Reuters - Health Report

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Obamacare insurance options dwindle for neediest U.S. patients

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Josh Brookhart has four health insurers to choose from in Seattle's King County for 2018, more than many Americans like him who buy coverage on the Obamacare individual market.

Roche drug cocktail doubles chance of holding lung cancer at bay

ZURICH (Reuters) - Adding Roche's immunotherapy Tecentriq to older drugs doubled the percentage of lung cancer patients who survived a year without their disease advancing, an outcome some experts labelled unprecedented.

Indonesia fights 'extraordinary' diphtheria outbreak that has killed 32

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian health authorities will launch an immunization drive next week to contain a sharp rise in cases of diphtheria, which has killed at least 32 people, including many children, in the world's fourth most populous country this year.

Sign-ups pick up in week five of 2018 Obamacare open enrollment: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people signing up for 2018 Obamacare plans picked up significantly during the fifth week of open enrollment, a U.S. government agency reported on Wednesday, but the number of participants appears to be falling short of last year's numbers with just over a week of enrollment left.

High tech, high finance and high times for U.S. pot industry

(Reuters) - Two years ago, Alan Gertner was head of Google's Asia-Pacific sales team in Singapore, handling more than $100 million in business.

Roche to seize leap-frog opportunity in lung cancer

LONDON (Reuters) - After lagging rivals in cancer immunotherapies, Swiss drugmaker Roche hopes to leap-frog into the lead in the biggest market, tackling previously untreated lung cancer.

UnitedHealth to buy DaVita primary care unit for $4.9 billion

(Reuters) - The largest U.S. health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc will buy DaVita Inc's primary and urgent care services for $4.9 billion in its second acquisition this year to expand its fast-growing medical group, it said on Wednesday.

U.S. healthcare spending growth slowed in 2016

(Reuters) - Growth in healthcare spending in the United States slowed in 2016 following two years of expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a government health agency reported on Wednesday.

Kids aren’t protecting themselves against STDs during oral sex

(Reuters Health) - Adolescents and young adults regularly engage in oral sex but seldom use condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, new research shows.

FDA proposes drug development guidance for rare pediatric diseases

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance on Wednesday to simplify the procedure of developing drugs for rare pediatric disorders, such as Gaucher's disease, by eliminating the need for certain trials and minimizing patient enrollment.