(2019-05-20). Private Equity is a Driving Force Behind Devious Surprise Billings. counterpunch.org Surprise medical bills are in the news almost daily. Last Thursday, the White House called for legislation to protect patients from getting surprise doctor bills when they are rushed to the emergency room and receive care from doctors not covered by insurance at an in-network hospital. The financial burden on patients can be substantial — these doctor More
(2019-05-20). Ebola confirmed in a city of more than 1 million in Congo. peoplesworld.org 
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The global health community gulped Thursday with the announcement that a case of Ebola had been confirmed in a city of more than 1 million in Congo, bringing the latest outbreak of the often deadly hemorrhagic fever out of remote rural areas. "Confirmation of urban #Ebola in #DRC is a game changer …
(2019-05-20). The Creepy New Addition to McDonald's Menu. truthdig.com The great thing about corporate giants is that they're such amazing business innovators. For example, in the category of "wheel-spinning" innovation — i.e., trying to change a corporation's course without actually changing anything — it's hard to top McDonald's. | For several years, the fast-food chain has been losing customers to younger chains with healthier, more stylish offerings. So CEO Steve Easterbrook has tried to recoup the losses with PR tricks, such as calling the menu "healthy" and "fresh." But McNugg…
(2019-05-20). How Poor Oversight and Fraud in Generic Drug Industry Threatens Patients' Health. truthout.org Generic drugs amount to 90% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S., most of them made in plants in India and China. Generic drugs can be more affordable, but in her new explosive book Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, investigative journalist Katherine Eban works with two industry whistleblowers to expose how some manufacturers are cutting corners at the cost of quality and safety. This comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just issued its own update on the state of pharmaceutical quality that found the drug quality of factories in India and China scored below the world avera…
(2019-05-20). Reproductive rights and abortion bans prompt nationwide marches, protests. peoplesworld.org 
(2019-05-20). Bottle of Lies: How Poor FDA Oversight & Fraud in Generic Drug Industry Threaten Patients' Health. democracynow.org 
Generic drugs amount to 90% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S., most of them made in plants in India and China. Generic drugs can be more affordable, but in her new explosive book "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom," investigative journalist Katherine Eban works with two industry whistleblowers to expose how some manufacturers are cutting corners at the cost of quality and safety. This comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just issued its own update on the state of pharmaceutical quality that found the drug quality of factories in India and China scored below the world averag…
(2019-05-19). Promoting 'a healthy sustainable future', the UN health agency engages young and young at heart to 'Walk the Talk'. un.org Celebrating the importance of fitness, on Sunday morning in the Swiss city of Geneva, the United Nations health agency kicked off its second "Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge".
(2019-05-18). The epidemic of e-cigarettes: Judge rules FDA must implements regulations, sides with public health groups. nationofchange.org An increase of underage vaping has created an epidemic of e-cigarette use by teens. Without any warning or information about e-cigarettes, the FDA have given manufacturers a free pass to sell and market "these harmful products" a lawsuit filed by several public health groups said. | On Wednesday, a federal judge sided with the groups behind the lawsuit requiring the Food and Drug Administration was responsible for regulating e-cigarettes and cigars much sooner than the agency planned. The lawsuit, which was filed by the AAP, its Maryland Chapter, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart As…
(2019-05-18). UN blue helmets in South Sudan use Sustainable Development Goals to help build peace. un.org The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has concluded the week by harnessing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to support the nation, including by offering free medical services, encompassing SDG 3's target on health coverage.
(2019-05-17). Health Insurance Abuses Continue in Spite of ACA — RAI with Wendell Potter (5/7). therealnews.com 
We revisit Wendell Potter's whistleblowing testimony that exposed how the insurance industry is more interested in pleasing Wall Street than in people's care, and asked him if these abuses continued after the passing of the ACA—Wendell Potter on Reality Asserts Itself, hosted by Paul Jay…
(2019-05-17). Workers in Finland resist attack on health care system. workers.org 
The author is vice chair of the Communist League (Finland). Workers World requested he write this article for U.S. readers because its central issue, the health care system, is an important issue in the United States. Helsinki — In Finland the right-wing government resigned in April this year, only a . . . | Continue reading Workers in Finland resist attack on health care system at Workers.org
(2019-05-17). Chelsea Manning Back in Prison After Refusing to Testify. therealnews.com 
Freed eight days ago, Manning was subpoenaed before a new grand jury investigating Assange. Despite grave danger to her health, she refused to testify, saying she would rather die in prison than change her principles…
(2019-05-17). Ocasio-Cortez lays into drug company CEO, telling him to his face that his greed is killing people. thecanary.co 
US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has railed against the CEO of a drug company and by extension the private healthcare industry. She argued that health is treated like a com…
(2019-05-16). GOP-Led Efforts to Crush Unions Have a New Target: Home Health Care Workers. theintercept.com Five states are suing the Trump administration for a rule that would impede home care workers' ability to deduct union fees from Medicaid-funded paychecks.
(2019-05-16). Thursday's Daily Brief: Ebola in DR Congo, malnutrition in Laos, baby health, support for Sahel force, #ClimateAction. un.org On Thursday, we cover: more support needed for Sahel force, fears in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as Ebola response funding dwindles; food and nutrition concerns in Laos; an update on low birthweight babies across the world; and the UN chief's trip for climate action in the Pacific continues.
(2019-05-15). Wednesday's Daily Brief: climate challenges for the Pacific, new global health tool, updates on Yemen, the Gulf and Somalia. un.org This Wednesday, top stories includes: the UN chief's continued visit in the Pacific to raise awareness on the impacts of climate change; in Yemen, the fatal price that children are paying due to a conflict they did not cause; a new tool to track medical products worldwide; drought in Somalia; and updates on tensions in the Gulf.
(2019-05-15). Countries must up their game to reduce low birth weights, warns UN-backed report. un.org Many countries need to invest more and take greater action to reduce the number of babies born with low birth weights which put their health at risk, urges a United Nations-backed report released on Wednesday.
(2019-05-15). China Delivers 71 Tons of Medical Aid to Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com "With this second shipment, as well as that which we already received from the Russian Federation, the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent some 166 tons of medicines and supplies have arrived in the country," Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said.
(2019-05-07). SPLC Action Fund: SB 108 puts bail bond industry before low-income Louisianans. splcenter.org The Louisiana House Insurance Committee today voted in favor of Senate Bill 108, which would absolve bail bond companies from having to refund as much as $6 million overcharged to approximately 50,000 New Orleans families after the commissioner of insurance found that the companies systematically overcharged people for the last 14 years.
(2019-05-07). America in denial: Gabor Maté on the psychology of Russiagate (Interview transcript). thegrayzone.com Physician, mental health expert, and best-selling author Dr. Gabor Maté sits down with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté to analyze how…
(2019-05-06). Federal judge orders reforms to prevent suicides in Alabama prisons. splcenter.org Nearly two years after a federal judge deemed mental health care for Alabama's prisoners "horrendously inadequate," the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is again the subject of a scathing court order in the SPLC's long-running Eighth Amendment case against the department.
(2019-04-04). How My Republican Parents Convinced Me the U.S. Needs Single-Payer Healthcare. millennialpolitics.co What my Republican parents inadvertently taught me was that a single-payer setup really isn't worse than our current system of healthcare in the United States.
(2019-03-31). These Democrats Represent Some of the Bluest Districts. So Why Don't They Support Medicare for All? millennialpolitics.co 
Medicare for All is more popular than ever, with even a majority of Republican voters supporting the policy. Tell the Democrats in deep blue districts.
(2019-03-15). Diane Archer on Medicare for All. fair.org 
Media…