Insights

A new review published this week marshals further evidence that childhood vaccines are not associated with autism or leukemia. Meanwhile, pertussis and measles outbreaks have been on the rise, partly owing to parents choosing to not have their kids vaccinated.

News reports on health reform tend to focus on patients and consumers. But how are doctors faring? Some voice complaints of administrative kinks, reimbursement struggles, and coverage confusion. But not all of these problems are new, and some docs emphasize the gains being made.

Like fashion and football, health care has its trends. And one of the bigger trends now is “hot-spotting,” the practice of using data to identify those who are the “super utilizers” of the health care system and surrounding them with services in an attempt to cut health care spending. ...

Check out this week's jobs in the health journalism field, and for journalists who cover issues in aging or work for ethnic media outlets, don't forget to apply to the the Journalists in Aging Fellows program this week.

Last week, the Health Officers Assoc. of California announced it will launch a continuing medical education program for valley fever. It shouldn't have required widespread press and the new U.S. House majority leader to get to this point.

A new collaboration among media outlets is building a new database of health care prices by asking people to share how much they paid for common procedures. The results could shed light on how much services typically cost, and eventually help bring costs down.

New data show that tax credits have dramatically lowered premiums for those on Obamacare plans. But for employees stuck with high-deductible plans, big out-of-pocket costs can drain bank accounts and incentivize going without care.

Take a look at this week's new listings for radio, online and magazine positions in public and private organizations.

It's well-known that toxic stress and childhood adversity can lead to poorer health. But sobering new research focusing on the tips of chromosomes finds that a child’s experience of traumatic, violent family events can impact kids at the most basic cellular levels.