In back-to-back appearances on Capitol Hill on 7 June, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price sparred with Democrats over the Trump administration’s budget cuts for his department and coming troubles in the individual health insurance market. “President Trump’s budget does not confuse government spending with government success,” Price said, defending a spending plan […]
Many children with autism have gastrointestinal problems, seizures and sleep disorders. A new study, published 24 May in Autism Research, suggests that these seemingly disparate conditions are interconnected and may lead to the children’s behavioral issues1. The findings underscore the ramifications of medical conditions that accompany autism. These conditions often go untreated, as doctors tend to […]
The structure of the many perturbations that underlie the constellation of symptoms that we call autism is steadily coming into focus1. But this is less as if autism were a tissue preparation viewed under a microscope and more as if it were an iceberg emerging from the Arctic mist. Autism is much more heterogeneous than […]
Consultations with doctors by phone or video conference appear to be catching on, with well over a million virtual visits reported in 2015. The convenience of ‘telehealth’ appeals to people seeking care, and the notion that it costs less than an in-office visit would makes it attractive to employers and health plans. But a new study suggests that […]
Health officials in Minnesota are scrambling to contain a measles outbreak that has sickened primarily Somali-American children. Officials have identified 34 cases as of Wednesday, and they’re worried there will be more. In Minnesota, the vast majority of children under age 2 get vaccinated against measles. But state health officials say about 6 out of 10 Somali-American 2-year-olds have not had […]
That fidget spinner your child can’t put down? It turns out it may be putting children at risk for lead exposure. That’s according to a report released 9 November by a consumer advocacy group, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. The organization tested the toys — which represent the latest iteration of a long […]
A nonprofit organization that has orchestrated a wide-reaching campaign against foreign drug imports has deep ties to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, the powerhouse lobbying group that includes Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Bayer. A PhRMA senior vice president, Scott LaGanga, for 10 years led the Partnership for Safe Medicines, a nonprofit that has recently emerged as […]
The 21st Century Cures Act, which just passed a House vote yesterday in the U.S. Congress, is one of the most-lobbied healthcare bills in recent history, with nearly three lobbyists working for its passage or defeat for every member on Capitol Hill. More than 1,455 lobbyists representing 400 companies, universities and other organizations pushed for or against […]
Some U.S. states are facing a mid-January loss of funding for their Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), despite spending approved by Congress in late December that was expected to keep the program running for three months, federal health officials said 5 January. The $2.85 billion was supposed to fund states’ CHIP programs through 31 March. […]
Nine U.S. senators are pushing U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reveal what he knows about a reported investigation into Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s stock trades that a top federal prosecutor might have begun before being fired by the Trump administration this month. In a letter Wednesday, seven senators — six Democrats plus Vermont independent […]
The White House’s plan to indefinitely detain immigrant families together threatens the care of young children, experts worry, by placing them with an agency with little experience in handling such complex needs. Previously, the administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration stance meant splitting children from parents. Immigration authorities acknowledged that during that policy 2,322 children 12 and under were detained […]
On any given day, pediatrician Lindsay Irvin estimates a quarter of her patients need psychiatric help. She sees teens who say they are suicidal, and elementary school children who suffer chest pains stemming from bullying anxiety. Though she does her best, she says she doesn’t consider herself qualified to treat them at the level they […]
