A national network of hospitals in the U.S. called Cancer Treatment Centers of America is combining state-of-the-art medical care for patients in advanced-stages of cancer with spiritual support by a team of pastors, which is said to help patients live longer.

"The focus of Care that the Cancer Treatment Centers of America utilizes is a 'Holistic Model,' and in that model 'Spirituality' among several other modalities, and the support of such in a clinical environment, based upon a plethora of research strongly suggests that healing, and wellness can be directly related to those emphasis, which in this case would be 'Spirituality/Religious' support," the Rev. Percy W. McCray, Jr., pastoral care director at CTCA, shared with The Christian Post in an email on Tuesday.

While a team of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists and integrative care clinicians assist with the patients' medical needs, the pastors minister to their Christian faith. more >>

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said in a recent interview that she maintains hope that President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare," will be repealed before 2016, saying she believes God will ultimately perform a miracle.

"I think the president will ultimately be forced to repudiate his own signature piece of legislation because the American people will demand it," Bachmann told radio host Dr. James Dobson on his "Family Talk" radio program Tuesday.

"And I think before his second term is over, we're going to see a miracle before our eyes, I believe God is going to answer our prayers and we'll be freed from the yoke of Obamacare," the Minnesota representative added. "I believe that's going to happen and we saw step one last week with the repeal of Obamacare in the House. We have two more steps. We serve a mighty God and I believe it can happen." more >>

Labor union leaders are complaining they are getting shortchanged by the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare." They are asking the White House to allow the health care exchange subsidies to be used for their worker's health care plans, which could dramatically increase the cost of the ACA.

In an op-ed for The Hill, Joseph Hansen, president of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, claims that, unlike what President Barack Obama promised labor leaders during his 2008 campaign, many workers now represented by a labor union will lose their current health insurance when the new law goes into effect.

The problem, Hansen says, is the ACA will pass higher costs, without additional cost-saving benefits, onto the non-profit health care plans that their members have negotiated with their employers, thus encouraging the employers to drop the health coverage altogether. Their workers would then get health insurance through the health care exchanges, or through Medicaid, if they are eligible. more >>

As a physician in private practice I enjoys taking care of elderly patients. Because most retirees over age 65 who want to be insured have no choice but to enroll in the Medicare program, I have continued to cooperate with the program. Many of my physician colleagues have opted out of Medicare, and I wonder how long I can hold out. As I continue to be presented with new Medicare requirements, it appears I am being given two choices. I can continue to provide comprehensive, personalized care for my patients, or I can focus on the paperwork, mandates, and forms required to get paid. I am coming to the conclusion that I cannot do both.

The federal government wants to dictate what I do for my patients even if it might compromise my best judgment. I must trust the dictates of those who never went to medical school. They cannot possibly know what is best for the patient sitting in front of me. Will I allow my judgment to be clouded by those with the power to deny me payment if I do not comply with their "standards?"

The Medicare bureaucracy has come up with more hoops through which I must jump to avoid penalties. The Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a new entity that is another distraction. The following is just one example of jargon from the Medicare website: more >>

As scandals rise around the Obama Administration, from Benghazi to the IRS, Republicans and some Democrats are also jumping on a new development: United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting private funding to implement the healthcare law.

When Congress denied her request for nearly $1 billion to promote the healthcare exchanges, a central part of the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare, Sebelius allegedly turned to healthcare executives to finance Enroll America, a nonprofit group devoted to expanding access.

In an official statement to The Christian Post, HHS acknowledged, "since March, the Secretary has made two fundraising calls on behalf of Enroll America to two organizations – the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and H&R Block – neither of which is regulated by us and both of whom share a commitment to helping uninsured Americans." more >>

Eighteen-year-old viral video inspiration Zach Sobiech's long goodbye came to a solemn halt on Monday morning when he died from the rare bone cancer osteosarcoma. He had been battling the disease for the last four years of his life.

The Lakeland, Minn., teen who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 14, began writing farewell songs to his friends and family last year after he ran out of treatment options and doctors gave him a year to live.

According to CNN, Sobiech's mother had initially encouraged the teen to write goodbye letters but writing wasn't something he liked very much. more >>