If you get health insurance through your job, heads up — it’s open enrollment time. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, it’s even more important than usual that workers pay attention to what their health insurance plan will look …
Policy & Industry
7 Tips for California: How to Make Legalizing Marijuana Smart
However residents of California vote next week on Prop 19, the state’s marijuana-legalization initiative, polling among young people shows that they overwhelmingly favor a change in marijuana law — so it’s likely that the …
Bullish or Bearish on Prop 19? Pegging Marijuana Legalization to Market Indicators
After the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified and the National Prohibition Act to enforce it passed Congress in 1919 — over a veto by President Woodrow — Americans believed they would be stuck forever with …
The Problem With Drop-Side Cribs: More Than 40,000 Recalled
Ethan Allen, Angel Line and Victory Land Heritage Collection have recalled a total of 40,650 cribs, all 3-in-1 convertible models that are also referred to as drop-side cribs. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) …
After 5 Deaths, Recalls From Texas Food Processing Plant
Texas health officials closed the SanGar Produce & Processing Co. plant in San Antonio and recalled all sealed packages of fresh cut fruits and vegetables that had been shipped from the plant and distributed to restaurants, …
A Researcher’s Claim: 90% of Medical Research Is Wrong
Are 90% of all medical studies wrong — including nearly half of those claimed to be the most reliable? That’s the provocative claim made by researcher John Ioannidis, profiled in this month’s issue of The Atlantic.
An Insurer Aims to Put Your Oncologist on a Budget
An oncologist who administers chemotherapy drugs in his office has a business plan a little like a general contractor who renovates your house. These doctors buy drugs from manufacturers are wholesale prices, tack on a little …
Graco Recalls 2 Million Strollers After Infant Deaths
The Graco Children’s Products, Inc., is voluntarily recalling 2 million older models of Quattro Tour and MetroLite strollers after receiving reports of four infants who strangled to death between 2003 and 2005. The U.S. …
What Is Causing that Musty Smell in Recalled Pills?
For the third time this year, a common medication has been recalled for a musty or mildew-like smell emanating from bottles. On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson issued yet another voluntary recall — of adult Tylenol 8-Hour caplets …
FDA Clears One Egg Farm to Resume Sales to Consumers
On Oct. 18, Hillandale Farms in Hampton, Iowa, sent its first batch of fresh eggs to market since the massive Iowa egg recall in August, during which 1,600 people fell ill and a total of 550 million eggs were pulled from shelves …
Investigation Shows Drug Companies Pay Bad Doctors Big Bucks to Consult
In a sweeping investigation of doctors paid by leading pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs, the nonprofit ProPublica has found that hundreds have been accused of professional misconduct, lacked credentials or have …
It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 17-23), So Talk to Your Kids
Car accidents are the leading cause of death among teens — 16-to-19-year-olds are four times more likely to be in a fatal car crash than 25-to-69-year-olds — so it makes sense to devote a week to a national discussion about …
FDA Admits It Was Wrong to Approve a Knee Treatment
In an unprecedented move, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) admitted Thursday that it had made a mistake in approving a medical device against the repeated objections of its own scientific reviewers. The agency announced it …