As many Americans know, today’s health insurance plans often come with high deductibles. Those out-of-pocket costs could cause harm: New research shows that 20% of people who have diabetes and high-deductible health plans regularly skip their medications. Not keeping up with your diabetes medications comes with the potential risk of an emergency room visit or…  read on >  read on >

Opioid overdose-related visits to U.S. emergency departments rose by nearly one-third during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. That’s the key finding in a new analysis of data from 25 emergency departments in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “COVID-19, and the disruptions in every part of our social and work lives, made…  read on >  read on >

Plenty of seniors may struggle with problem drinking, but a new study shows that less than half of them discuss their alcohol use with their health care providers. “Older adults are at high risk for the harms of alcohol use, especially for those with existing chronic disease and who take prescribed medications,” said lead study…  read on >  read on >

U.S. pharmacists will now be able to automatically substitute a cheaper biosimilar for a more expensive brand-name insulin, the U.S Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. The agency’s approval of an “interchangeable” biosimilar could save diabetics and health plans millions each year, the Associated Press reported. Until now, doctors have had to specifically prescribe a…  read on >  read on >

There’s much Americans may disagree on, but many share one thing in common: chronic pain. More than half of U.S. adults suffer from pain, with backs and legs the most common sources, according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Overall, the investigators found that…  read on >  read on >

Higher levels of testosterone don’t give men or women an edge in life, claims a new study that challenges a common belief. “There’s a widespread belief that a person’s testosterone can affect where they end up in life. Our results suggest that, despite a lot of mythology surrounding testosterone, its social implications may have been…  read on >  read on >