Health News

Several health care centers are rescheduling non-emergency procedures.

As the fires continue, the material toll is undeniable. Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Judith Joseph shares tips on dealing with the trauma and mental toll.

This is a MedPage Today story. When Michael Adams was researching health insurance options in 2023, he had one very specific requirement: coverage for prosthetic limbs. Adams, 51, lost his right leg to cancer 40 years ago, and he has worn out more legs than he can count. He picked a gold plan on the Colorado health insurance marketplace that covered prosthetics, including microprocessor-controlled knees like the one he has used for many years. That function adds stability and helps prevent falls. But when his leg needed replacing last January after about 5 years of everyday use, his new marketplace health plan wouldn't authorize it. The roughly $50,000 leg with the electronically controlled knee wasn't medically necessary, the insurer said, even though Colorado law leaves that determination up to the patient's doctor, and his has prescribed a version of that leg for many years, starting when he had employer-sponsored coverage. "The electronic prosthetic knee is life-changing,"...

To age well, geriatricians say one underappreciated key is maintaining good balance

The week began with a biting cold snap that hammered much of the U.S., the product of a jet stream that slips out of its usual path more often these days

Artificial intelligence systems require consistent monitoring, experts say.

A California man says his two cats died and a third was hospitalized after he fed them raw milk recalled for bird flu risk

This is a MedPage Today story. Nearly 5,000 healthcare workers from Providence Health began a strike Friday morning, picketing all eight Providence hospitals in Oregon, after months of contract negotiations between the health system and the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) union, which is representing the workers. The strike is believed to be the largest involving healthcare workers, and the first involving physicians, in the state's history, according to the ONA. The sprawling group -- including mostly nurses, but also physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and nurse midwives -- is "resolved" in its "demands for fair contracts that will invest more in patient safety, follow the [state's] safe staffing law, decrease physician caseload, and offer regionally competitive wages and benefits to be able to recruit and retain more staff," the union said. In a phone interview with MedPage Today while out on the strike line, Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an ob/gyn at Providence...

In the winter months, it seems few are safe from some kind of illness — flu, COVID-19, norovirus, colds

The District of Columbia is suing the federal government over pollution in the Anacostia River, hoping it will lead to a cleanup of the urban waterway

Meta said it's moving towards community notes to moderate content.

Wildfires can lead to increased rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD.

Setting boundaries at work can be tricky

An annual U.S. government report on “notorious markets” known for counterfeiting and other violations of intellectual property says that nearly all 35,000 online pharmacies around the world are being run illegally

ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks to Dr. Peggy Tseng about treating additional patients, amid what is already the busiest time of the year for hospitals, due to six wildfires in the County of Los Angeles.

The report, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed health data from more than 40,000 U.S. adults.

Morning coffee drinkers had lower risk of early death compared to non-drinkers.

So far, there have been 66 human cases of bird flu reported in 10 states.

The CDC said the risk of bird flu to the general public is low, but public health experts say they are worried the virus could mutate and become more transmissible.

Medical experts warn that the study’s results shouldn’t be a major concern for parents in the U.S.

The patient was over age 65 and had underlying medical conditions.

HMPV commonly circulates during respiratory virus season, experts say.

Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for "insurance fairness."

The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the first human bird flu death in the United States on Monday.

Peloton instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts on how to be healthier, both mentally and physically, in 2025.

Fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents with commercial insurance received gender-affirming medications during a recent five-year period

Indonesia’s new government has begun an ambitious project to fight malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women that is expected to cost $28 billion through 2029, although critics question whether the program is affordable

Trauma psychologist Suzana Flores joins ABC News Live to discuss how to process trauma after the New Orleans attack.

Chief medical officer of Dry January USA Dr. Michael Caldwell discusses tips and tricks to participating in a successful Dry January.

Winter weather brings various hazards that people have to contend with to keep warm and safe

This is a MedPage Today story. In what has become a routine event in rural America, a hospital maternity ward closed in 2023 in this small Oregon town about an hour from the Idaho border. For Shyanne McCoy, 23, that meant the closest hospital with an obstetrician on staff when she was pregnant was a 45-mile drive away over a mountain pass. When McCoy developed symptoms of preeclampsia last January, she felt she had the best chance of getting the care she needed at a larger hospital in Boise, Idaho, 2 hours away. She spent the final week of her pregnancy there, too far from home to risk leaving, before giving birth to her daughter. Six months later, she said it seems clear to her that the healthcare needs of rural young women like her are largely ignored. For McCoy and others, figuring out how to obtain adequate care to safely have a baby in Baker City has quickly eclipsed concerns about another medical service lacking in the area: abortion. But in Oregon and elsewhere in the...

ABC News’ Phil Lipof speaks with the U.S. surgeon general about the health risks connecting alcohol and cancer as well as possible warnings on alcohol labels that may be put in place.

A look at the numbers behind alcohol consumption across all ages, as “dry January” trends kick in for the start of the new year.

ABC News contributor Dr. Alok Patel explains the advisory warning of a link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.

This is a MedPage Today story. In late September, Hurricane Helene damaged a major supplier of intravenous (IV) fluids. In this report, we follow up on what has happened since. Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented and catastrophic flooding to western North Carolina, damaging a Baxter manufacturing site that was a major supplier of IV fluids. Hospitals across the country continue to grapple with the ensuing shortage of critical supplies. Baxter's North Cove, North Carolina, facility provided about 60% of the IV solutions used across the U.S. as well as several other fluids vital to patient care, noted Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA). "While remarkable progress has been made in reactivating Baxter's plant operations, hospitals are still receiving less than their normal required amounts of these fluids." While the impact of the supply shortage varies across the country, "and the significance of the impact on a...

ABC News' Dr. Neil C. Bhavsar joins Live to give tips on how to prevent a New Years Eve hangover.

Dr. Alok Patel discusses the benefits of taking a digital detox, including boosting your attention span, bettering your mental health and strengthening your relationships.

Health officials are warning pet owners not to give their cats raw food after a house cat in Oregon died of bird flu.