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Dr. Dan Swangard doesn't know if he would take lethal medications to hasten death. But as someone with metastatic cancer, he wants to have that choice. He's part of a suit to change California law.

Americans spend billions of dollars every year on annual physicals. But there's little evidence that a yearly checkup helps healthy adults. Some doctors are telling patients to skip it.

Medicine has changed a lot in the past 100 years. But medical training has stayed much the same. Many schools are now retooling — focusing on teamwork — to train a different kind of doctor.

Many insurance providers that offer mental health care are supposed to cover it just as they would cancer or diabetes care. But advocates say enforcement is a problem.

The state's third largest insurer reportedly has $4.2 billion in financial reserves. The firm's former public policy director says the insurer is "unwilling or incapable" of serving the public good.

Walk-in clinics are getting traction with consumers, hospitals and retailers. A visit to a clinic costs less than one to the doctor or hospital emergency room. And the clinics present less of a hassle.

Transporting reams of athletes' medical information has become a major burden for the U.S. Olympic Committee. So the committee has decided to transition from paper to electronic records to track the complex medical care of Olympians.

It's far from unanimous, but many believe Newton's law of inertia will kick in even if the fedreal statute that launched changes in the nation's health care system is found unconstitutional.

Some companies are adding drug dispensaries to their on-site health clinics. Others are offering concierge services that deliver drugs right to workers' desks. The companies hope to improve workers' compliance with doctors' orders by making it easier to get prescriptions filled.

Under some state laws, a patient's positive test for alcohol can mean that insurers won't pay hospitals and doctors for care after an accident. To sidestep the potential problem, hospitals often don't screen patients for alcohol use.