A new study out in the Annals of Internal Medicine studied suicide cases in the United States between 2007 and 2014. The researchers were specifically examining the demographics associated with the methods and mortality rates of these...

When Aaron went to Malaysia to learn about medical tourism, he became a medical tourist himself after he was mugged by a monkey. The monkey stole Aaron's glasses, and he had to have new ones made. It turned out to be pretty easy!...

Recently, the US adopted a law that ended some surprise billing for medical service. So what is surprise billing, and what does the new law look like?

We’re constantly on the look out for ways to save money in the US health care system. Targeting waste is our best bet to do so. A new study in JAMA Pediatrics points out a contender – low-value diagnostic imaging in the emergency...

Aaron is talking to Dr. Rafat Abonour about multiple myleoma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in white blood cells, and Dr. Abonour tells Aaron about how the disease affects patients, and the cutting edge of research into...

This week on the HCT podcast, we're talking to Dr. Rachel Vreeman, who is going to tell us about her super cool job. She works on a partnership between a hospital in Indiana and a hospital in Kenya, and researches AIDS treatment in...

There’s a lot of anxiety about the AstraZeneca vaccine thanks to recent reports of incomplete data, as well as reports on blood clot risks. Let’s take a look at both issues in context, understanding the efficacy data before and after...

We really need good treatments for Alzheimer's. But Biogen's very expensive and maybe not that effective drug Aduhelm is not the treatment we're looking for. Today we look at the saga of Adulhelm's approval and it's road to acceptance...

A new simulation study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that reducing opioids for short-term pain saves lives in the long run, even as it leaves some patients experiencing more pain. This is the fundamental...

Florida Governor Rick Scott tries to scare voters by claiming that Democrats are going to undertake socialist experiments with Medicare, which is in itself a socialized medicine program. Also, a surprising entrant into the opioid...

Between 2017 and 2018, obesity affected about 14.4 million children and adolescents in the United States. In order to create treatments, interventions, and health policies to adequately address this issue, we need solid data from...

We're answering 40 more coronavirus and COViD19 questions from viewers! You can go to the timecode below to see an answer to a specific question. Stay safe! Wash your hands! 0:00 - Intro 1:47 - Please explain the rationale behind the...

Last week, we gave the Trump department of Health and Human Services some credit for approaching the administration Obamacare as honest brokers. This week, it's back to sabotaging the ACA.

Medicaid doesn't cover dentistry. But dental health affects many different aspects of a person's life. Bad teeth can cause social difficulty, and make it hard to find employment, aside from the fact that an unhealthy mouth can lead to or...

Ah, Vitamin D, back again. We’ve made our case on how unnecessary Vitamin D supplements are for outcomes like diabetes, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, and overall mortality. But what about its effect on viral infections like...

Health economists study the economic determinants of health. They also analyze how health care resources are utilized and allocated, and how health care policies and quality of care can be improved. In this episode, we discuss what...

Postpartum depression is depressingly common, and it has lots of terrible consequences for moms, for kids, and for families. A new drug is about to hit the market, but it's not a great fit for everyone, and it is PRICEY.

The spread of the new Coronavirus has continued, with a number of cases showing up in countries like Iran, Italy, and South Korea. Coronavirus information is changing by the minute, so we’re back with another update.

Part 3 of our opioid series supported by the NIHCM Foundation looks at the potential for marijuana to improve outcomes in opioid addiction therapy. Some studies have shown that prescribing marijuana can ease the path to shaking an opioid...

We recently talked with Dr. Kate O'Brien, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization. We spoke with Dr. O'Brien about how the Covid vaccine works, how it gets distributed, and...

Last week, we talked about why it's good for students' health to push school start times back to later in the morning. There's also an economic argument for it. Today, Aaron talks about how starting school later benefits the economy in...

Mail-in DNA tests have been in the news recently. Test results can be over the map, with even identical twins getting some widely variable results. What's the deal with that?

The Trump administration announced its intent to stop making risk adjustment payments to insurers on the ACA marketplaces.

Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem in the United States, and one of our best tools for treating obesity in adults is bariatric surgery. So should this procedure become common in kids as well?