Health Care

The oldest of the U.S. baby boomers turned 65 in 2011, inaugurating a new era of challenges for the country’s long-term care system. In response to this ongoing demographic shift, the nursing home industry has introduced assisted living facilities that can accommodate a range of lesser ailments — and potentially attract healthier and wealthier residents. How this expansion may indirectly influence the quality of care provided by the nursing homes is unclear.

Alcohol-related disorders in the United States cut across gender, race and other demographic lines, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In the United States, 17.6 million people (about one in every 12 adults) abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent.

The size and rate of malpractice suits against United States physicians has long been the subject of controversy; the issue has played a strong role in the political debates over health care reform and the continuing rise of insurance costs.