Health care in the US
New York City declares public health emergency over measles outbreak
By Kate Randall, 11 April 2019
New York City has seen 285 confirmed measles cases since the outbreak began in the fall, with 21 requiring hospitalizations, including five admissions to intensive care units.
Trump backs court action to end health coverage for 25 million people
By Patrick Martin, 28 March 2019
While the Trump administration targets Obamacare for full repeal, the Democrats are dropping calls for “Medicare-for-all” in favor of billions more for the private insurance companies.
Houston chemical fire: Residents ordered to “shelter-in-place” due to benzene danger
By Jacob Crosse, 22 March 2019
Residents of Deer Park and Galena Park, east of the Texas city, have been the most affected by the fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company.
US studies: More misery brought to you by Big Pharma
Sharp rise in fentanyl overdose deaths, ADHD-drug-induced psychosis, prescription drug rationing due to cost
By Kate Randall, 22 March 2019
A week rarely passes without the publication of a major study documenting the misery unleashed on Americans by the US pharmaceutical industry and its rapacious drive for profits.
Obesity-related cancers rise among US millennials
By Alex Johnson, 18 March 2019
One of the principal factors contributing to the rise in obesity rates among American adults is the lack of access to healthful foods among low-income and rural populations.
“Deaths of despair” continue to soar
US deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide at all-time high
By Kate Randall, 8 March 2019
The devastating toll of 150,000 Americans dying from alcohol and drug-induced fatalities and suicides in 2017 is seen by the political establishment and pharmaceutical CEOs as the “cost of doing business.”
US Senate hearings on drug prices provide “friendly warning” to pharmaceuticals
By Brian Dixon, 2 March 2019
While some of the members of the committee occasionally posed as industry critics, the Senate hearing made it clear that no serious action will be taken to rein in high drug prices.
Rise in drug abuse among women and heterosexual men diagnosed with syphilis
By Benjamin Mateus, 27 February 2019
Many of those affected lack steady employment, health care and stable housing, and face an abusive penal system.
FDA advisor criticizes agency’s response to opioid epidemic
By Brian Dixon, 6 February 2019
The chair of the FDA’s opioid advisory committee claimed the agency is manipulating data in favor of the pharmaceutical companies seeking approval for new opioid painkillers.
US: Measles outbreak in Washington state prompts state of emergency
By Kate Randall, 30 January 2019
In addition to the US, there has also been an uptick of people contracting measles in Canada and across Europe due to people foregoing the vaccine.
Opioid overdose deaths triple among US teens and young children
By Kate Randall, 31 December 2018
The depth of the opioid crisis facing young people points to the woefully inadequate response of the government to this social catastrophe as it spirals out of control.
Thousands face loss of mental health coverage in the US
By Matthew Taylor, 29 December 2018
Congress has eliminated the Medicaid-sponsored program in line with the larger push by the ruling class to dismantle social programs.
Federal judge in Texas rules Affordable Care Act unconstitutional
By Kate Randall, 17 December 2018
The ruling was opposed by healthcare groups and, if upheld, threatens to throw insurance markets into chaos and strip coverage from tens of millions of Americans.
West Virginia: Task force concludes without a “fix” for public workers’ insurance
By Clement Daly, 17 December 2018
Throughout the strike and pro-forma hearings, teachers and public service workers demanded that health care be funded through increased taxes on the state’s oil and gas industry.
Over 4,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers on limited strike in California
By Kevin Martinez and Kim Saito, 14 December 2018
The National Union of Healthcare Workers is ending the five-day strike tomorrow without resolving workers’ demands for higher wages, more staffing and the restoration of pensions for new-hires.
More people with mental illnesses seeking treatment from US emergency rooms
By Alex Johnson, 5 December 2018
Grossly inadequate funding for mental health means that patients swing from poorly-equipped group home facilities to emergency rooms—and, ultimately, jails and prisons.
Public health expert speaks on the crisis of American healthcare
Cases like Hedda Martin’s heart transplant denial “will continue to happen”
By Nancy Hanover, 3 December 2018
Workers and young people nationwide decried Martin's callous treatment, donating generously out of their own pockets, after Spectrum Health's Richard DeVos Heart and Lung Transplant Clinic told her to make “a fundraising effort of $10,000.”
Plead for charity or die: A blunt message from the American health care system
By Nancy Hanover, 28 November 2018
One of the ugly secrets of US medical care—the rationing of life-saving procedures based on ability to pay—was exposed by the recent experiences of a Michigan woman seeking a heart transplant.
Detroit Medical Center doctors fired after speaking out for patient safety
By Joseph Lorenz, 9 October 2018
In a statement announcing his resignation from the medical staff, Dr. Ted Schreiber said, “Unfortunately, the current focus of some in health care is on profits and stock holder value.”
Mobilize the working class to defend nurses and secure the right to health care!
By Niles Niemuth, 2 October 2018
The interests of nurses cannot be separated from the fight to ensure the social right to health care through the abolition of the for-profit health care system.
Congress readies band-aid measure for opioid crisis
By Tom Eley, 28 September 2018
The bill will do little to slow the growing epidemic of opioid addiction and death.
Victors Care brings class-based medical care to University of Michigan hospital
By Matthew Brennan, 28 September 2018
The foundation of Victors Care is that it grants easier and faster access to physicians, as well as comprehensive preventive care, for those who can afford to pay an additional $3,600 per year out of pocket.
Support the fight of University of Michigan nurses!
By Niles Niemuth, 18 September 2018
Nurses at the University of Michigan health system have voted overwhelmingly for strike authorization in defense of adequate staffing as well as decent pay and benefits.
Six thousand University of Michigan nurses voting on strike authorization
By Acchutta Veeraiah, 11 September 2018
Nursing staff at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor are working without a contract amid threats of cuts to staffing, wages, retirement benefits and opposition to a new tier-system for care.
Nashville’s shuttering of women’s health clinic leaves only one abortion facility in the city
By Warren Duzak and Keisha Gibbs, 3 September 2018
Despite the billions invested in healthcare, and dozens of Nashville area hospitals, poor and working class women are limited to one small clinic for elective abortions.
A socialist response to the opioid crisis
By Niles Niemuth, 23 August 2018
Ending the opioid crisis that is raging throughout Michigan and across the US requires a socialist program and a frontal attack on wealth of the corporate and financial elite.
Studies: US life expectancy drops as mortality rises among younger adults
By Kate Randall, 21 August 2018
While many other countries saw a rebound in life expectancy in 2016, the US and the UK saw declines for two consecutive years.
Texas firefighters denied workers compensation for cancer
By Todd Denton, 21 August 2018
More than 90 percent of firefighters in Texas are being refused medical coverage and paid sick leave for cancer caused by on-the-job toxic exposures.
New CDC estimates: A record 72,000 US drug overdose deaths in 2017
By Kate Randall, 17 August 2018
The catastrophic toll of opioid deaths, which is driving falling life expectancies, casts a grim light on the state of America in the 21st century.
US hospitals fail to prevent unnecessary maternal deaths and injuries
By Brian Dixon, 30 July 2018
Based on recent data, a USA Today article last Thursday concluded that the United States was the most dangerous country in the developed world for women to give birth.
Hospital workers go on strike in Rhode Island
By John Marion, 25 July 2018
Workers called the strike after rejecting a new contract by vote last week.
Report exposes rise in alcohol-related deaths among Millennials in US
By Isaac Finn, 20 July 2018
The increase is one part of a rising number of “deaths of despair” caused by suicide and drug and alcohol abuse, which have contributed to declining life expectancy in the US.
Vermont Medical Center nurses fight low pay and understaffing
By Mike Ingram, 17 July 2018
Nurses at the University of Vermont Medical Center held a 48-hour strike last week after months of stalled negotiations for a new contract.
Latest volley aimed at gutting health care for workers
Trump administration freezes “risk adjustment” payments to health insurers
By Kate Randall, 11 July 2018
Over the last year, the White House has issued executive orders and undertaken administrative actions to undercut the program popularly known as Obamacare.
Study shows 144,000 US inmates denied care for hepatitis C
By E.P. Milligan, 7 July 2018
If left untreated, the condition can potentially mean a slow and agonizing death sentence.
Two hundred nurses at California hospital authorize strike
By Brian Dixon, 19 June 2018
The nurses have raised concerns over understaffing and the failure of the hospital to provide adequate “meal and break relief.”
Trump administration supports lawsuit challenging Obamacare’s pre-existing conditions protections
By Kate Randall, 15 June 2018
The action is the latest effort to chip away at the legislation after two failures to repeal it outright.
Trump speech on prescription drug prices cheers pharmaceutical giants
By Brian Dixon, 14 May 2018
Trump’s speech made clear that his administration will take no action that might interfere with the drug industry’s ability to price drugs as high as the market will bear.
53,000 workers begin three-day strike at California universities and hospitals
By Evelyn Rios, 7 May 2018
Workers voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike in April, rejecting the UC’s last offer of 3 percent yearly wage increases and a prorated, lump-sum payment of $750.
Health risks found in over 80 percent of NYCHA apartments
By Philip Guelpa, 17 April 2018
Residents are exposed to peeling paint, mold, damaged plaster, rodents, insects, inoperable appliances, severe electrical hazards, lack of heat, and malfunctioning smoke detectors.
More US states imposing Medicaid work requirements
By Kate Randall, 14 April 2018
Some states are considering expanding Medicaid while at the same time imposing work requirements, premium payments and drug testing of recipients.
Mississippi governor signs the nation’s most restrictive anti-abortion measure
By Shelley Connor, 24 March 2018
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed into law the toughest restrictions on abortion currently seen in the US, banning all abortions past 15 weeks gestation.
Trump demands death penalty for drug dealers as answer to opioid overdose crisis
By Niles Niemuth, 20 March 2018
Trump blamed the crisis on America’s supposedly lax drug laws and pointed to countries which have “zero tolerance” policies, including the death penalty for dealers and traffickers.
Strike at Ferguson, Missouri nursing home ends after 104 days
By Benjamin Mateus, 19 March 2018
The Christian Care Nursing Home strike has ended with the SEIU agreeing to a derisory 20-cent per hour wage increase.
California: 18,000 Kaiser Permanente nurses authorize strike
By Brian Dixon, 12 March 2018
The not-for-profit organization gained net income of $3.6 billion in 2017, but uses none of these fund to address the issues driving nurses to authorise a strike.
Hospital workers protest layoffs in Michigan
By Carlos Delgado and Esther Galen, 10 March 2018
Two giant hospital chains, Ascension and Tenet, have announced layoffs and unit closures
UNICEF: Social inequality costs the lives of 7,000 newborns daily
By Shelley Connor, 22 February 2018
According to a UNICEF report released on Tuesday, 2.6 million newborns die annually. Most of these deaths are preventable and most of them are due to social inequality.
Records show neglect of Florida school gunman’s mental health
By Trévon Austin, 19 February 2018
Cruz’s counselor told the Florida Department of Children and Families that he was reported to have “an emotional behavioral disability” and was diagnosed with autism.
Texas woman, 38, falls victim to US flu epidemic and exorbitant drug costs
By Kate Randall, 13 February 2018
Heather Holland’s death casts a grim light on the deplorable state of the US health care system and the government’s lack of preparedness and funding in the face of this season’s deadly flu epidemic.
Studies connect Medicaid work requirements to poor health
By Shelley Connor, 12 February 2018
While the Trump administration heralds Medicaid work requirements as a path towards better health and prosperity for America’s poor, recent studies reveal the opposite.
US flu epidemic rages on, with more deaths and record hospitalizations
By Kate Randall, 6 February 2018
As the flu outbreak shows no signs of waning, the CDC has been hit by a scandal forcing its head to resign and the Trump administration is proposing drastic cutbacks to the programs that fight such epidemics.
“Big Sugar” and metabolic syndrome, killers of millions annually worldwide
By Gary Joad, 2 February 2018
Mass consumption of excessive quantities of sugar plays a major rolein adolescent and adult diabetes, heart disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cancer, a fact that has long been suppressed by the industry and federal agencies.
One hundred years since the 1918 flu pandemic
America is unprepared for the next deadly influenza outbreak
By Kate Randall and Tom Hall, 1 February 2018
The deadliest flu season in years has demonstrated the complete inability of American capitalism to deal with a public health crisis on the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu.
Corporate giants announce partnership to cut employer health care costs
By Barry Grey, 31 January 2018
The initiative heralds a further monopolization of health care by a handful of billionaire-run corporations and a further subordination of social needs to Wall Street.
Nashville mayor tight-lipped on plans to gut services at General Hospital
By Warren Duzak, 27 January 2018
Mayor Barry has proposed turning the hospital into an outpatient clinic, leaving the poor and working class families without an inpatient facility, hospital beds, major surgical facilities.
Deadly flu season likely to worsen internationally
By Shelley Connor, 19 January 2018
On the 100th anniversary of the Spanish Flu pandemic, a particularly deadly flu season is peaking.
Kentucky becomes first state to impose Medicaid work requirements
By Shelley Connor, 18 January 2018
Within five years, state officials estimate, the new initiative will result in 100,000 fewer Medicaid enrollments in Kentucky, saving the state $2.4 billion.
“If we can’t support patients coming in emergency rooms…more people are going to die”
Flu epidemic exposes scandalous state of US health care system
By Kate Randall, 17 January 2018
The intensity of the outbreak has strained hospitals and outpatient facilities, which are struggling with shortages of medical supplies amid an influx of sick patients.
Cost of hookworm treatment beyond reach of many Alabama residents
By Warren Duzak, 17 January 2018
Working class and poor residents in the southern US state face an outbreak of the hookworm parasite due to unsanitary conditions.
The deadly impact of Hurricane María extends to US hospitals
Power outages set off IV bag shortages
By Genevieve Leigh, 13 January 2018
Ongoing power outages in Puerto Rico have set off a severe crisis of IV bag shortages on the US mainland, exacerbated by a sharp increase in flu cases nationwide.
Trump officials say states can impose Medicaid work requirements
By Kate Randall, 12 January 2018
The administration’s aim in imposing work requirements is to gut the health care program for the poor, which currently covers about 74 million people.
The crisis of dental care under American capitalism
By Esther Galen, 11 January 2018
Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America, exposes the reality of poor dental health and lack of dental care endured by the working class and poor in the US.
Trump administration rolls back fines against nursing homes as violations mount
By Kate Randall, 30 December 2017
By one government estimate, a staggering 380,000 deaths a year may be the result of health care-associated infections in facilities for the elderly.
Health care threatened for nine million low-income US children
By Patrick Martin, 27 December 2017
The temporary “fix” to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, applied by Congress in legislation passed December 21, could actually speed the program’s collapse.
Hepatitis A outbreaks hit Southeast Michigan and San Diego
By Benjamin Mateus, 19 December 2017
San Diego, with the fourth largest community of homeless in the US, has seen 567 cases of Hepatitis A, with 382 hospitalizations and 20 deaths.
Homeless man found dead in donation bin in San Diego, California
By Kevin Martinez, 19 December 2017
The bin where the man was discovered was located in a shopping center parking lot one block away from the San Diego Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter.
CVS to purchase Aetna for $69 billion, in move expected to disrupt health care industry
By Gabriel Black, 7 December 2017
The merger would create a level of vertical integration unprecedented in US health care, while netting Aetna’s outgoing CEO half a billion dollars.
A health statistics system in shambles
The real maternal mortality rate in the United States
By Benjamin Mateus, 24 November 2017
The true scope of maternal mortality rate in the US remains uncertain due to inconsistent and under-reporting on death certificates.
The legacy of Obamacare: A five percent increase in heart patient deaths
By Kate Randall, 15 November 2017
Research published in JAMA Cardiology shows that an initiative introduced five years ago under Obamacare to reduce Medicare readmissions for heart patients has resulted in a significant increase in mortality rates.
Trump nominates former pharmaceuticals executive to head Health and Human Services
By Kate Randall, 14 November 2017
Alex Azar has a long history of traversing the revolving door between government and big business.
Trump administration encourages states to gut Medicaid, impose work requirements
By Zaida Green, 10 November 2017
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will actively “partner” with states to impose premiums, punitive work requirements and other restrictions on Medicaid.
In part due to Trump sabotage
Obamacare premiums to soar in 2018
By Kate Randall, 4 November 2017
The most vulnerable population group will be households—as many as 2 million people—that are ineligible for subsidies.
Toddler hospitalised after Atlanta hospital denies father’s kidney transplant for son
By Zaida Green, 1 November 2017
Emory University Hospital is demanding that the father of the two-year-old document three months of parole compliance before he is allowed to donate his kidney.
Severe US nursing shortage accelerates rural hospital closures
By Gary Joad, 1 November 2017
Changing healthcare needs, demographic shifts and the choking down of funding for nurse training will leave the US short of 1.2 million nurses in two years time.
America’s oligarchy: No money for opioid crisis, endless funds for corporate tax cuts
By Andre Damon, 28 October 2017
On the same day that Congress moved forward on nearly $6 trillion in tax cuts to the super-rich, the Trump administration declined to allocate any funds to address the opioid crisis.
Trump administration’s CMS head leads assault on Medicaid
By Kate Randall, 28 October 2017
Seema Verma sees the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare as having extended coverage to millions of low-income Americans who should not be getting government-sponsored health insurance.
Trump declares opioid epidemic “will get worse before it gets better”
By Patrick Martin, 27 October 2017
The official declaration of a “public health emergency” is a political stunt that adds not one dollar to efforts to save the lives and health of millions suffering from opioid addiction.
New reports document declining life expectancy and worsening health of US workers
By Jerry White, 24 October 2017
Middle-age workers are being forced to retire later, even as they confront poorer health and a lower life expectancy than their older peers.
“I think the government is trying to kill us off”
Hundreds line up for free medical care in West Virginia
By Jerry White and Zac Corrigan, 23 October 2017
The free clinic event in Charleston revealed the deep social crisis in the United States, which is largely ignored by the corporate controlled media.
Trump’s Department of Justice attempts to block 17-year-old immigrant from getting abortion
By Josh Varlin, 23 October 2017
The government’s arguments against allowing the unaccompanied minor to receive an abortion mirror the notorious Dred Scott decision and presage a further attack on democratic rights.
Trump rejects bipartisan health care plan a day after endorsing it
By Kate Randall, 19 October 2017
The bulk of the Alexander-Murray bill is aimed at lowering requirements for private insurers and reducing the quality of health care coverage offered.
Behind the opioid crisis: Republicans and Obama cleared the way for corporate murder
By Patrick Martin, 16 October 2017
A joint investigation by “60 Minutes” and the Washington Post found that Republicans and Democrats in Washington did the bidding of giant drug distribution companies responsible for fueling the opioid crisis.
White House prepares executive order undercutting Obamacare
By Kate Randall, 11 October 2017
Small businesses would be able to establish association health plans free from Obamacare requirements to cover essential medical services.
Trump administration limits access to birth control under ACA
By Trévon Austin, 7 October 2017
A new mandate revokes the requirement for companies and organizations that claim religious or moral objections to provide birth control.
For one in four US women: Nearest abortion facility over 30 miles away
By Zaida Green, 6 October 2017
In many counties, women must travel dozens or hundreds of miles to reach an abortion facility and are often forced to travel to another state.
US Congress fails to reauthorize insurance program covering 9 million children
By Kate Randall, 3 October 2017
The failure to reauthorize CHIP threatens health insurance coverage for about 9 million lower-income children across the US.
Access to obstetric services in rural US communities continues to decline
By Benjamin Mateus, 3 October 2017
Nine percent of rural counties lost hospital-based obstetric services over the last decade meaning that more than half now have no such services at all.
CDC report finds large increase in sexually transmitted disease across the US
By Matthew Taylor, 2 October 2017
The rise in easily preventable and treatable diseases, including syphilis, has coincided with the slashing of funding for public health programs and clinics, which provide accessible testing and treatments.
“Health care is a human right”
IYSSE speaks at health care rally at University of Illinois Chicago
By our reporters, 28 September 2017
While organizers of a rally at UIC promoted Sanders’ single-payer “Medicare for All” bill, the IYSSE outlined the socialist response to health care crisis.
As Republican Obamacare repeal collapses, Democrats push pro-corporate “compromise”
By Josh Varlin, 27 September 2017
The Democrats are seeking a bipartisan deal with the Republicans that would retain the basic framework of Obamacare while introducing regressive changes being demanded by the insurance monopolies.
San Diego death toll from hepatitis A outbreak rises to 16
By Kevin Martinez, 25 September 2017
City officials knew that a public health crisis was brewing years before the current outbreak but rejected preventive measures as too costly.
Senate Republicans push for another Obamacare “repair and repeal” bill
By Kate Randall, 20 September 2017
In addition to phasing out Medicaid expansion, the Cassidy-Graham legislation, beginning in 2027, would slash billions more from Medicaid and end it as a guaranteed program.
Sanders health care bill: A cover for Democratic Party deals with Trump
By Patrick Martin, 14 September 2017
The legislation offers a single-payer health care system that most Democratic senators and all Republicans oppose.
Trump administration halts study on health impact of surface mining
By Keisha Gibbs, 6 September 2017
The Trump administration has ordered an abrupt halt to a study into potential public health hazards in areas near surface coal mining operations in Central Appalachia.
Serious outbreaks of syphilis and hepatitis underscore social crisis in America
By Genevieve Leigh, 30 August 2017
Among drug users and the homeless in the US, diseases such as syphilis and hepatitis are making a dangerous comeback.
Medicaid sees big price hikes for decades-old drugs
By Brad Dixon, 28 August 2017
Medicaid spending on old and commonly used drugs increased by billions of dollars in 2016 compared to the previous year.
“Health care should be a right, not a privilege”
Thousands flock to free medical care event in Detroit
By WSWS reporting team, 12 August 2017
Like other free clinics throughout the US, the Motor City Medical Mission revealed the deep health care crisis in America.
Thousands attend free health care event in Detroit
By a WSWS reporting team, 10 August 2017
Like other free clinics throughout the US, the Motor City Medical Mission revealed the deep health care crisis in America.
Indiana Medicaid plan under Pence seen as model for attack on health care
By Matthew Taylor, 5 August 2017
In 2015 the state of Indiana introduced a Medicaid expansion plan which converts the entitlement program into a fee-based insurance program.
Democrats offer pro-corporate health care “compromise”
By Kate Randall, 5 August 2017
The Democratic Party’s response to the debacle for Trump was to offer its services in implementing the demands of the insurance giants for “repairing” Obamacare so as to better ensure reduced costs and fatter profits.
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