When President Donald Trump signed the last-minute budget deal into law earlier this year, the news coverage emphasized how the bill boosted military funding, provided tens of billions in disaster aid and raised the debt ceiling. But buried deep in the 652-page legislation was a repeal of a limit on Medicare coverage of physical and occupational therapy.…
Health Law Coverage Has Helped Many Chronically Ill — But Has Still Left Gaps
As President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress devise a plan to replace the 2010 health law, new research suggests a key component of the law helped people with chronic disease get access to health care — though, the paper notes, it still fell short in meeting their medical needs. Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine…
Even In Trump Country, Rural Hospitals Brace For Damage From Health Law’s Repeal
Judy Keller, 69, has always relied on Highlands Hospital for medical care, just as her parents did before her. When she walks through the halls, she recognizes faces from the community and even from her days working as a school teacher. The 64-bed facility, she says, is a mainstay of this rural Southwest Pennsylvania town.…
As Marijuana Moves To Medicine Cabinet, Physicians Face Knowledge Gap
Medical marijuana has been legal in Maine for almost 20 years. But Farmington physician Jean Antonucci says she continues to feel unprepared when counseling sick patients about whether the drug could benefit them. Will it help my glaucoma? Or my chronic pain? My chemotherapy’s making me nauseous, and nothing’s helped. Is cannabis the solution? Patients…