Health Politics. Politics affects health, hospital management, physicians and patients in a big way. Dr. David Samadi will explore major national and global health political issues and debates affecting the patient outcome. Learn what you need to know and get Dr. Samadi's take.
Every day, 40 people die in the U.S. as a result of prescription drug overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Media outlets, schools, and the medical community are starting to get the word out – to the degree that more and more people are shying away from opioids completely.
That could be its own problem.
Read Moret’s a sad fact of reality but the elderly in the United States who are unable to care for themselves are being let down by a high-priced, dysfunctional system of long term care.
Read MoreIf you are going to search for medical advice on Google, double-check the sources' validity before acting on the advice.
Read MoreNew Year’s is quickly approaching
· This means New Year resolutions that are made and quickly abandoned
· Estimated that only 8% of Americans successfully achieve their New Year resolutions
· Make sure this year is different
Read MoreEvery year, thousands of people end up in the emergency room as a result of using supplements for various purposes such as for an energy boost, to lose weight or build muscle mass.
Read MoreA new study suggests that when patients are hospitalized more than once in the same month. It may have more to do with their income or education levels than the quality of care they received.
According to the analysis of data from Medicare, patients 85 and older are more likely to return to the hospital within 30 days of being sent home than people a decade or two younger.
Patients also have higher odds of returning soon after discharge if they lack a high school diploma, have limited income and assets or have health benefits from Medicaid.
The White House isn't likely to wait long to challenge Wednesday's ruling allowing House Republicans to sue the Obama administration for spending federal funds on the Affordable Care Act's cost-sharing assistance.
Read MoreAn alarming new study released in England showed that an early cancer diagnosis depends on where you live, meaning the level of care you have direct access too. Some patients across the country were even shown to have an early diagnosis of the disease more than 4 times other patients. It also showed that insurance companies specifically have carried 25 times more scans for tumor detection. Why is this an issue? Let's explore.
Read MoreA U.S-backed panel of independent medical experts are not recommended a daily low-dose of aspirin for people between the ages of 50-59 at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition to preventing heart attack and stroke, some people may also reduce their risk of colon cancer if they take aspirin for at least 10 years. This was stated by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This recommendation is more narrow than the group's previous recommendation which segmented out the guidelines based on gender.
Read MoreRepublicans in Congress are again demanding the government to cut all funding for Planned Parenthood which has been around for over a 100 years, providing women's health services. This latest uproar sparked after videos of officials from Planned Parenthood went record discussing compensation for providing fetal tissue from abortions. Other challenges the group is facing is with the Affordable Care Act. Formerly uninsured women are not less reliant on Planned Parenthood for access to birth control, abortions and other reproductive healthcare.
Read MoreAnthem will buy Cigna for about $54.2 billion, creating the largest U.S. health insurer by membership and accelerating the industry's consolidation from five national players to three. The proposed acquisition, the health insurance industry's largest, comes three weeks after Aetna Inc agreed to buy Humana Inc for $37 billion. Health insurers are finding it tougher to raise prices following the roll-out of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, while grappling with soaring expenses of medications including cancer drugs that can cost each patient more than $100,000 a year.
Read MorePuerto Rico is beginning to face another budget cut to a highly-used Medicare program as well as an alarming shortage of Medicaid funds. The health care system is moving towards a crisis which could further undermine the island's gutted economy. The first sign of this crisis regarding the health care system was seriously in trouble when a large amount of doctors, a total of 3,000 in 5 years, began to leave the island for better positions, more money and less stress in the United States.
Read MoreA new cholesterol lowering drug called Praluent was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and introduced to the market. Praluent is said to be a better alternative to statins. There are millions of people in the United States that currently take statins. Statins are a medication that people take to lower cholesterol in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Examples of statins include Lipitor, Lescol, Altoprev, Livalo, Pravachol, Crestor and Zocor.
Read MoreA group of 118 leading cancer experts have developed a list of proposals designed to reduce the cost of cancer drugs. Also in support of a grassroots patient protest movement to pressure drug companies to charge what they deem a fair value for treatments. Experts include former presidents of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology. An insured cancer patient who needs a drug that costs $120,000 a year would pay as much as $30,000 in out-of-pocket costs, which is more than half of the average U.S. household income of $52,000.
Read MoreThe Food and Drug Administration is strengthening warnings on some common painkillers saying they cause increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The FDA conducted a review on new safety information and now want the drug makers to change the warning labels on certain NSAIDs. NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are over-the-counter or prescription medications such as Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Naprosyn, or Celebrex.
Read MoreLawmakers have taken first step in limiting vaccination exemptions for schoolchildren. Bill approved late June. Prohibits parents from stopping their children from being vaccinated for personal or religious reasons.
Read MoreCalifornia House passed a proposal that would outlaw a family's personal and religious beliefs as reasons to exempt their children from school vaccinations.
Controversial proposal now returns to the Senate, which must approve amendments for so-called SB277 to advance to Gov.Jerry Brown for his signature. Senate passed the initial bill in May.
Read MoreThis morning, the Supreme Court ruled in favor, with a 6-3 decision, to uphold the Obamacare authorization of federal tax credits for eligible Americans living not only in states with their own exchanges but also in the 34 states with federal exchanges.
Read MoreChief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has saved Obamacare for a second time, writing the majority opinion Thursday that upheld the health care law’s key provision of paying tax subsidies to customers in all states and saying the law otherwise would be a mess — something he doubted Congress intended.
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