A car crash shattered Stuart Anders’ thigh, leaving pieces of bone sticking through his skin. Yet Anders begged emergency room doctors not to give him powerful opioid painkillers — he’d been addicted once before and panicked at the thought of ...
Read More »Supreme Court struggles over hospital pension dispute
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed to struggle on Monday over whether some of the nation’s largest hospitals should be allowed to sidestep federal laws protecting pension benefits for workers. Justices considered the cases of three church-affiliated nonprofit hospital systems ...
Read More »Kentucky’s abortion law faces attacks in court
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s new law requiring doctors to conduct an ultrasound exam before an abortion, and then try to show fetal images to the pregnant women, came under withering attack Thursday in federal court. An American Civil Liberties Union ...
Read More »Arizona man awarded $2.5M in medical lawsuit vs VA hospital
PHOENIX — A judge on Monday awarded $2.5 million to a military veteran who said that his now-terminal cancer would have been curable had the Veterans Administration hospital in Phoenix diagnosed it sooner. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle Burns ruled a ...
Read More »Alaska governor proposes more steps to fight opioid abuse
JUNEAU, Alaska — Gov. Bill Walker on Monday proposed additional steps aimed at addressing opioid abuse in Alaska, including pain management training for medical providers and limits on initial prescriptions. The proposal is the latest from Walker, who, in a ...
Read More »Nevada Democrats argue for no-exceptions birth control coverage
CARSON CITY, Nev. — A pair of bills that would make Nevada the fifth state to allow women to access 12-month supplies of birth control drew hours of testimony at the Legislature on Monday. Dozens of people attended hearings on ...
Read More »Sen. King, other lawmakers want safe importation of meds
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Sen. Angus King is joining a group of legislators who want to allow safe importation of prescription drugs into the U.S. King, an independent, is helping introduce a bill designed to lower the cost of the ...
Read More »Mich. Senate OKs higher payments to treat rape victims
LANSING, Mich. — Bipartisan legislation that would increase payments to medical providers for treating sexual assault victims is advancing in Michigan’s Legislature. The Senate unanimously sent the bills to the House Thursday. One measure would require the Crime Victim Services ...
Read More »Md. advocates back panel to monitor health care changes
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland health care advocates on Wednesday highlighted the need for a new state commission to monitor potential changes to the Affordable Care Act. The Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act is part of a package of bills that ...
Read More »Missouri opens applications for ‘assistant physicians’
Missouri has begun accepting applications from people hoping to work as “assistant physicians” under a 2014 law intended to address a shortage of doctors. The Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts spent about two-and-a-half years developing the rules ...
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