancer at a total cost of $153 million. The treatment these hospitals would offer costs twice as much as standard radiation, but hasn't been shown to work any better for most cancers.

Proton Beam Therapy Sparks Hospital Arms Race

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Friday

Health Insurance At 'Good Prices' Coming To Calif. Exchange

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, unveiled the plans and prices that will be offered by private insurers at a media briefing in Sacramento on Thursday. Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption

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Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Health Inc.

Health Insurance At 'Good Prices' Coming To Calif. Exchange

KFF Health News

It's the first disclosure of prices in the nation's most populous state for individual health insurance that complies with the Affordable Care Act. The menu of affordable options surprised some consumer advocates and analysts who had been expecting premiums to be much higher.

Friday

Monday

Pfizer Goes Direct With Online Viagra Sales To Men

If you're interested in buying Viagra, Pfizer, the drug's maker, will now sell it to you from its official website. William Vazquez/AP hide caption

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William Vazquez/AP

Health Inc.

Pfizer Goes Direct With Online Viagra Sales To Men

Men still need a prescription for the diamond-shaped blue pills. But instead of going to the pharmacy in person, or taking their chances buying from an online pharmacy of unknown repute, men will be able to buy Viagra from the maker of the drug itself and have it shipped to their homes.

Tuesday

Tuesday

Monday

Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented?

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Health Inc.

Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented?

Same-sex marriage got huge headlines at the Supreme Court last month, but in the world of science and medicine, the case being argued on Monday is far more important. The lawsuit deals with a truly 21st century issue that in some cases can pit drugmakers against patients.

Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented?

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Friday

Wednesday

Tuesday

New Medical School Wants To Build Ranks Of Primary Care Doctors

The Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., will open this fall. The school has a specific mission: minting doctors who want to go into primary care practice. Quinnipiac University hide caption

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Quinnipiac University

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New Medical School Wants To Build Ranks Of Primary Care Doctors

WNPR

Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., is spending $100 million to open a medical school in the fall. Its goal is to have more than 50 percent of its graduates go into primary care.

New Medical School Wants To Build Ranks Of Primary Care Doctors

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Friday

Obamacare Won't Affect Most 2012 Taxes, Despite Firm's Claim

Taxes this year will be as much of a drag as ever. But not because of the Affordable Care Act. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Obamacare Won't Affect Most 2012 Taxes, Despite Firm's Claim

CPR News

H&R Block claims it's equipped to guide you through the Affordable Care Act and the law's implications for your taxes this year. But the law doesn't really affect 2012 returns.

Obamacare Won't Affect Most 2012 Taxes, Despite Firm's Claim

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Tuesday

Employers Try To Spur Healthy Behaviors With Health Plan Rewards

Chick-Fil-A employees Jennifer Cummins, right, and Joshua Figaretti work out in the gym during lunch at the company's corporate headquarters office in Hapeville, Ga. Increasingly employers are offering health plan incentives to encourage healthy behaviors from workers. Ric Feld/AP hide caption

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Ric Feld/AP

Health Inc.

Employers Try To Spur Healthy Behaviors With Health Plan Rewards

KFF Health News

Surveys show that an increasing number of employers are providing employees with financial incentives to stay healthy. Many employers now contribute to employee health savings accounts, but only if employees make sure to take care of their health.

Friday