QUESTIONS ASKING FOR PERSONALIZED MEDICAL ADVICE ARE OFF-TOPIC. CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN. Healthcare refers to the system or systems used to deliver medical care to patients. It may be a monolithic, government controlled system (like the NHS in some parts of the UK) or a mixed system of providers and insurers (as in the US). Healthcare is the way the delivery of medical science is organised (at least for the purposes of tagging on this site).
Questions tagged [healthcare]
151 questions
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Does the US have the highest "natural" life expectancy?
An article titled The Myth of Americans' Poor Life Expectancy claims that the US leads the OECD in life expectancy once the numbers are adjusted to remove deaths due to fatal injuries.
Unfortunately, the link to the research by Ohsfeldt and…
Brian
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Did Nutrasweet industries pay for 100% of the research showing aspartame is safe?
After seeing this reddit post, and reading this article are the claims they made true?
Claim
Quote:
[Today I learnt] 100% of the studies (n=74) concluding aspartame to be safe for consumption are funded by the Nutrasweet® industry, while 92%…
Himarm
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Is this heart transplant denial letter from an insurance group?
In a recent tweet from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she claims that this letter which recommends a fundraising effort of $10,000 for medical care, 'comes from an insurance group'.
Well-known conservative Ben Shapiro claims that this letter actually…
DisplayName
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Does stopping urination mid stream lead to urinary tract infections?
Recently having a conversation with my mother-in-law and four sisters-in-laws, the subject of Kegel exercise was brought up.
I stated that one of the recommended ways to start strengthening your pelvic floor is to halt your urination for a few…
Himarm
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Is Elvis the individual who has saved the US healthcare industry the most money in the last 100 years?
Doing the rounds again is this meme regarding Elvis:
Recently, someone asked the question: “Who is the one individual that has helped save the most money in the US healthcare industry in the last century?” The answer – surprisingly – is Elvis…
Rory Alsop
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Does the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provide higher quality, cheaper care than most other US health systems?
The VHA is the integrated health system providing healthcare to US military veterans managed by the Department of Veteran Affairs. It is currently regarded by by some other health systems as a model to learn from (see here for a recent report about…
matt_black
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Are slow metabolisms to blame for obesity?
I have heard many times that someone's "slow metabolism" is responsible for their obesity. Many times I've also heard that it isn't to blame.
Here's an example of a source claiming that slow metabolism isn't to blame:
Is it possible to be…
DarkLightA
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Is hydroxychloroquine + zinc + antibiotics an effective treatment for COVID-19?
It's often claimed, for example, in this Spectrum News report that a drug combination of hydroxychloroquine and zinc and antibiotics is an effective early treatment for COVID-19.
Researchers at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine found patients given…
user17561
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Is it illegal for pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs are cheaper than their co-pay if they pay cash without using their insurance?
I read in the news article Why do the insured pay more for prescriptions? (mirror):
Eight states (including Texas) have enacted legislation authorizing pharmacists to tell their patients that their drugs would be cheaper if they just paid cash…
Franck Dernoncourt
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How many people have lost their health insurance as a result of the ACA (Obamacare)?
The ACA changed health insurance regulations, placing new requirements on most or all health insurance plans in the United States. These changes have resulted in the obsolescence of many existing plans, and the creation of many new plans. As a…
Stephen Collings
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Are the vast majority of medical procedures routinely used by physicians ineffective and unproven?
An organization called Freedom Health Canada makes an extraordinary claim on their website, which can be found here.
“Scientifically controlled clinical trials have shown that only 10 -20 % of all procedures used in present-day medical practices…
LanceLafontaine
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Does colonoscopy screening reduce the risk of death due to colon cancer?
The article Colonoscopy Still ‘Gold Standard’ For Preventing Colon Cancer, Johns Hopkins Expert Says mention that the colonoscopy is the gold standard in detecting colon cancer even though there are still other tests that help.
A colon cancer…
user275517
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Does ignoring the extent of death caused by medical error distort the public perception of the quality of US healthcare?
Despite comparative evidence that US healthcare is very expensive and not particularly good by international standards, Americans seem to love it as evidenced by the debate on Obamacare and questions like this: Is the US Newborn Mortality Rate…
matt_black
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Did Louis Pasteur admit on his deathbed "Bernard [the inventor of terrain theory] was right"?
On many 'health' sites defending terrain theory (the theory that the state of the body, not just germs, is the primal factor for disease development) one finds quotes that Louis Pasteur is said to have admitted that terrain theory was right. Here,…
TheAsh
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Does treating end stage kidney disease cost 1% of the United States federal budget?
On Last Week Tonight John Oliver made the claim that:
"Treating end stage kidney disease takes up nearly 1% of the entire
federal budget"
You can see the claim at approximately the 4:33 mark here.
Is this claim accurate? Is 1% of the federal…
dsollen
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