Cecilia Ramirez is worried about her weight and troubling symptoms that hint of diabetes, but she won’t seek medical help because she can’t afford it. “I don’t go to the doctor when I’m sick — it’s too expensive,” she said. Though she is a sales worker at an insurance agency in Highlandtown, an East Baltimore […]

A new study offers surprising findings about end-of-life care — specifically, physicians tend to be more likely to accommodate the advanced-care wishes of patients with cancer or dementia than renal disease, congestive heart failure, pulmonary disease or frailty. “There’s been a lot of focus on end-of-life care for cancer,” said Melissa Wachterman, the study’s principal […]

Steve Diaz, an emergency medicine doctor at Augusta’s MaineGeneral Health, says he knows what patients want when they come to him in pain. Drugs. And preferably strong ones. “The only thing they think of is, ‘Do I get a pill?’” he said. And with abuse of prescription painkillers like OxyContin, methadone and Percocet soaring, the […]

When we hear the phrase “digital health,” we might think about our Fitbit, the healthy eating app on our smartphone, or maybe a new way to email our doctor. But Fitbits aren’t particularly useful if you’re homeless, and the nutrition app won’t mean much to someone who struggles to pay for groceries. Same for emailing […]

A large majority of Americans want the federal government to increase funding to prevent Zika’s spread in the U.S. and also help women at risk in affected areas get access to abortion, contraception and family planning services, according to a poll released Thursday. The virus, which has reached epidemic levels in Latin America and the Caribbean […]

With an initiative to legalize marijuana in California likely heading to the November ballot, medical providers, health care experts and industry groups are sharply divided over the controversial measure. It is already legal in California to use cannabis with a doctor’s prescription. The Adult Use of Marijuana Act would allow adults 21 years and older […]

The phenomenon of stem cell tourism has been associated with travel to exotic locations such as China, Argentina or Mexico, where commercial clinics offer high hopes, expectations and — sometimes — the idea of miracle treatments for diseases ranging from muscular dystrophy to spinal cord injury, with little accountability. However, research out June 30 suggests the […]

After legal battles and lobbying efforts, tens of thousands of people with hepatitis C are gaining earlier access to expensive drugs that can cure this condition. States that limited access to the medications out of concern over sky-high prices have begun to lift those restrictions — many, under the threat of legal action. And commercial […]

As the ancient Chinese proverb says, from crisis comes opportunity. That is certainly true for Garen Wintemute, a leading gun-violence researcher and emergency room doctor who finds “teaching moments” in the grief-filled days and weeks following mass shootings in America. He is using a window of opportunity recently opened by the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., […]