Health Care  

 

 

THE WORLD

Cancer's New Battleground — The Developing World


LISTEN TO THE REPORT
Why doesn't the battle against cancer feature in conversations about “global health”? Join Joanne Silberner, reporter for The World, Partners in Health and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to talk about it on Facebook.

Read the Archived Chat
FRONTLINE

The Suicide Plan


WATCH ONLINE
An examination of the shadowy world of assisted suicide, featuring interviews with individuals who are opting to end their lives and those who, despite being at risk for prosecution, are helping them.

Health Care

What Does the MGH U.S. News Ranking Mean?


By Jordan Weinstein
Massachusetts General Hospital has been named the number-one hospital in the country by U.S. News and World Report. But one health care expert warns that no list is conclusive.
Government

House Votes to Override Governor on Three Key Issues


By Sarah Birnbaum & Cristina Quinn
Massachusetts House lawmakers have pushed back against Gov. Deval Patrick on welfare restrictions, mental health and immigration checks, overriding Patrick's line-item vetoes in the fiscal year 2013 budget.
Mental Health

Two Perspectives on Treating Mental Illness


SHOULD WE CLOSE TAUNTON STATE?
By Cristina Quinn
The debate over the Taunton State Hospital reveals a deeper philosophical debate on helping people with psychiatric disabilities. We talk to a parent who supports keeping the hospital open and an advocate for community services.
WGBH Local News

Boston Volunteers Help Vietnamese with HIV


By Phillip Martin
In Ho Chi Minh City, two Boston College professors are leading a group of students to volunteer at a clinic for HIV patients who are at the end of their lives.
Mental Health

Should We Close Taunton State Hospital?


By Cristina Quinn
A nurse at Taunton State Hospital argues for why the inpatient mental health facility matters — even though Gov. Deval Patrick used a budget line-item veto to relocate those services to Worcester.
Health Care

Dukakis on Health Care Reform


COMPLETE WGBH COVERAGE
By Bob Seay
Former Gov. Michael Dukakis thought the result at the high court was positive but saw challenges ahead in the struggle to fix the U.S. health care system.
Health Care

The Supreme Court Ruling: WGBH Analysis


COMPLETE WGBH COVERAGE
WGBH News hears from policy and health care experts about the Supreme Court's decision. 
Health Care

SCOTUSblog's Live Feed of the Affordable Care Act Reactions


COMPLETE WGBH COVERAGE
The experts at SCOTUSblog give the blow-by-blow of this morning's decision.
Health Care

WGBH News Coverage of the Health Care Decision


By WGBH News
The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in a complex ruling. Here's our schedule of guests and conversations to help you make sense of it.
Health Care

'Obamacare' Decision to Have Limited Impact on Commonwealth


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Sarah Birnbaum
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. But if it's struck down, the practical ramifications in Massachusetts may be relatively small.
Health Care

Customers to Get $57M in Health Insurance Rebates


By Sarah Birnbaum & Wires
Massachusetts health insurance plans will have to cough up almost $57 million in rebates to customers. On average, individuals will receive just over $200 and businesses will receive $936.  
Health Care

Still Waiting for the Health Care Decision


REVIEW THE ARGUMENTS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Bob Seay
As we drum our fingers, law professor Renée Landers explains four likely scenarios for the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling and their ramifications.
Health Care

How Does Your Doctor Measure Up?


By Anne Mostue
Adding to its car, refrigerator and laptop reviews, Consumer Reports is now evaluating groups of primary care doctors. And it's starting with Massachusetts.
Health Care

'Safety-Net' Hospitals Awarded Federal Funds


By Sarah Birnbaum
The federal government has approved the use of $628 million to implement cost-saving reforms at seven Massachusetts hospitals that treat many of the state’s poorest residents.
Health Care

On Island, Health Care Coverage Gaps Are Common


By Sean Corcoran
Nantucket is getting ready for summer — a busy time not just for vacationers but for the island's labor force. But there's a serious side to island living, especially for those residents who aren't employed all year round: a gap in health insurance coverage.
Government

State Senate Opens Debate on Health Care Costs


GOV. PATRICK WEIGHS IN
By Sarah Birnbaum
The bill would control the cost of health care in Massachusetts. But is it necessary — or too much?
Government

Governor Sets Requirements for Health Care Bill


STATE SENATE OPENS DEBATE ON BILL
By Sarah Birnbaum
Deval Patrick weighed in for the first time since the state House and Senate unveiled competing versions of bills to rein in health care spending, listing four elements a final bill must have.
Health Care

State Senate Targets Health Care Costs


By Sarah Birnbaum
With health care spending growing at least twice as fast as the overall economy, state Senate leaders released a proposal on Wednesday to drastically rein in the costs. The Mass. House released a similar measure last week.
Health Care

Leading the Fight Against Childhood Cancer


By Jordan Weinstein
There's been a hopeful development in treatment for soft-tissue sarcoma. A doctor talks about how small foundations play a crucial role in cancer research.
Health

How Work Is Messing Up Your Sleep



MORE NEWS
By Nancy Shute
People working more than one job or working more than 40 hours a week are sleeping less than most. Divorced and separated people are short on sleep, too, while working the night shift can wreck your sleep habits and hurt your health.
Health Care

Physicians' Group Advocates for the Affordable Care Act


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Phillip Martin
Doctors for America, which filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, has 15,000 members of various political persuasions who all support President Barack Obama's health care law, the group's co-founder says.
Health Care

Commonwealth Care: Immigration, Insurance and Independence


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Cristina Quinn
The scenario is daunting enough: a hard-working man, an immigrant, diagnosed with cancer. But when he is bounced back and forth by insurance, cancer is just part of his struggle.
Health Care

One WGBH Journalist's Health Care Journey


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
VIEW: UPHOLD THE MANDATE
VIEW: OVERTURN THE MANDATE
By Ibby Caputo
At the age of 26, WGBH News' Ibby Caputo was diagnosed with leukemia. She needed expensive treatment — and qualified for MassHealth. It made her ask: whose lives matter, and at what cost?
Health Care

Mass. Ranks above Average on Medication Adherence


By Sarah Birnbaum
New research shows that Bay State residents are better at sticking to their prescribed drug regimen than most. Still, one-third of the patients with chronic health conditions stop taking their medication within a year.
Health Care

At MGH, Building from the Skeleton of a Heart


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Toni Waterman
Scientists at Mass. General Hospital are working on a technique to strip diseased hearts of their cells and then rebuild them into healthy organs.
Health Care

The Callie Crossley Show Puts Health Care in Focus


SPECIAL COVERAGE
Everyone wants the best treatment when they get sick. But is there such a thing as too much medicine? We examine ethics and costs as part of the show's weeklong special health care coverage.
Health Care

The History Lessons of Health Care


WGBH NEWS FOCUS: HEALTH CARE ON TRIAL
By Phil Redo & Bob Seay
A look at the last century of health care and health insurance through video — including some proposals that seem ideologically unusual today.
WGBH NEWS FOCUS: Health Care on Trial

Changing the Face of Medicine


FOLLOW THE TOUR FOR DIVERSITY IN MEDICINE
By Ibby Caputo
Local doctors are making unique efforts to improve the quality of medical treatment, especially in populations of color — in part by recruiting members of those communities to join the M.D. ranks.
Courts, Crime & Police

What to Listen for in the Health Care Arguments


COMPLETE WGBH COVERAGE
Law professor Renée Landers and WGBH News' Bob Seay preview the week's Supreme Court verbal arguments with a guide to what's at stake.
Health Care

WGBH News Focus: Health Care on Trial


FULL WGBH NEWS COVERAGE
By WGBH News
As we wait for the Supreme Court to hand down its decision on the Affordable Care Act, you can review the issues and arguments from our WGBH News Focus coverage of the case.
Health

Human Genome Research in the Fight Against Cancer


WATCH THE ENTIRE TALK ON FORUM NETWORK
Quackenbush's Book, The Human Genome
The more we understand the human genetic structure, the better our understanding of how cancer occurs, and how we can detect it earlier.
Health Care

Expanded HIV Testing May Come to Mass.


By Sarah Birnbaum & Wires
The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill on Thursday aimed at expanding HIV testing in the state.
Health Care

Organizing Against a Medication 'Gray Market'


By Abbie Ruzicka
The medical community and policymakers are talking about ways to fix the national prescription drug shortage, including making sure private distributors don't hold back drugs to inflate the market.
Health Care

Xconomy Report: More Hope for Hep C


By Xconomy.com
The battle for hepatitis C drug market dominance rages on locally, with Vertex honing its drug Telaprevir and Enanta teaming with Novartis to create a new treatment.
Election 2012

Listen: Brown and Warren's Contraception Ads

By Sarah Birnbaum
Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren are squaring off over politically charged questions of religion, government and contraception. On Thursday, they released dueling radio ads on the issue. Listen to them here. WGBH ELECTION CENTRAL
Mental Health

Advocates Fight State over Mental Hospital Closure


By Abbie Ruzicka
At a Wednesday budget hearing, Southeastern Mass. lawmakers criticized the state's decision to close Taunton State Hospital. The state says closing the facility won't affect services.
Election 2012

Warren Is Surprised Brown Supports 'Extremist' Bill


MORE GREATER BOSTON
By Emily Rooney
Elizabeth Brown objected to rival Scott Brown's support of a bill that would allow employers to not offer health care coverage for any service that goes against their moral beliefs.
Health Care

Drug Shortages Compromise Care, Doctors Say


WGBH NEWS: HOSPITALS FACE SHORTAGES
By Sarah Birnbaum
Hospitals' inability to keep sufficient stores of medication on hand is endangering patients' lives, officials said at a Monday State House hearing.
Government

This Week On Beacon Hill, It's Rx 'N' T


By Sarah Birnbaum & Wires
This week in Massachusetts politics, state lawmakers discuss prescription drug shortages, transit funding and offshore wind farms. 
Xconomy

Xconomy Report: Corporate Eyes Are Watching You


By Xconomy.com
With video conferencing, your competitors can be just as bored as you are: Many video conferences are susceptible to corporate spying, according to Boston software company Rapid7.
Religion

The Church Protests A Federal Birth Control Mandate


By Adam Reilly
The Boston archdiocese's secretary for social services said the White House needs to respect the church's core values.
Health Care

Mass. Group Applauds Course-Reversal On Planned Parenthood

By Jordan Weinstein
The director of the state Komen affiliate hopes local donors will see the impact of its state-level work.
WGBH Local News

An Interview With Paul Cellucci


By Emily Rooney
The former governor talks about how he's feeling three years after being diagnosed with ALS. Watch the full interview online now.
Health Care

Romney Could Be In The Health Care Crosshairs At Debate


EMILY ROONEY: GRUBER ON 'OBAMACARE'
By Frannie Carr
Once his crowning achievement, health care reform has become Mitt Romney’s Achilles heel. 
Election 2012

Romney's First Day In The Oval Office


By WGBH News
Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney is making resolutions not for 2012 but for 2013. In an interview on “The Howie Carr Show,” he discussed his plans for his very first day as president.
Health Care

Hospitals Face Increasing Drug Shortages


By Jared Bowen
There is a strong chance that should you land in an emergency room anywhere in the country, doctors won’t have all the drugs needed to treat you. WGBH News and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting looked at how drug shortages are changing emergency care.
Health Care

State Settles ‘Important’ Medicaid Fraud Claim With Merck


By WGBH News & Wires
Attorney General Martha Coakley said the $24 million settlement sends the message that Massachusetts won't tolerate Medicaid fraud.
Xconomy

Xconomy Report: Treatment For Parkinson's


By Xconomy.com
In this week's top life sciences and innovation news, Michael J. Fox's charity has given a local startup funding to improve Parkinson's treatment.
THIS WEEK ON BEACON HILL

Lawmakers Seek To Lower The Cost Of Health Care


MORE STATE HOUSE COVERAGE BY SARAH BIRNBAUM
By Sarah Birnbaum
Mass. lawmakers are on their holiday recess this week but working behind the scenes on a bill that would change how the state reimburses doctors and hospitals.
Election 2012

'Obamacare' Is 'Romneycare,' Economist Says


By WGBH News
An MIT economist who helped craft President Barack Obama’s affordable care act told WGBH News that like it or not, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is the “hero of national health care reform.”
Boston

Seniors Rally For Social Security


By Cristina Quinn
A crowd of 3000 took center stage at the Wang Theatre to rally against the Congressional supercommittee’s proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Health

Boston Doctors Fit Custom Knee Replacements


MORE GREATER BOSTON
By Toni Waterman

Doctors at Brigham and Women's hospital are practicing a new procedure that allows them to give patients with knee problems customized knee replacements. The new fittings were devised by a Burlington, Mass.-based company.

Health Care

Blue Cross Will Refund Ex-CEO's Payout

By Jess Bidgood
Massachusetts largest health insurer is refunding its customers for the $4.2 million severance payout it gave departing CEO Cleve Killingsworth.
Health

How My Fears Around Pregnancy Evolved As I Got Older



MORE NEWS
By Lateefah Torrence
Lateefah Torrence tells about how she used to fear becoming an unwed and undereducated young black woman politicians loved to berate. But when she met her husband and they started to try getting pregnant, her fears changed.
Boston

Time Running Short For Budget Deal On Beacon Hill

By Sarah Birnbaum
The Massachusetts legislature has until July 1st to hammer out a budget deal. For now, some collective bargaining rights for municipal employees and big cuts to state aid for communities are still up in the air.
WGBH SERIES

Facing Alzheimer's: The Caregivers' Challenge


By Sean Corcoran
The Alzheimer's caregivers’ story is often one of sustained stress, exhaustion and isolation. Rates of depression, poor nutrition and chronic disease among caregivers of Alzheimer's patients are higher than for non-caregivers — and the state has more than 120,000 of those patients. Read and listen to Sean Corcoran's coverage, which won regional Murrow and AP awards.
The Caregivers' Challenge

Facing Alzheimer's: Supporting The Caregivers


FACING ALZHEIMER'S: THE CAREGIVERS' CHALLENGE
By Sean Corcoran
Tracking devices, certain medications and group therapy programs are among the tools available in Massachusetts to support Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers.
The Caregivers' Challenge

Facing Alzheimer's: Art Therapy for Alzheimer's


FACING ALZHEIMER'S: THE CAREGIVERS' CHALLENGE
By Sean Corcoran
Looking at paintings in a museum or singing songs around a piano is not going to stop Alzheimer's as it steals away memories and personality. But around the country, art and music therapy programs are becoming more common for people with memory impairment.
The Caregivers' Challenge

Facing Alzheimer's: Caring Places


FACING ALZHEIMER'S: THE CAREGIVERS' CHALLENGE
By Sean Corcoran
The goal of many people with Alzheimer's disease and their families is to find a way for the person to spend their final days in their home. Oftentimes the burdens associated with the disease makes that impossible, but a new kind of assisted-living home for the memory-impaired offers an alternative to the traditional nursing home.
The Caregivers' Challenge

Facing Alzheimer's: Planning For Loss


FACING ALZHEIMERS: THE CAREGIVERS' CHALLENGE
By Sean Corcoran
The Noonan family knows too well what it's like to watch a loved one die of Alzheimer's: Their mother had it, and passed it on to at least four of her ten children. They say advanced planning, although painful, has been key to helping the family handle the disease.
The Caregivers' Challenge

Facing Alzheimer's: Plight Of The Caregivers


FACING ALZHEIMER'S: THE CAREGIVERS' CHALLENGE
By Sean Corcoran
There are more than 120,000 people with Alzheimer's Disease in Massachusetts. Their caregivers each have stories of sustained stress, isolation and exhaustion -- with higher-than-normal rates of depression and chronic disease. This week, WGBH's Sean Corcoran takes a deep look at the challenges of caregiving.

Boston

In Boston, Surgeons Perform Full Face Transplant

By The Associated Press
Doctors at a Boston hospital have performed a full face transplant on the Connecticut woman who was mauled two years ago by her friend’s pet chimpanzee.
Health Care

At Some Hospitals, Widely Different Costs For Same Services

By Sarah Birnbaum
A new report from the Patrick Administration says big cost variations for the same services at different hospitals are common in Massachusetts. Those costs differences are becoming a central issue as the legislature takes up Gov. Deval Patrick's proposals to control health care costs MIXED REACTIONS TO PATRICK'S HC REFORM BILL
Local Politics

Unions Mobilize As House Considers Collective Bargaining Rights

By Sarah Birnbaum
The Massachusetts House is one day into its deliberations on a controversial budget would give cities and towns the ability to change employee health plans without union approval, and unions are mobilizing to keep it from passing. EARLIER: WIS. UNION SUPPORTERS RALLY AT STATE HOUSE
Health Care

Coakley: Nonprofit Board-Member Pay Unjustified

By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is filing legislation that would allow her to prohibit nonprofits from paying their board members. The move follows the public uproar over generous salaries and severance packages at the state's largest health insurer.  
Health Care

Mass. Health Care Law Turns Five


ROMNEY TAKES FIRST OFFICIAL STEP TOWARD 2012 CANDIDACY
By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts' landmark universal health care law turns five Tuesday. State leaders are celebrating the occasion — and some are using it to point out that it was passed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney, who is now an opponent of national health reform and a possible GOP candidate for president.
Health Care

At Forum, Patrick Stumps For Global Payments

By Sarah Birnbaum
The governor opened a Tuesday forum on health-care costs by calling on lawmakers and health care interest groups to rein in the spiraling costs of health care — and to do so quickly. EARLIER: MIXED REACTION TO PATRICK HEALTH CARE BILL
Health

Why Some States Want Psychologists To Prescribe Antidepressants



MORE NEWS
By Michelle Andrews
Half a dozen states are considering changes in laws that would allow psychologists to prescribe medicines to treat mental illness.
Health Care

Report Offers New Recommendations For End-Of-Life Care


By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts doctors and policy-makers are calling for new guidelines on end-of-life care, specifically calling for doctors to discuss palliative and hospice treatments with their patients.
Business

No Merger For Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts Health Plan


By Jess Bidgood
Two of the state's biggest health insurers have called off talks of a merger.  In an email to staff obtained by WGBH, Tufts Health Plan CEO Jim Roosevelt said a review found it would be "ultimately too complex" to merge with Harvard Pilgrim.
Health Care

Mixed Reaction To Patrick's Health Care Reform Bill


By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is filing a bill Thursday that aims to reduce health care spending by changing the way doctors and hospitals get paid.  Most insurers and health care providers reacting to the bill are positive, but cautious.  
Health Care

Gov. Lays Out Health Care Reform Plan

By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is filing long-awaited legislation that aims to rein in the spiraling costs of health insurance by encouraging health care providers to move to the global payment system, in which doctors would get paid a set amount of money every year for each patient they care for.
Health Care

Advocates Push For Alzheimer's Group On Beacon Hill


EARLIER: VENTURE CAPITAL FUELS ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH
By Sarah Birnbaum
Advocates for Alzheimer's patients and their families are pushing for new legislation that would create a specialized group within the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to coordinate the state’s approach to the disease.  

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