Health insurance has gotten slightly more expensive during the pandemic: A new survey shows that annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4%, to an average of $22,221 this year. Of that amount, employees paid an average of nearly $6,000 toward the cost of coverage, while employers paid the remainder of the premium. But… read on > read on >
Since 1971, when the U.S. government made defeating cancer a goal and put major funding behind it, death rates for many cancers have plummeted, but some are increasing, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Death rates for all cancers combined have declined since passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, according to… read on > read on >
In a finding that suggests a family’s income influences parents’ views on COVID vaccines for their younger kids, a new survey shows the more money parents make, the likelier they are to get their kids a shot. The poll of more than 2,000 parents found that 47% of those with annual incomes of $100,000 or… read on > read on >
Call it the great pandemic sit-down. As COVID-19 turned daily commutes into shuffles between rooms at home, and Netflix replaced time spent at the gym or playing sports, Americans have been sitting a lot more. Now a new study suggests it may be putting their mental health at risk. “We knew COVID was going to… read on > read on >
Male doctors are much more likely to refer patients to male surgeons, rather than send them to female surgeons with equal qualifications and experience, a new study finds. “During my 20 years in practice, I always had the sense it was easier for my male surgical colleagues to get referrals than it was for me,… read on > read on >
About 900,000 U.S. children aged 5 to 11 received their initial dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine during the first week of eligibility for that age group, the Biden administration said Wednesday. Not only that, nearly 700,000 more are scheduled in the coming days, health officials added. The low-dose Pfizer vaccine for younger children was approved… read on > read on >
If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to know whether it should follow through on its proposed menthol cigarette ban, it need only look to Canada for an answer. A new study finds that Canada’s ban on menthol cigarettes seemed to drive more smokers to quit, with overall cigarette sales dipping after the law… read on > read on >
Illustrating the power of the mind to heal itself, new research suggests that the placebo effect could help drive antidepressants’ effects against anxiety disorders. The placebo effect refers to an increase in the success of a treatment when a patient expects a benefit. In the new study, patients with social anxieties who were assured that… read on > read on >
As concerns mount that holiday travel and indoor gatherings will foster the spread of COVID-19, Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve booster shots of its coronavirus vaccine for any American aged 18 and older. With its application, the company included early results of a study that involved 10,000 people.… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic has offered some lessons on respiratory disease transmission, and now a new review suggests that hospitals could use those insights to create even smarter infection-control policies. The review, published Nov. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that some longstanding infection-control tactics at hospitals are “outdated.” And certain changes, like greater… read on > read on >
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