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Administration Stands Firm On Birth Control Coverage

Despite a furious lobbying effort by the Catholic Church, the Obama administration today said it won’t weaken new rules that will require most health insurance plans to offer women prescription contraceptives at no additional out-of-pocket cost. The final version of the rules will give religious-based hospitals, universities, charities, and other organizations whose primary purpose is [...]

Spot Quiz: Name The Health Issue That Affects 1 In 5 Americans

The correct answer is mental illness. Mental illnesses are among the most common health problems facing Americans, with 20 percent of adults having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder. That’s according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That’s 45.9 million people who have to deal with depression, [...]

New Restrictions On Abortion Almost Tied Record Last Year

If it seemed like 2011 was a big year for laws restricting abortion, it was. In fact, according to “Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights In the U.S.,” the 21st annual report compiled by the abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, the 69 laws enacted restricting a woman’s reproductive rights were just one short [...]

Stories About High Health Care Costs Win Prizes

If you’re bugged by cost problems you find in health care, you can draw attention to them (and blow off a little steam) by writing about them. And if you’re really lucky your work might help change things. Who knows? You might even make a little cash. Essays from four people just won them $1,000 [...]

Many Older Women May Not Need Frequent Bone Scans

The bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis is a big problem for women past menopause. It causes painful spine fractures and broken hips that plunge many women into a final downward spiral. So it seemed to make sense to monitor older women’s bones on a regular basis to see when they need to start taking drugs that [...]

Porn Industry Faces Condom Requirement In Los Angeles

Advocates for the mandatory use of condoms in the production of porn films moved a step closer to victory in Los Angeles. The city council there voted 9-1 in favor of an ordinance that would require use of condoms to protect performers from sexually transmitted diseases. Under the new rule, filmmakers wouldn’t get a permit [...]

Listen Up, Walkers: Watch Out For Traffic When Wearing Headphones

By now we all know that distracted driving can kill you. But a new study suggests that distracted walking can be pretty deadly, too. The study, published online by the journal Injury Prevention, is from researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine who looked at pedestrian accident data from a variety of sources [...]

Obesity Epidemic May Have Peaked In U.S.

The nation’s obesity epidemic appears to have hit a plateau, according to the latest federal data released Tuesday. Obesity soared in the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s, doubling among adults and tripling among children. That raised widespread alarm and debate about the causes and possible solutions. Obesity can increase the risk for diabetes, heart [...]

Helping Oklahomans with Dental Needs

Oklahoma ranks last in the US for the percentage of adults visiting a dentist last year, so dental professionals are stepping up to help.

Seeing Doctors’ Notes Could Help Patients Change Ways

If patients and doctors both have easy access to the notes the doctor takes during their office visits, will it change their behavior? That’s a question that an experiment called OpenNotes aims to answer by letting patients of more than 100 primary care doctors in three states see the notes online. In December, researchers reported [...]