The Columbian

Health Wire

Group of Tri-Cities moms work to break the stigma of homelessness — 1 meal at a time

July 2, 2023, 6:00am Health

It’s hard to relax when someone is experiencing homelessness. The stress and stigma of being unhoused compound health issues and make it harder for people to address the challenges they’re facing. Read story

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass looks on at a news conference following a tour and roundtable discussion at an Asian American Drug Abuse Program facility on May 31, 2023, in Los Angeles.

HHS has limited options as millions lose Medicaid

July 2, 2023, 6:00am Health

States are disenrolling residents from Medicaid at a breakneck pace, even though a large percentage of those losing coverage are still eligible for the program. Read story

Malpractice lawsuits over denied abortion care may be on the horizon

July 1, 2023, 6:02am Health

A year after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, many physicians and hospitals in the states that have restricted abortion reportedly are refusing to end the pregnancies of women facing health-threatening complications out of fear they might face criminal prosecution or loss of their medical license. Read story

FILE - Packaging for AbbVie's drug, Humira, is photographed in Houston on July 18, 2014. Patients who take the autoimmune disease treatment may see some price relief when several lower-cost, biosimilar versions of the AbbVie drug reach the U.S. market in July 2023. (AP Photo/David J.

Cheaper competition for Humira is hitting the market, but savings will depend on your insurance

June 30, 2023, 7:29am Business

Patients who take the autoimmune disease treatment Humira may see some price relief when several lower-cost, biosimilar versions of the AbbVie drug reach the U.S. market in July. Read story

FILE - Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing on oversight of the credit reporting agencies at Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2023. A group of Democratic senators is asking the nation's consumer finance watchdog to take action against medical credit cards such as CareCredit, saying use of these cards can result in patients paying much more for their medical care than they should.

Medical credit cards may lead patients to overpay for their health care, Democrats warn

June 30, 2023, 7:28am Business

A group of Democratic senators is asking the nation’s consumer finance watchdog to take action against medical credit cards such as CareCredit, saying use of these cards can result in patients paying much more for their medical care than they should. Read story

Tacoma-based health giant MultiCare announces layoffs amid continuing multimillion-dollar losses

June 29, 2023, 5:54pm Health

Tacoma-based MultiCare on Thursday announced layoffs affecting more than 200 of its workers in the health system. Read story

FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells. Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended Thursday, June 29, 2023.

Older Americans can get RSV vaccine this fall after speaking with their doctor, CDC says

June 29, 2023, 7:34am Health

Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended Thursday. Read story

FILE - Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a press conference to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain, June 23, 2023 in Washington. The Justice Department has charged dozens of people in several healthcare fraud and prescription drug schemes, including a massive scheme totaling nearly $1.9 billion and a doctor accused of ordering leg braces for patients who had their limbs amputated, officials said Wednesday.

Dozens in 16 states charged with health care fraud schemes, including $1.9B in bogus claims

June 28, 2023, 1:44pm Health

The Justice Department has charged dozens of people in several health care fraud and prescription drug schemes, including one totaling $1.9 billion and a doctor accused of ordering fake ankle braces for a patient whose leg had been amputated, officials said Wednesday. Read story

FILE - The town of Libby Mont., is shown Feb. 17, 2010. A major U.S. railroad found partially liable for asbestos contamination that's killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren't sick.

Railroad says Superfund town’s health clinic submitted false medical claims

June 28, 2023, 9:50am Business

A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick, earning them lifetime government benefits and bilking taxpayer funds. Read story