Millions of Americans cannot afford the medications they’ve been prescribed. Many skip doses, split pills or don’t fill prescriptions at all as a result, with sometimes even fatal consequences. But doctors are often unable to consider cost very well in prescribing, as the same drug often costs patients vastly different amounts due to insurance differences. Experts discuss the problem and what patients can do to save.
Broke: Patients Open Up About Money Woes
Millions of Americans are in financial straits due to COVID layoffs and furloughs. A doctor describes how he gets patients to talk about why they’re in trouble and what they do about it to create an eye-opening portrait.
Food Insecurity In 2020
An estimated 35 million people were food insecure last year, and the dislocations due to COVID-19 have made it much worse now. Experts discuss the health consequences of hunger, the strategies families are using to cope with economic dislocation, and one local effort typical of new volunteer programs to feed hungry children in need.
Third World Medicine
Medicine in the Third World is vastly different than in the US, and American doctors sometimes run into unexpected hurdles when they try to bring modern medicine to impoverished nations. One such doctor describes his efforts.
Disease Risk And Inheritance
Scientists have learned that the habits and environments of our parents and grandparents can have a strong effect on our health and longevity as a result of imprinting on egg and sperm cells. An expert explains.
Healthcare For Children In Poverty
Poor children often can’t access healthcare or other needs in spite of decades of efforts. A pediatrician who has established clinics for the poor discusses the problem.
Food Deserts, Eating Habits, And Health
Public policy is built on the food desert theory: the lack of neighborhood supermarkets drives people to eat less fresh food and more junk food. New research is challenging that theory, but finding values of grocery stores in other, unexpected places. Experts discuss how nearby supermarkets change people and the neighborhoods where they live.
Homelessness Myths
Around a half million people are homeless in the US on any given night, but the street homeless who are most visible often incorrectly influence our assumptions about the homeless. A noted researcher discusses myths and truths about their addictions, employment, residences, and more, and why people often become homeless.
The Changing Face Of HIV
HIV/AIDS was once an epidemic and a death sentence. But many Americans are too young to remember that, so HIV awareness has faded. One of the nation’s top HIV experts discusses HIV as a treatable, chronic illness and the need to still be vigilant—and be tested.
Climate Change = Less Nutritious Foods
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are making crops grow bigger & faster. However, researchers have found that these crops contain significantly lower levels of protein, iron, zinc, and other important nutrients, potentially endangering nutrition for hundreds of millions of people. Experts explain the effect will get worse as CO2 levels continue to rise, and what might be done to combat the problem.
Heat and Violence
Violence increases as temperatures rise in the summer, but are higher temperatures a cause of aggression? New research shows that the answer is yes, especially in family conflict, and that poor neighborhoods bear the brunt of the relationship. Researchers discuss the synergy between poverty, heat, and aggression, and speculate that a warmer world in the future could be a more violent one.
Medical Notes: Week of July 8, 2019
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of July 7, 2019.
High Drug Prices Lead to Drug Misuse
Millions of Americans cannot afford the medications they’ve been prescribed. Many skip doses, split pills or don’t fill prescriptions at all as a result, with sometimes even fatal consequences. But doctors are often unable to consider cost very well in prescribing, as the same drug often costs patients vastly different amounts due to insurance differences. Experts discuss the problem and what patients can do to save.
15-47 Segment 1: Food Insecurity
Synopsis: Forty-nine million people in the US are food insecure-- often unsure they'll have three decent meals per day. The poor are also often forced to purchase foods that are poor in nutrition, which leads to high rates of obesity. Experts discuss reasons for food insecurity, outcomes, and a variety of inventive solutions. Host: … Continue reading 15-47 Segment 1: Food Insecurity
