"Secret Shopper" Study Finds Dentists Unwilling to Help Kids on Medicaid

Nice to know the world didn't end over the weekend! Here's what we're checking out today.

Medicaid: A "secret shopper" study finds that many dentists are unwilling to provide emergency dental treatment to kids with low-paying Medicaid insurance, Jane E. Allen reports for ABC News. Graduate students posed as mothers seeking emergency visits for their children in the University of Chicago study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics.

Joplin Tornado: The hospital in tornado-ravaged Joplin took a direct hit but is still standing, unlike most of the Missouri town. CNN details what happened to its patients. 

California health: Health advocates are gearing up for a tough fight to reverse tough proposed budget cuts for California programs for frail seniors and disabled people, Sandy Kleffman reports for the Contra Costa Times.  

Children's Health: New research shows that the number of kids with developmental disabilities has risen 17% in 12 years. The increase has been spurred largely by more diagnoses for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Liz Szabo reports for USA Today.

Patient Safety: Doctors testing their own medical devices on patients raises a host of troubling conflict-of-interest and patient safety issues, Deborah L. Shelton and Jason Grotto report in a Chicago Tribune investigation.

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Photo credit: Jeremy Miles via Flickr