health care

Glenn Baker, 44, stands in his South Side apartment that is paid for by a program of the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago.

A Hospital Offers Frequent ER Patients An Out — Free Housing

6:22pm June 29, 2016

by Miles Bryan

Glenn Baker is what hospitals call a superutilizer, coming into the ER again and again with multiple health issues made worse by homelessness. So a Chicago hospital decided to offer him a home.

Queue Listen Now

Virginia Anderlini (right) was the first private client to try out Dr. Sonya Kim's new virtual reality program for the elderly, and says she's eager to see more. Kim's handful of programs are still at the demo stage.

Virtual Reality Aimed At The Elderly Finds New Fans

5:29pm June 29, 2016

by Kara Platoni

Some doctors are finding that virtual travel — to Venice, a Hawaiian beach or Africa — can open new worlds to people confined by low mobility, dementia or depression.

HeLa cells, commonly used in research, were derived from cervical cancer cells taken in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks without her permission.

Heat On White House To Scrap Redo Of Human Research Rules

4:34pm June 29, 2016

by Rob Stein

The Obama administration's controversial proposal to revise human research rules is flawed and should be scrapped, says a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Chicago Residents Fight Crime One Vacant Lot At A Time

4:28pm June 29, 2016

by David Schaper

A Chicago program announced two years ago that allows homeowners in impoverished neighborhoods to buy vacant lots on their block for a dollar is off to a very slow start. Residents hoping to spruce up the lots, plant community gardens or turn them into gathering places are frustrated by slow city bureaucracy.

The backlog of appeals of denied Medicare claims will take years to clear up even after changes proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Feds Want To Speed Up Medicare Appeals, But Backlog Will Still Last Years

1:58pm June 29, 2016

by Susan Jaffe

A Department of Health and Human Services proposal and an increase in funding could reduce the backlog in appeals of denied Medicare claims by 2021, six years sooner than without the changes.

President Obama is interviewed by NPR's Steve Inskeep at the White House on Monday.

NPR Politics Lunchbox: Concerns in Cleveland, 'Funny-Looking People'

12:43pm June 29, 2016

Our favorite 2016 news and stories curated from NPR and around the web.

How do you stay on the family health plan without your parents finding out about your health issues?

States Offer Privacy Protection For Young Adults On Parents' Health Plan

6:15pm June 28, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

When children up to the age of 26 can stay on the family health insurance plan, it can be difficult for them to keep their medical information private from Mom and Dad.

Abortion rights activists celebrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court Monday for a ruling in a case over a Texas law that places restrictions on abortion clinics.

Fallout From Supreme Court Ruling Against Texas Law's Abortion Restrictions

7:19pm June 27, 2016

by Julie Rovner

While Texas' law governing clinics that perform abortions was among the most restrictive, many other states have laws with some of the same provisions.

Supreme Court Overturns Texas Law Restricting Abortion

6:30pm June 27, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court ruled Monday on a case out of Texas with major implications for access to abortion services.

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Back in 2009, Ella Curry, 6, received a spritz of FluMist at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Md.

How FluMist Slipped From Preferred To Passe

4:59pm June 27, 2016

by Julie Appleby

A CDC advisory panel concluded the nasal spray vaccine is so ineffective that it shouldn't be used by anyone during the 2016-2017 flu season. Until 2015, the spray was the top choice for kids.