Wes Venteicher

Dr. Demetrius Lopes, co-director of the stroke center at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, says mechanical thrombectomies can make a huge difference in patient outcomes. "If we do what we did in the study, we're going to save people from being disabled," he said.

After stroke treatment advances, hospitals changing approach

August 19, 2019 at 8:04 a.m.

Hospitals in Illinois and across the country are changing the way they treat strokes after a battery of recent clinical trials found that swift surgical intervention improves the odds that...

State Medicaid sued over plan to stop paying for disabled kids’ nursing care

August 19, 2019 at 12:17 a.m.

Illinois Medicaid plans to stop paying for skilled nursing for more than 100 children with complex medical needs, eliminating services that help keep them alive in an effort to save...

Jackson Park Hospital was among the Chicago-area hospitals that received the lowest possible score in a new Medicare rating system.

Few Chicago-area hospitals shine in government’s new patient star ratings

August 19, 2019 at 12:15 a.m.

The federal government has adopted a new patient satisfaction metric to rate the nation's hospitals, awarding each institution one to five stars after synthesizing the responses to consumer surveys. In...

Rome Tucker, 36, prays with his roommate Jarrod Landers, 20, left, at their apartment above Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center in Blue Island on April 1, 2015.

Rauner’s planned cuts to mental health care could raise costs, critics say

August 19, 2019 at 12:12 a.m.

In the years before he started receiving consistent treatment for bipolar disorder, Illinois Medicaid patient Rome Tucker says he often was homeless, riding buses through the night. When he felt...

Advocates warned Coventry Health Care and Humana that charging high prices for HIV and AIDS drugs might violate federal protections against discrimination.

Insurer lowers cost of HIV treatments after discrimination complaints

August 19, 2019 at 8:02 a.m.

Coventry Health Care is lowering the cost of HIV and AIDS drugs after the insurer's prices — more than $1,000 per month on some plans sold in Illinois — drew...

Certified public account Michael Singer, right, meets with longtime clients Bob and Pat Marzullo (cq) of Appleton, Wis., to do their taxes, at his Northbrook office, Tuesday, March 10, 2015.

It’s Obamacare’s first tax season. Can the IRS handle it?

August 19, 2019 at 12:01 a.m.

Toward the bottom of the tax form most Americans fill out each year, just beneath a line for payments for maids, nannies and other household staff, there is a new...

Will Wilson, center, said after after he was diagnosed with AIDS 13 years ago, he nearly went broke paying for his medications. He works now as an insurance navigator.

AIDS Foundation of Chicago complains about insurers’ high drug prices

August 18, 2019 at 11:50 p.m.

Two major insurers are charging much more than others for several common HIV and AIDS medications in Illinois, drawing complaints from AIDS advocates that the companies may be trying to...

After Derrick Rose knee injury, Bulls face choice of surgeries

August 19, 2019 at 1:08 p.m.

Just 15 months after Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee, sidelining him for most of a season, the point guard and his team face...

Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers an address on his budget proposal at the Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 18, 2015.

Critics: Medicaid services that Rauner wants cut actually save money

May 25, 2019 at 5:53 p.m.

Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed $1.47 billion in Medicaid cuts includes reductions in dental services, mental health care and other coverage. But some legislators and patient advocates say the targeted services...

Advocates say allowing monitoring cameras in nursing home rooms will help ensure that residents receive appropriate care. Critics cite privacy concerns.

Nursing home room monitoring cameras would be allowed under Illinois bill

August 18, 2019 at 11:45 p.m.

Camera monitoring would be allowed in Illinois nursing homes under a bill introduced Friday, reopening a debate over whether the potential safety benefits outweigh privacy concerns. The bill, drafted by...

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