Insights

Canine therapy, in which patients socialize with dogs to promote healing and well-being, is a well-accepted practice in medicine today. It has been shown to help people suffering from heart failure, post-traumatic stress disorder and — for those like me — cancer.

Unlike hip and knee replacements, pacemakers generally come with warranties. While this might relieve you if you have device problems, companies can still argue about what a warranty covers and patients can end up in court.

Here's a post I edited for my blog, WellBeeFile, addressing a question I hadn't seen this asked in the media: how will the Affordable Care Act affect divorced women, who often struggle financially? I ran the question by Washington State social and health researcher Bridget Lavelle.

The Consumers Union is making a push for warranties on hip and knee replacements. Is there a reasonable expectation that a certain percentage of any product will fail and do consumers have a right to get a new one as a result?

New research says that a lack of time is in some ways like a lack of money: both are instances of scarcity that can have adverse effects on how our brains work.

Two new health editor positions available in New York and Washington, D.C.

As the Health Insurance Marketplace launched Tuesday, the news media focused on computer glitches and long wait times.  But there’s one population that didn’t have the opportunity to join the fray – those wanting to sign up in Spanish.

Dr. Julie Park, a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction following cancer surgery, worries too many women rashly decide to remove both breasts. This trend now includes women, like actress Angelina Jolie, who haven't even been diagnosed, but are genetically predisposed to the disease.

Professor Holly Tuokko, the Director for the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria says, “Evidence shows that seniors of today are not the seniors of yesterday. People are aging healthier.” And studies are beginning to show that. You can read more of this article in the Vancouver Sun.

Our all-star panel, including Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post and Peggy Girshman of Kaiser Health News, discuss via webcast key issues journalists need to know about covering the Affordable Care Act implementation.