Why this UW doctor wants colleagues to ask patients if they are lonely Medical professionals have started noting that isolation and loneliness are increasingly factors in health care, alongside smoking or exercise. One Seattle doctor urges his colleagues to ask their patients about it. Patricia Murphy
Health insurers cover fewer drugs and make them harder to get Insurance companies are covering fewer drugs than they used to, and patients have to jump through more hoops to get many of them. When shopping for insurance, check for coverage of the drugs you need. Sydney Lupkin
Drug companies will pay penalties for hiking prescription rates The penalties are part of the Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act. It requires drug companies to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation.
Supreme Court allows Idaho to offer emergency medical abortions The decision brings abortion back into the political limelight as a major controversy, just months before the presidential election. Nina Totenberg
Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal Virtuosic pianist and composer Beethoven suffered from several debilitating ailments. A new study suggests lead poisoning may be at least partly to blame. Ari Daniel
U.S. is seeing increased risk of dengue infections, health officials warn The CDC warns of increased risk of dengue in the U.S. This been a record-breaking year for cases of this mosquito-borne virus in Central and South America, with more than 9 million cases reported. Pien Huang
Insurance covers fewer drugs than in 2010 and they're harder to get Insurance companies are covering fewer drugs than they did in 2010, and they’re making patients jump through more hoops and pay more money to get them. A report from GoodRx documents the issues. Sydney Lupkin
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on gun violence, social media U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has released an advisory this week declaring gun violence a public health crisis and called for a warning label on social media platforms to try to protect young people.
More than 60 ice cream products recalled over possible listeria contamination The Food and Drug Administration says more than 60 products made by Totally Cool Inc. of Owings Mills, Md., are part of the recall, including brands such as Hershey's, Friendly's, Chipwich and Jeni's. Joe Hernandez
Birth control prescriptions are down in states with abortion bans A study finds sharp drops in prescriptions for birth control and emergency contraception in states like Texas that implemented highly restrictive bans after the Supreme Court upended abortion rights. Elissa Nadworny
