Health & Safety

Sen. Klobuchar was among those fighting to lower drug prices for Medicare recipients

8:24am August 29, 2023

NPR's A Martinez talks to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota about which medications are up first to have their prices negotiated, and when will the new prices kick in.

The Biden administration picks the first 10 drugs for Medicare price negotiation

8:13am August 29, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The Inflation Reduction Act gives the federal government power to negotiate the price of certain drugs for Medicare. It marks a change to prescription drug policy that's been decades in the making.

Health & Safety

The U.S. is experiencing a late summer wave of COVID cases

8:13am August 29, 2023

While most people aren't getting really sick, hospitalizations are up more than 21% across the country. Elderly people are most at risk.

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Health & Safety

Morning news brief

7:38am August 29, 2023

Florida braces for Idalia, which is set to become a hurricane. Schools and hospitals recommend masking over rising COVID cases. And Uganda makes charges in its first "aggravated homosexuality" case.

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Eloise Reynolds lost her husband, Kent, to colon cancer last year. She paid what she believed to be his final hospital bill, but this year she received a new version of the bill, charging nearly $1,100 more due to "adjustments."

Health & Safety

She paid her husband's hospital bill. A year after his death, they wanted more money

5:12am August 29, 2023

by Samantha Liss

Eloise Reynolds encountered a perplexing reality in medical billing: Providers can come after patients for more money well after a bill has been paid.

Hawaii officials will study longer term health consequences of Lahaina fire disaster

5:12am August 29, 2023

More than three weeks after the deadly wildfires on Maui, what health support are survivors needing, and how are they getting it at a community level?

Medicaid warns 5 states that they've made it too hard for residents to keep coverage

5:14pm August 28, 2023

by Austin Amestoy

The federal government has put five states on notice that they make it too hard for people to stay on Medicaid. When COVID-19 hit, states had to keep everyone on the rolls. But that rule has expired.

Distrust undermined the U.S. pandemic response. Now, it continues to erode healthcare

5:08pm August 28, 2023

by Frank Morris

High levels of distrust undermined the country's pandemic response and possibly caused half a million deaths. Distrust continues to erode healthcare, diminish access and give old diseases a chance.

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Some people who take Ozempic and Wegovy report it tamps down their cravings for alcohol, and they're drinking less.

Ozempic seems to curb cravings for alcohol. Here's what scientists think is going on

3:23pm August 28, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

People taking weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy report a dampening of the urge to drink. Here's how the drugs curb cravings and what that could mean for helping treat addiction.

Scientists have engineered an albino squid that provides a window into the inner workings of the brain.

Health & Safety

How scientists engineered a see-through squid with its brain in plain view

12:13pm August 28, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

A see-through squid is giving scientists an unprecedented view of the brain and other organs in a living animal.

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