Browsed by
Category: CHC Radio

Expanded Coverage of Weight Loss Drugs? Diabetes Advocates Say Yes

Expanded Coverage of Weight Loss Drugs? Diabetes Advocates Say Yes

Originally published March 28, 2024 Medicare just announced that it will pay for weight loss drugs if patients using them also have heart disease and need to reduce the risk of future heart attacks and strokes. Medicare has already been covering the costs of the GLP-1 class of drugs to treat diabetes problems. However, Medicare Part D plans are still restricted by law from covering obesity medications used for chronic weight management alone. It’s a decision the American Diabetes Association…

Read More Read More

Young Deaths from Colorectal Cancer Skyrocket as New Research Emerges

Young Deaths from Colorectal Cancer Skyrocket as New Research Emerges

The recent death of former college football player Craig Roh from colon cancer at age 33 has brought attention to the “alarming” increase of colorectal cancer in young people. The American Cancer Society reports colon cancer is now the most common cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and second for women under 50. Dr. Alan Venook at the University of California-San Francisco is one of the nation’s leading colorectal cancer researchers. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and…

Read More Read More

Super Sperm Donors – America’s Underground Surrogacy Movement: Author Explains Her Journey

Super Sperm Donors – America’s Underground Surrogacy Movement: Author Explains Her Journey

Originally broadcast on March 14, 2024 The family planning revolution has a new chapter and journalist Valerie Bauman is both documenting it and participating in it. She and others pursuing alternatives say they’re frustrated with fertility clinics because of the cost, what they call the discriminatory nature of the system and the lack of insurance coverage. Bauman explains how she met her sperm donor and why others like her say it makes sense for them. Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret…

Read More Read More

IVF Fallout: Top Biden Health Official Sees Dangers Beyond Reproductive Rights

IVF Fallout: Top Biden Health Official Sees Dangers Beyond Reproductive Rights

Originally broadcast on March 4, 2024 Even as Alabama scrambles to enact a law protecting in vitro fertilization in the state, the Biden-Harris Administration sees additional challenges that legislation may not be able to quickly fix. Carole Johnson leads the Health Resources and Services Administration, the part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department tasked with strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professionals to rural, urban and tribal underserved communities. Johnson explains that some health care providers were…

Read More Read More

Nurses Ask: Where is the respect?

Nurses Ask: Where is the respect?

Originally broadcast on February 29, 2024 Americans say nursing is the most respected profession, but nurses say their challenges tell a different story. They’re sounding the alarm on staffing shortages, violence in the workplace and racism (63% of nurses say they have personally experienced an act of racism in the workplace). The American Nurses Association is also fighting an American Medical Association policy recommending advanced practice registered nurses be licensed and regulated by both state medical and nursing boards. Our…

Read More Read More

Better Primary Care: What Will It Take to Get the U.S. to Wake Up to the Need?

Better Primary Care: What Will It Take to Get the U.S. to Wake Up to the Need?

Originally broadcast on February 22, 2024. U.S. spending on primary care fell again, to a mere 4.6% of total health care dollars spent. Primary Care Collaborative is the only national multi-stakeholder organization focused on whole-person primary care. Primary Care Collaborative President & CEO Ann Greiner joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss better compensation and reimbursement for primary care clinicians and efforts to increase training, expanding access to community health centers, and opportunities for primary care to help…

Read More Read More