Ankita Rao

Integrating Yoga Into Medical Practice – It’s More Than ‘Just Relaxation Response’

KFF Health News Original

Rajan Narayanan isn’t your average yoga instructor. During his classes, he uses words like “neuroplasticity,”avoids Sanskrit terms and sometimes shows up to teach in a suit and tie. And often, like on this particular Monday at a Maryland conference center, most of his students are physicians and nurses. Stretched out on orange and green yoga mats […]

New Rule Gives Patients Direct Access To Their Lab Reports

KFF Health News Original

Calling your doctor to get lab results might be a thing of the past: a new federal rule will allow patients to have direct access to their completed laboratory reports. The regulation was announced Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services. It amends privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act […]

More Shoppers, Including Young Ones, Showing Up At Health Exchanges

KFF Health News Original

The road to enrolling Americans in the online health exchanges has been fraught with glitches and a rich source of political fodder. But a new survey says there are signs of improvement. Seventeen percent of people potentially eligible for coverage visited the marketplaces when they opened in October, according to a survey  of 622 people conducted […]

Does Knowing Medical Prices Save Money? CalPERS Experiment Says Yes

KFF Health News Original

The fact that the cost of a hip replacement can ring up as $15,000 or $100,000 — depending on the hospital — makes a lot of people uncomfortable. But that’s only if they know about the wide price tag variations. In an effort to raise awareness and rein in what can seem like the Wild […]

Medical Schools See Record Numbers Of Enrollees

KFF Health News Original

In the face of projected doctor shortages and debate about the future of medicine, a record number of students applied to, and started, medical school this year. About 20,000 students enrolled in medical school in 2013, around 2.8 percent more than the year before, according to the data distributed by the Association of American Medical Colleges […]

Study: Low-Income Californians Want Better Health Care Information

KFF Health News Original

For many low-income Californians, enrolling in health insurance is just one hurdle to overcome in getting the care they want. A new report says better communication with doctors and obtaining clearer information is also high on their wish lists. California is home to nearly 7 million uninsured people – 15 percent of the national total, […]

Some Good News About Saving For Retirement Health Costs

KFF Health News Original

Saving for health care after retirement is less costly than it was just a few years ago thanks to the slowed growth of health care spending. But that’s just part of the picture. A new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that Medicare beneficiaries, who are 65 years or older, would need to […]

Addressing A Dangerous Epidemic: Abuse Of Painkillers And Other Prescription Drugs

KFF Health News Original

About 50 Americans die every day from a prescription drug overdose — a tally that, in most states, turns out to be more than deaths from car accidents. In a new report, “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic,” researchers at the Trust for America’s Health found that rates of overdose and addiction doubled […]

Campaign To Enroll LGBT Community In Health Coverage Launched At White House

KFF Health News Original

The White House hosted a summit on Thursday to promote Out2Enroll – a campaign that began today to connect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to health coverage. The Obama administration and community advocates touted the effort to reach out to those communities about new online health insurance marketplaces, where people can compare insurance […]