Mario Anzuoni, Reuters

Northeastern States Hold Key to Federal Legalization of Marijuana

BOSTON — Having proven they can win in the West, advocates for recreational marijuana hope the Nov. 8 election brings their first significant electoral victories in the densely populated Northeast, where voters in Massachusetts and Maine will consider making pot legal for all adults. Supporters believe “yes” votes in New England would add geographical diversity […]

Karen Roach

Obama Care Premiums Will Jump Double Digits

WASHINGTON — Premiums will go up sharply next year under President Barack Obama’s health care law, and many consumers will be down to just one insurer, the administration confirmed Monday. That will stoke another “Obamacare” controversy days before a presidential election. Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of […]

Consumer Reports

FDA Bans Anti-Bacterial Soaps

The Food and Drug Administration is banning the sale of antibacterial soaps and body washes after manufacturers failed to prove that the products’ active ingredients are safe and effective. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than […]

Medical News Today

Gluten Free Diet for Kids?

Worldwide, diagnoses of celiac disease are on the rise. The gluten-free food industry is blossoming even faster, growing 135 percent from 2013-2015 with sales worth $11.6 billion. What attracts people without celiac disease to go gluten-free? Is it worthwhile, or even beneficial? Dr. Norelle Reilly, of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and the Celiac Disease […]

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Insurance Companies Accused of Discriminating Against HIV Patients

Once-a-day HIV pills that combine multiple medicines, such as Truvada, are easier to take, but they can be more expensive than pills that contain only one active ingredient. The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from discriminating against people with serious illnesses, but some marketplace plans sidestep that taboo by making the drugs that people with […]

Bernie Sanders Continues Assault on Big Pharma

WASHINGTON – Two top lawmakers on Thursday demanded information from a drug company that has raised prices on a leukemia drug, calling increases of tens of thousands of dollars a sign the company puts profits before patients. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government […]