Despite bitter resistance in Oklahoma for years to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, Republican leaders in this conservative state are now confronting something that alarms them even more: a huge $1.3 billion hole in the budget that threatens to do widespread damage to the state’s health care system. So,… Read More

What are you more afraid of, the Zika virus, or genetically engineered bugs being released in the wild? If you feel strongly about this issue, you have until midnight Friday to make your opinion known as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers whether to approve an effort to kill… Read More

Scientists are peeking inside living brains to watch for the first time as a toxic duo of plaques and tangles interact to drive Alzheimer’s disease — and those tangles may predict early symptoms, a finding with implications for better treatments. It’s not clear exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. Its best-known hallmark… Read More

The Food and Drug Administration will re-evaluate its definition of “healthy,” which could eventually change how a range of foods are marketed. In light of evolving research, the FDA said it believes “now is an opportune time to re-evaluate the regulations concerning nutrition content claims, generally, including the term ‘healthy’.”… Read More

Long-term care grew more expensive again this year, with the cost of the priciest option, a private nursing home room, edging closer to $100,000 annually, according to a survey from Genworth Financial. Americans also are paying more for other care options like home health aides and assisted living communities, while… Read More

Electronic cigarettes have sickened rising numbers of young children, a study of U.S. poison center calls has found. Most cases involve swallowing liquid nicotine. While most kids weren’t seriously harmed, one child died and several had severe complications including comas and seizures. “This is an epidemic by any definition,” said… Read More

The federal government on Thursday announced sweeping new rules for electronic cigarettes that will for the first time require the devices and their ingredients to be reviewed, a mandate that could offer some protection for consumers and upend a multibillion dollar industry that has gone largely unregulated. Before brands are… Read More

Getting stitched up by Dr. Robot may one day be reality: Scientists have created a robotic system that did just that in living animals without a real doctor pulling the strings. Much like engineers are designing self-driving cars, Wednesday’s research is part of a move toward autonomous surgical robots, removing… Read More