Health and Science

"US Customs and Border Protection personnel review all travelers entering the United States for general overt signs of illnesses (visual observation, questioning, and notification of CDC as appropriate) at all US ports of entry, including all federal inspection services areas at US airports that service international flights." State Department Advisory: "The cost for a medical evacuation is very expensive. We encourage US citizens traveling to Ebola-affected countries to purchase travel insurance that includes medical evacuation for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)." more »

The percentage of PDP plans with no deductible will decline to 42 percent from 47 percent, and, once again, about three quarters of plans won’t offer any coverage in the "donut hole", the coverage gap in which beneficiaries are responsible for shouldering a greater share of drug costs. "It's one example of how plans are tightening up coverage," and pushing more costs onto consumers, says a researcher/consultant. more »

From the World Health Organization: Nearly 1000 new cases were reported in the week ending 14 September alone — certainly an underestimate of the true burden of disease. If the present rate of increase continues — if nothing is done to intervene — somewhere between 2500 and 5000 cases will occur, each week, just four weeks from now. Affected countries could be seeing more than 10,000 cases weekly by mid-November. more »

Imagine you're at home. Maybe that's in Florida, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, wherever. You have cancer. You just had another round of chemo, and the phone rings. "My name is Kate. I'm a health care counselor," the gentle voice says from her cubicle in Cherry Hill, NJ. The caller could also choose to allow the counselor to talk to his doctors or family directly. It's paid for by insurers and federal privacy rules permit this for business purposes. This is no telemarketing call … it’s about the end of your life. more »