Stacker-Medical Care

  Health insurance is supposed to protect people from high medical costs and help them get the care they need. But a new survey of 1,887 people with health insurance conducted from May through July of this year by GoodRx, a platform for medication savings, shows that having coverage doesn’t always mean having affordable access

  At-home DNA tests have revolutionized personal health insights, but understanding their accuracy requires examining the underlying technology. These tests typically analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which represent common genetic variations found throughout the population. Major providers like 23andMe and AncestryDNA achieve impressive accuracy and best results for raw genetic data, with laboratory processing standards

  When you’re young, it’s easy to feel invincible. As you age, however, the things once taken for granted in youth become the reasons you end up in the hospital. This can look like a misstep that would be no big deal in your 20s, a case of the flu that would have been barely

  Patients don’t always tell their doctors everything. They round down the number of drinks they have per week, or skip over the medication they forgot to take. The newest omission? Taking health advice from AI. A Zocdoc-commissioned national survey of more than 1,000 patients and 1,000 healthcare providers conducted in February 2026 reveals why.

  Poison ivy rash is not contagious. You cannot give it to a family member by touching them, and no one in your household will break out simply by being near you. The rash itself poses no risk of transmission. What does spread is the substance that causes the rash: urushiol (pronounced yoo-ROO-shee-ol), the colorless,

  Someone walks away from a collision, waves off the ambulance, and drives home sore but more or less functional. Then morning comes with a headache that won’t quit, a hand that’s gone numb, or a stomach that feels tight and wrong. But those injuries didn’t appear overnight: They were slowly coming to the surface

  Summer brings increased risk of uncomfortable skin conditions that can dampen outdoor fun and limit time spent enjoying warm-weather activities. Heat rash and sunburn are two common warm-weather problems often confused due to similar timing and some overlapping symptoms, particularly when both occur during outdoor summer events. However, these conditions have fundamentally different causes,

  When you’re standing in the pharmacy aisle faced with rows of pain relievers, the choice between aspirin and ibuprofen can feel overwhelming. Both are trusted medications that have been helping people manage pain for decades, but they work differently in your body and are better suited for different situations. Understanding the key differences between

  In Texas, fifty rural hospitals are at risk of closure. That is more than any other state in the country. Behind Texas, in descending order: Kansas (44), Tennessee (27), Georgia (25), and Mississippi (24). Behind those numbers is a typical Friday afternoon at a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) that takes patients from those vulnerable

  A glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) weight-loss program is one that combines GLP-1 agonist medications like Wegovy (semaglutide) or Zepbound (tirzepatide) with additional support, such as nutrition counseling and medical guidance. In some cases, insurance plans may even require that you enroll in one of these programs in order to have your medications covered. But insurance

  A child who’s been treated for cancer walks down the hall of a medical facility, nurses and doctors smiling at them from all corners of the room. The child rings a bell, and everyone cheers as the kid hugs their loved ones. These heartfelt videos appear regularly across social media. What helps make each

  For many chronic skin conditions, the most important advantage of teledermatology is shortening the distance between a problem, a clinical decision, and the next adjustment. Skin problems rarely respect calendars. A painful acne flare does not wait for a convenient week, nor does eczema pause because a patient has used all their paid time

  The national average cost of a memory care facility is about $6,999 per month, according to proprietary data from A Place For Mom. Costs vary by state, location, and care needs, but that monthly rate often includes housing, meals, 24-hour supervision, safety features, and specialized dementia care. Some communities charge one all-inclusive fee, while

  Most people think of soft tissue injuries as minor inconveniences causing temporary aches, quickly healed by time and an ice pack. However, soft tissue damage after an accident can be permanent depending on the severity of the injury, its location, and the effectiveness of the medical care. Bayuk Pratt broke down the symptoms and

  At 28, Logan became what he calls a “walking zombie.” He had crushing fatigue, no sex drive, little emotion, and no motivation. Blood tests from his primary care doctor showed a testosterone level around 180 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL), well below the standard diagnostic cutoff for low testosterone. But because his doctor wasn’t experienced

  A tick latches onto the skin, feeds for hours or days, and can transmit dangerous pathogens. Knowing what symptoms to watch for in the days after a tick bite can mean the difference between early treatment and serious complications. Tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis, each with distinct

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved Simtriyo (centanafadine), a new norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin reuptake inhibitor (NDSRI) and central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. The medication treats ADHD in adults, teens, and children ages 6 and up weighing at least 44 pounds. Most stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medications raise the levels of two different

  For many people, warm weather brings more time outside. But it can also bring itchy skin from bug bites, allergies, and poison ivy. Poison ivy rash can be very uncomfortable, especially if it covers a large area of your body. And it can take weeks to go away completely. Unfortunately, there’s no way to

  “Orphan” drugs were once a market almost no company wanted. Four decades later, they make up more than half of the new drugs the Food and Drug Administration approves. In 2024, the FDA’s drug center approved 50 new medicines. More than half of them (26 in all) were built to treat a rare disease.