Pomona, California.- Cuando conoces por primera vez a Aaron Martinez, de 17 meses, no es evidente que algo está catastróficamente mal. Lo que ves es un hermoso niño pequeño con piel suave y brillante, ... [Continue Reading]
Death Is Anything but a Dying Business as Private Equity Cashes In
[UPDATED on Sept. 22] Private equity firms are investing in health care from cradle to grave, and in that latter category quite literally. A small but growing percentage of the funeral home industry — and the broader death care market — is being ... [Continue Reading]
Buy and Bust: After Platinum Health Took Control of Noble Sites, All Hospital Workers Were Fired
The news, under Noble Health letterhead, arrived at 5:05 p.m. on a Friday, with the subject line: “Urgent Notice.” Audrain Community Hospital, Paul Huemann’s workplace of 32 years, was letting workers go. Word ... [Continue Reading]
Formula May Be Right for Infants, but Experts Warn That Toddlers Don’t Need It
Formulas for toddlers are a burgeoning business in the United States: Sales of the drinks more than doubled in recent years as companies convinced parents that their little ones needed the liquid boost. But many experts warn that these products, ... [Continue Reading]
Impending Hospital Closure Rattles Atlanta Health Care Landscape and Political Races
ATLANTA — Like many neighborhoods in cities across the country, Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward is changing. Condo buildings and modern minimalist homes punctuate city blocks of low-income housing. Many longtime residents of the historic ... [Continue Reading]
Medical Coding Creates Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients
Last year, Tim Chevalier received the first of many coverage denials from his insurance company for the hair removal procedure he needed as part of a phalloplasty, the creation of a penis. Electrolysis is a common procedure among ... [Continue Reading]
As State Institutions Close, Families of Longtime Residents Face Agonizing Choices
GLENWOOD, Iowa — Mike Lee’s way of life has faded away in most of the United States, and it soon will vanish from southwestern Iowa. Lee, 57, has spent 44 years at the Glenwood Resource Center, a state-run institution for ... [Continue Reading]
Did the US Jump the Gun With the New Omicron-Targeted Vaccines?
Last month, the FDA authorized omicron-specific vaccines, accompanied by breathless science-by-press release and a media blitz. Just days after the FDA’s move, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed, recommending updated ... [Continue Reading]
At 988 Call Centers, Crisis Counselors Offer Empathy — And Juggle Limited Resources
On a Friday evening at a call center in southeastern Pennsylvania, Michael Colluccio stirred his hot tea, put on his headset, and started up his computer. The screen showed calls coming in to the suicide prevention lifeline from around the ... [Continue Reading]