8.25.2008  Americans who lack health insurance will spend about $30 billion out of pocket on medical care this year, but others -- mainly the government -- will end up covering another $56 billion in costs, according to a new study.  Read the entire article by Jane Zhang in The Wall Street Journal.

8.21.2008  The closed Charity Hospital building can be gutted and rebuilt into a state-of-the-art teaching hospital for less money and in less time than it would take the state to build a new hospital, according to a structural assessment sponsored by a historic preservation group. Read the entire article by Jan Moller in The Times-Picayune.

8.21.2008  The shuttered Charity Hospital can be gutted and rebuilt into a state-of-the-art teaching hospital for less money and in shorter time than it would take the state to build a new hospital, according to a structural assessment of the building unveiled Wednesday.  Read the entire article by Jan Moller in The Times-Picayune.

8.18.2008  Louisiana's medical malpractice cap emerged unchanged from the last legislative session as lawmakers, faced with a number of proposals, could not find a compromise that satisfied all parties.  Read the entire article by Ted Griggs in Louisiana Medical News.

8.18.2008:  Last year, frantic that they might lose the veterans hospital to another city or even another state, local and state leaders pulled together a plan to commandeer land in a historic but struggling neighborhood on the edge of the Central Business District and offer it to the federal government as a place to build.  Read the entire article by Kate Moran in The Times-Picayune.

8.18.2008:  Dr. Kerry Anders had expected some free time Friday.  Anders, both a chief of staff at a hospital and a private physician, instead took on the patients of two colleagues who became unavailable that day. Read the entire article by Matthew Hamilton in the Shreveport Times.

8.15.2008  In February, when Joey Muniz lost his job managing a small business, his family's health insurance was lost, too.  He and his wife, Rachael, didn't want their son, Logan, to be without coverage, so they turned to the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP).  Read entire article by Melody Brumble in the Shreveport Times.

8.15.2008  Despite the mass exodus of doctors from the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina nearly three years ago, a journal published today reports that doctors have returned here at a rate that has pushed their per-capita number above the national average, one of many signs medical professionals say indicates the local health-care system is recovering.  Read the entire article by Jennifer Evans in The Times-Picayune.

8.1.08 - Each year the LSMS recognizes individuals whose journalistic efforts contributed to a better understanding of medicine and health care in Louisiana. An award of $500 and an engraved plaque are pre­sented to winners in each of three categories: print, radio, and television. The Deadline has been extended - all entries must be received by the LSMS no later than Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Read more.