health care

Two days before Christine Rayburn was scheduled to have a cancerous tumor removed, the hospital cancelled the surgery, part of a wave of cancellations of "elective" surgeries during the coronavirus pandemic. But Rayburn's surgeon fought back, and got the

Health & Safety

As Coronavirus Strains Hospitals, Cancer Patients Face Treatment Delays, Uncertainty

9:31pm April 02, 2020

by Will Stone

As hospitals are forced to delay or cancel certain medical procedures so they can focus resources on treatment of COVID-19, it's disrupting ongoing care for people with other serious illnesses.

Medical staff move bodies from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Thursday to a refrigerated truck.

FACT CHECK: Money-To-Hospitals Plan To Treat Coronavirus Patients Could Face Problems

9:01pm April 02, 2020

by Dan Charles

Instead of reopening health care exchanges for those who don't qualify for Medicaid and don't have employer-based insurance, Trump is proposing paying hospitals directly. But it might not be enough.

Health & Safety

What To Do If You Just Lost Health Insurance With Your Job

8:35pm April 02, 2020

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The coronavirus pandemic poses both a public health and an economic crisis. Squarely in the middle of those concerns are fears about medical bills and loss of employer-provided health insurance.

Queue Listen Now

Amid the COVID-19 epidemic, there has been a steep drop in patients seeking nonurgent primary care and specialty care.

Health & Safety

COVID-19 Hits Some Health Care Workers With Pay Cuts And Layoffs

7:30pm April 02, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

As the health industry focuses on COVID-19, there has been a big drop in nonurgent visits for primary care and specialty care. Medical practices are being forced to furlough or lay off staff.

A Pier 39 employee wears protective gear while cleaning a sidewalk in San Francisco, Calif., on March 16, the day the county announced a local shelter-in-place order. On March 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a shelter-in-place order for the ent

Want To See What Your City's Pandemic Plan Says? Good Luck.

6:14pm April 02, 2020

NPR reached out to the public health departments serving some of the largest cities in the U.S. Most did not have their most current pandemic response plan posted publicly and many were out of date.

Health & Safety

A Medical School Graduate Goes Straight To The Front Lines

4:13pm April 02, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Gabrielle Mayer, who is graduating from medical school early to help the coronavirus-positive patients coming into Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

Queue Listen Now

Trauma surgeon David Nott, shown above in Bangladesh, has volunteered in war zones and disaster areas around the world. Now he's treating COVID-19 patients in London.

'War Doctor' Says Treating COVID-19 Is Like Fighting An Invisible Enemy

1:42pm April 02, 2020

by Terry Gross

Trauma surgeon David Nott has volunteered in war zones and disaster areas around the world. Now he's treating COVID-19 patients in London. He calls the pandemic a "disaster zone for the whole world."

Queue Listen Now

A medical worker administers a COVID-19 test at a facility in Camden, N.J., on Wednesday.

Health & Safety

Think You've Got COVID-19? Here's What Doctors Say About When To Seek Help

11:29am April 02, 2020

by Geoff Brumfiel

Many people can ride the disease out at home, but doctors are getting a better idea of who should seek medical attention and when.

Coronavirus Overwhelms Georgia Hospital: Patients Flood In As Staff Weathers Exposure

6:19pm April 01, 2020

by Steve Inskeep

A severe outbreak in Dougherty County is taxing the biggest hospital in Albany, Ga., a small inland community of 73,000.

Queue Listen Now

5 Key Facts Not Explained In White House COVID-19 Projections

5:40pm April 01, 2020

by Nurith Aizenman

The Trump administration's strategy for ending the current wave of coronavirus infections relies on a model that appears to count on several important assumptions. We look at why that matters.