Public Health Issues

HEALTH POLICY

Should Medicare pay for toothpaste and shoes? 
Politico
Rochelle Sharpe
Jim Chadwick listened with disbelief to the nurse and caseworker sitting in his living room.
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Recession Drives More People to Barter For Healthcare 
Kaiser Health News
Rochelle Sharpe
With no health insurance and little money, Gilberto Carrasco, a Reno, Nev., auto mechanic, didn’t see much point in getting a physical.
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MEDICAL TREATMENTS

No, your iPhone will not cure your acne
The Washington Post
Rochelle Sharpe
Many health apps are based on flimsy science at best, and they often do not work
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Painkiller: How a Drug Approved By the FDA Turned Into a Lethal Failure
The Wall Street Journal
Rochelle Sharpe
Despite Early Doubts, Duract Carried a Mild Warning; Then, Some Patients Died — `A Lot of
Wishful Thinking’
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Over-The-Counter Drugs: A Prescription For Confusion
Connecticut Health Investigative Team
Rochelle Sharpe
At Able Care Pharmacy & Medical Supplies in Enfield, Ashraf Moustafa often tries to avert
disasters involving drugs displayed on his store’s shelves.
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Doctors Misdiagnose 1 in 10 Patients – Here’s How to Protect Yourself
Prevention Magazine
Rochelle Sharpe
Denise Cornwell had felt the lumps for years.
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The 20 Most Life-Changing Medical Breakthroughs Of 2017
Prevention Magazine
Rochelle Sharpe
Research scientists around the world have been working on new medical
treatments that will improve millions of lives.
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Staking Claims: One Effect of a Law On Diet Supplements Is Leaner Regulation
The Wall Street Journal
Rochelle Sharpe
With Web Site, Smart Ads And Supplier, One Man Scores on a `Stud Pill’ — Five Cops vs. 20,000
Products
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Drugs: Look-Alike Names Lead to Drug Mix-Ups
The Wall Street Journal
Rochelle Sharpe
Drug names can be hazardous to your health — and to pharmaceutical companies, too.
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Viagra’s Success Spotlights the Dark Side of Sex
The Wall Street Journal
Nancy Ann Jeffrey and Rochelle Sharpe
As a million men have rushed to take the impotence pill Viagra in its just nine weeks on the
market, the biggest drug craze since Prozac is spotlighting a new medical risk:

MEDICAL TESTING

Forty percent of Medicare spending on common cancer screenings unnecessary, probe
suggests
The Huffington Post
Rochelle Sharpe and Elizabeth Lucas
iWatch News investigation documents $1.9 billion in wasted federal health care expenditures
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Heart testing bill signed by Perry required unnecessary tests, critics charge
The Center for Public Integrity
Rochelle Sharpe
Texas governor is harsh critic of Obamacare, but Lone Star state among nation’s leaders in
health insurance mandates
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Early Pregnancy Blood Test Reducing Need for Amniocentesis
Connecticut Health Investigative Team
Rochelle Sharpe
A simple blood test is transforming the world of prenatal screening, offering women a risk-free
way to learn about fetal abnormalities early in pregnancy.
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MENTAL HEALTH

The Virtual Couch
Business Week
Rochelle Sharpe
The Web brings treatment to those who can’t – or won’t – set foot in an analyst’s office
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Women’s Longevity Falling in Some Parts of U.S., Stress May Be Factor
Connecticut Health Investigative Team
Rochelle Sharpe
It’s one of the most disturbing trends in American health: women’s life spans are shrinking in
many parts of the U.S., and no one knows why.
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Suicide at MIT raises parents’ ire
USA TODAY
Rochelle Sharpe
The day before Elizabeth Shin set herself on fire, her parents drove through a spring
snowstorm to see her at MIT.
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The Bomb: Hiroshima survivors still suffer
Gannett News Service
Rochelle Sharpe
The mushroom cloud was a memory, the dead cremated long ago.
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