health care

Why A Cancer Patient Opposes The 'Right To Try' Experimental Cancer Drugs

8:07am February 03, 2018

Michael Becker is dying from cancer. But he tells NPR's Scott Simon that he opposes the passage of the Right To Try Act, which gives terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced federal approval for changes to Indiana's Medicaid program Friday in Indianapolis.

Indiana Adds Work Requirement To Medicaid, Will Block Coverage If Paperwork Is Late

8:27pm February 02, 2018

by Phil Galewitz

Federal officials signed off on an Indiana plan that would lock out people who fail to promptly file Medicaid paperwork. The provision could drive thousands of people off Medicaid in the state.

Undergraduate Shira Rubin gamely demonstrates the Gesundheit machine, which collects samples of virus from the breath that sick students exhale. Rubin helps Dr. Somayeh Youssefi (left) set up the machine before patients use it.

When The Flu Hits Campus, The Gesundheit Machine Will Be Ready

4:29pm February 02, 2018

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

It's a particularly harsh flu season. In the close quarters of dorm rooms and cafeterias and study groups, the flu will come to college campuses. And when it does, one scientist will be ready.

Queue Listen Now

Matilde Gonzalez (left) and Cesar Calles hold their son, Cesar Julian Calles, 10 months old, as he is immunized with a flu shot in January at Sea Mar Community Health Center in Seattle.

Budget Delays Bring Uncertainty To Health Programs For The Needy

12:40pm February 02, 2018

by Shefali Luthra

With another federal budget deadline looming, there's a push to add provisions to a spending bill that would help community health centers and other providers of health services for low-income people.

Indiana's Brand Of Medicaid Drops 25,000 People For Failure To Pay Premiums

3:49pm February 01, 2018

by Phil Galewitz

The state built some key conservative policies into its experimental expansion of Medicaid. Lawmakers, health officials and patient advocates across the U.S. are now keenly watching the results.

A volunteer from the non-profit Accion Solidaria organizes imported medicines alphabetically, in a store room in Caracas, Venezuela, last April. The Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela estimates the country is suffering from an 85 percent shortage of m

Venezuela's Health Care System Ready To Collapse Amid Economic Crisis

3:21pm February 01, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

The Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela estimates the country is suffering from an 85 percent shortage of medicine amid an economic crisis also marked by severe hyperinflation and food scarcity.

An analysis of insurance claims in Washington state found that in a single year more than 600,000 patients underwent testing and treatment they didn't need, at an estimated cost of $282 million.

Health & Safety

Unnecessary Medical Care: More Common Than You Might Imagine

10:37am February 01, 2018

by Marshall Allen

An analysis of insurance claims in Washington state found that in a single year more than 600,000 patients underwent testing and treatment they didn't need, at an estimated cost of $282 million.

Leah Sarris (center) is the head chef and program director at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University. She teaches healthy cooking techniques and educates people about the significant role that food plays in preventing and managing

Can Cooking Classes Keep Chronic Heart Failure Patients Out Of The Hospital?

10:00am February 01, 2018

by Lela Nargi

At Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, researchers are teaching heart disease sufferers what makes a healthy meal — and how to cook one. The program will monitor how this affects readmission rates.

Brenda Fitzgerald, Georgia Department of Public Health commissioner, and Gov. Nathan Deal respond to questions about Ebola victims at Emory University Hospital and efforts to screen for Ebola in 2014. A report in Politico revealed documents showing severa

CDC Director Resigns Because Of 'Complex' Financial Entanglements

5:02pm January 31, 2018

by Joe Neel

Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald had "complex financial interests," according to a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. News reports say she bought tobacco stock while CDC director.

CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald Resigns After Reports Show Investment In Tobacco Stocks

4:27pm January 31, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

Brenda Fitzgerald, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resigned on Wednesday because of financial conflicts of interest. The chief public health official bought stocks in tobacco and health care companies after she started working at the agency.

Queue Listen Now