Medicare

In 1953, a new drug was released by Burroughs Wellcome, a pharmaceutical company based in London. Pyrimethamine, as the compound was named, was originally intended to fight malaria, after the microorganisms that cause the disease developed resistance to earlier therapies. The drug was used against malaria for several decades, often in combination with other compounds. […]

Chris Young is a lifelong gun enthusiast, but his wife, Lesley, got rid of his rifles not long after the couple moved back to Florida nearly two years ago. She was afraid of what her wheelchair-bound husband might do to himself once the Youngs found themselves among the throng of other patients forced to do […]

In any given month, about half of all Americans—and 90 percent of seniors—take a prescription drug. These medications help millions of patients fight illnesses and recover from injuries; they also shorten the duration of common illnesses, alleviate pain, and treat life-threatening illnesses. Simply put, prescription drugs save lives and can prevent costlier, more invasive treatments. Yet not all drugs offer […]

WE talk a lot these days about what constitutes a good way to die. There’s also much discussion about the art of healthy aging. But largely absent from the conversation are all the people between the two. People who aren’t dying but who grow more frail. People who have significant health concerns. People who suddenly […]

A poll last month by Consumer Reports found that a third of the patients who take prescription drugs are paying significantly more this year, forcing many to cut back on other necessities or load up on credit card debt. Another poll in August by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about a quarter of those […]