health care

Oxycodone pain pills prescribed for a patient with chronic pain are photographed in 2016. Attorneys unveiled a plan Friday morning which they say would move the nation closer to a global settlement of lawsuits stemming from the deadly opioid crisis.

Architecture For Possible Nationwide Opioid Settlement Unveiled

1:14am June 17, 2019

by Brian Mann

If finalized, such a deal could funnel tens of billions of dollars to American communities struggling with the addiction crisis, while restoring stability to one of the country's biggest industries.

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Attorneys Unveil Plan For National Settlement Of Lawsuits From Opioid Epidemic

4:34pm June 14, 2019

by Brian Mann

Attorneys who represent hundreds of local governments have a new proposal for how to deal with the opioid crisis. They unveiled the framework for nationwide settlement in federal court on Friday.

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In many rural areas, helicopters are the only speedy way to get patients to a trauma center or hospital burn unit. As more than 100 rural hospitals have closed around the U.S. since 2010, the need for air transport has only increased.

Why Air Ambulance Bills Are Still Sky-High

5:00am June 14, 2019

by Rachel Bluth

The median air ambulance bill is more than $36,000 and is seldom covered by health plans. So far, legislative hurdles and industry pressure have kept Congress from stepping in.

Drug agents last fall worked with a Minneapolis police SWAT team to seize just under 171 pounds of methamphetamine. Many U.S. states say they face an escalating problem with meth and drugs other than opioids.

Federal Grants Restricted To Fighting Opioids Miss The Mark, States Say

8:10pm June 13, 2019

The U.S. government has doled out at least $2.4 billion in state grants since 2017, specifically targeting the opioid epidemic. Yet drug abuse problems seldom involve only one substance.

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Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden publicly switched his position on the Hyde Amendment under pressure from other Democrats.

Ban On Abortion Funding Stays In House Bill As 2020 Democrats Promise Repeal

5:09pm June 13, 2019

by Kelsey Snell

Presidential candidates oppose the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion services. But House Democrats kept it in a spending package that's expected to pass in the coming days.

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How One Father Became A Leading Activist In The Fight Against Opioids

4:35pm June 13, 2019

When Greg McNeil's son Sam died of a heroin overdose in 2015, after first becoming addicted to prescription pain pills, the father reinvented himself as an opioid activist.

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Many Americans with disabilities who live in rural areas of the U.S. said it would be a challenge for them to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense, according to the results of a new poll.

Rural Health: Financial Insecurity Plagues Many Who Live With Disability

7:35pm June 12, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Having to come up with $1,000 unexpectedly can be a challenge for anyone. NPR's recent poll on rural health found that especially true for one group: people with disabilities.

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Health care workers sometimes oppose procedures on religious or moral grounds.

'Patients Will Die': One County's Challenge To Trump's 'Conscience Rights' Rule

2:39pm June 12, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

California's Santa Clara County argues that if the rule goes into effect in July, the county will suffer irreparable harm in terms of patient care and staffing costs.

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Two reports from the federal government have determined that many cases of abuse or neglect of elderly patients that are severe enough to require medical attention are not being reported to enforcement agencies by nursing homes or health workers — even

Health Workers Still Aren't Alerting Police About Likely Elder Abuse, Reports Find

2:24pm June 12, 2019

by Ina Jaffe

Workers in nursing homes, hospital ERs and other health facilities are required by law to notify police whenever they notice likely signs of physical or sexual abuse. But that's often not happening.

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In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Truvada to prevent HIV infection in people at high risk.

Health & Safety

Expert Panel Recommends Wider Use Of Daily Pill To Prevent HIV Infections

9:55pm June 11, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people at high risk of being infected with HIV should be offered a daily pill containing antiretroviral medications. The drug's cost remains a hurdle.

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