Health Care Archives

Social Justice

A Major Loophole in the Health-Care Transparency Law: Nurses Don’t Need to Report Their Dealings With Drug Companies

New data on drug and device company payments to doctors largely excludes nurse practitioners and physician assistants, though they play an ever-larger role in health care. One advanced-practice nurse pleaded guilty last month to taking drug company kickbacks.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

Who’s Reading Your Medical Data?

An early look at a Pacific Standard story that's currently only available to subscribers.

Pacific Standard Staff

Social Justice

Fraud Still Plagues Medicare’s Prescription Drug Program

Medicare has increased oversight of its prescription drug program but many holes remain, allowing fraud and abuse to proliferate. Questionable practices were found at 1,400 pharmacies, which collectively billed Medicare $2.3 billion in 2014.

Charles Ornstein

News in Brief

Last Week’s Supreme Court Rulings Are an Opportunity for Republicans

How Republicans can move past issues that are dangerous to their party.

Seth Masket

Social Justice

How Unauthorized Immigrants Support Legal Users of Medicare

A new study finds unauthorized immigrants create a huge surplus in Medicare by contributing to payroll taxes, but not withdrawing benefits.

Francie Diep

Social Justice

One Nation, Under Sedation

Congress wouldn’t allow Medicare to pay for benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Ativan until 2013. Now, the medications are among the most prescribed in its drug program.

Charles Ornstein & Ryann Grochowski Jones

Social Justice

Are MRIs Leaving Toxic Traces in the Brain?

Researchers raise alarms about unknown health risks of GE’s Omniscan and Bayer’s Magnevist, drugs injected to get better MRI pictures that contain the heavy metal gadolinium.

Jeff Gerth