Health

Biking for cancer research is uphill climb

Opinion

Biking for cancer research is uphill climb

Shouldn't we also focus on stopping carcinogens at the source

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I RODE FOR THE FIRST TIME in the Pan Mass Challenge fundraiser for cancer research this year.  The weather was perfect, and it was a glorious experience.  Thousands lined the roads to cheer and thank us.  Many held signs indicating that they survived cancer, or held up photos of loved ones who did not. During(...)

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Deregulated health care not the answer

Summer 2017

Deregulated health care not the answer

Medical capitalism works for investors, not patients

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THE UNITED STATES has by far the most expensive health care system in the world. We spent $3.35 trillion, almost 18 percent of GDP and more than $10,000 per person, on health costs last year. The next highest country, Switzerland, spends approximately $7,000 per capita. France, Canada, Australia, and the UK spend about half of(...)

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Health payment disparity affects labor talks

Opinion

Health payment disparity affects labor talks

Tufts says it can’t match better-paid competitors on nurses pay

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THE US SENATE on Tuesday delayed debate on its version of changes to the Affordable Care Act. No one knows exactly what the future holds for health care, but Gov. Charlie Baker estimates the Senate’s version of the bill would cost Massachusetts $1.7 billion annually by 2024. To say the least, these are challenging times(...)

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What your pharmacist can’t tell you

Opinion

What your pharmacist can’t tell you

Drugs often cheaper without using insurance

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I’VE BEEN AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACIST for 37 years and during that time I have gotten to know many patients. In some cases, I know quite a bit about their families, their medical histories, and much more.  Often, they come to me for advice on their medications and how to reduce costs and I’m happy to(...)

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Raise the tobacco sales age to 21

Opinion

Raise the tobacco sales age to 21

End the patchwork policies, save lives and money

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MANY PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN that tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Massachusetts and across the country, despite the strides we have made in reducing cigarette smoking over the past few decades. Treating tobacco-caused illnesses adds up to $4 billion in annual healthcare costs in Massachusetts. This(...)

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Death of a cancer lab

Spring 2017

Death of a cancer lab

Once-thriving publicly funded research program driven into bankruptcy by questionable characters

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FEW PLACES HAVE the resources and brain power to match Boston when it comes to biomedical research, including the search for effective ways to treat and prevent cancer. Internationally renowned hospitals, combined with some of the leading universities in the world, make the region a magnet for top researchers and the funding that fuels their(...)

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Health panel finds some common ground

Health panel finds some common ground

Draft plan calls for rate floor for community hospitals

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER SIX MONTHS OF SEEKING WAYS to address the variation in prices charged by Massachusetts medical providers, officials plan to recommend a host of solutions including a rate floor for lower-paid community hospitals, regulation of rate growth, and protections against out-of-network charges, according to a draft proposal. The recommendations are made(...)

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Mass. = primary care doctor desert

Opinion

Mass. = primary care doctor desert

41% of state has little to no access to physicians

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MASSACHUSETTS IS ARGUABLY home to the best hospitals, doctors, and medical research institutions in the world. The best and brightest attend our medical schools and many will subsequently live and practice in the Commonwealth. Yet, when it comes to the foundation of our healthcare system, our primary care physicians, Massachusetts has an overlooked and worsening(...)

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Repealing Obamacare won’t fix health care

Opinion

Repealing Obamacare won’t fix health care

Medical, insurance bureaucracy will still remain a mess

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“ALL BUREAUCRACIES, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, are the same” is a motto I have lived by for years, and it applies to the health care and health insurance bureaucracies. I purchase a full price individual health insurance policy on the Massachusetts Health Connector, and previously purchased an individual policy before the implementation of Obamacare. It is(...)

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Good health goes beyond health care

Opinion

Good health goes beyond health care

Social needs, like food and housing, must be addressed

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WITH MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION Massachusetts residents covered by MassHealth at a cost of more than $15 billion, there is no doubt that Massachusetts is committed to ensuring that care is within reach for those who need it. The question now is how to ensure that this funding is effectively used to improve health and(...)

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