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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 From NPR

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Monday July 29, 2013

Canvassers For Health Coverage Find Few Takers In Boca Raton

Volunteer Tammy Spencer goes door to door in Boca Raton., Fla., on July 27 to spread the word on the state's health exchange. Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News hide caption

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Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News

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Canvassers For Health Coverage Find Few Takers In Boca Raton

KFF Health News

July 29, 2013 • Most Americans aren't aware that they may be able to buy health insurance under the new marketplaces. So an outreach effort lead by veterans of the Obama administration and campaigns is going door to door to get the word out.

Tuesday July 16, 2013

Cerner Fights For Share In Electronic Medical Records Boom

Pretty servers hold private health data at Cerner. Courtesy of Cerner Corp. hide caption

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Courtesy of Cerner Corp.

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Cerner Fights For Share In Electronic Medical Records Boom

KCUR

July 16, 2013 • Secure data storage is a big selling point for Cerner. But the company also develops software for all kinds of medical settings, and it even sends tech people to hospitals to run their information systems. Founded in 1979, Cerner now employs 12,000 people, and it can't hire engineers fast enough.

Cerner Fights For Share In Electronic Medical Records Boom

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Thursday July 11, 2013

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After FDA Approval, Drugmakers Often Miss Study Mark

July 11, 2013 • Since 2007, the Food and Drug Administration has had the power to require drugmakers to continue studying the safety of their pills or other medicines as a condition for approving them in the first place. An analysis finds that many studies are behind schedule.

Wednesday July 10, 2013

Mastermind Of 'Body Stealing' Scheme Dies

In 2008, Michael Mastromarino was sentenced in a New York City courtroom for enterprise corruption, body stealing and reckless endangerment. Jesse Ward/AP hide caption

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Jesse Ward/AP

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Mastermind Of 'Body Stealing' Scheme Dies

July 10, 2013 • The former dental surgeon went to prison for a long-running scheme to obtain human bodies and then harvest their tissue for sale. He admitted guilt in 2008 and was sentenced to up to 58 years in prison. He died Sunday of cancer.

Tax Break Can Help With Health Coverage, But There's A Catch

Tax credits may help make health insurance more affordable, but can bite back if your income goes up more than expected. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Tax Break Can Help With Health Coverage, But There's A Catch

KFF Health News

July 10, 2013 • People with lower incomes can get help paying for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But buyer beware: the two options, tax credits and subsidies, work differently. People whose income goes up could end up having to pay back some of those tax credits.

Wednesday July 3, 2013

Delay For Insurance Mandate Pleases Businesses

President Obama talked up the Affordable Care Act in San Jose, Calif., in June. Now, the administration has said a key provision affecting businesses won't take effect until 2015. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

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Delay For Insurance Mandate Pleases Businesses

July 3, 2013 • The one-year reprieve raises new questions about the administration's ability to get the huge health law up and running in an orderly fashion. The deadline for health exchanges to begin enrolling individuals is Oct. 1.

Thursday June 27, 2013

Test-Driving The Obamacare Software

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Test-Driving The Obamacare Software

KFF Health News

June 27, 2013 • Proponents of the health law liken the sign-up software to Expedia or Travelocity, where travelers can book flights and hotels. It may be more like TurboTax, escorting you through requirements and choices much more complex than whether you want a flight in the afternoon or the morning.

Tuesday June 25, 2013

Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

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Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

June 25, 2013 • 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 May 31, 2013

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

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Proton Beam Therapy Sparks Hospital Arms Race

KFF Health News

May 31, 2013 • 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 May 24, 2013

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

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

KFF Health News

May 24, 2013 • 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 May 10, 2013

It Came From Norway To Take On A Medical Goliath

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It Came From Norway To Take On A Medical Goliath

May 10, 2013 • A company that got its start assessing the risks of ocean-going vessels now checks U.S. hospitals for quality. Known as DNV, the firm is bringing competition to an area of health care that obsesses insiders yet is little known by patients.

Monday May 6, 2013

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

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Pfizer Goes Direct With Online Viagra Sales To Men

May 6, 2013 • 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 April 23, 2013

Recalls Of Dietary Supplements Highlight Mystery Ingredients

Over the past several years, the FDA has deemed many dietary supplements to be "tainted" by unapproved drugs. FDA.gov hide caption

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Recalls Of Dietary Supplements Highlight Mystery Ingredients

April 23, 2013 • More than 200 dietary supplements have been recalled in recent years because they contain drugs that aren't listed on the label and are potentially harmful, an analysis finds.

Tuesday April 16, 2013

Quality Conundrum: Complications Boost Hospital Profits

If he messes up, should the hospital profit? iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Quality Conundrum: Complications Boost Hospital Profits

April 16, 2013 • Hospitals can make more money when surgery leads to complication that need to be fixed. Critics say the current payment system rewards hospitals for bad care and fails to provide incentives that would benefit patients.

Monday April 15, 2013

Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented?

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Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented?

April 15, 2013 • 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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