Health

Health & Safety

'Village Movement' Allows Elderly To Age In Their Homes

4:34pm December 12, 2017

by Ina Jaffe

The so-called "village movement" coordinates crucial services for the elderly, allowing many to age in their homes. It's now expanded to 200 spots around the U.S., as advocates adapt the model to different communities.

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Philip Alston, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, is leading a mission to investigate poverty in the U.S.

The U.N. Looks At Extreme Poverty In The U.S., From Alabama To California

3:59pm December 12, 2017

One sign of the poverty they're investigating — the recent (and surprising) reemergence of hookworm in Lowndes County, Ala.

Anna Whiting Sorrell, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in northwest Montana, had hernia surgery a couple of years ago. The Indian Health Service picked up a part of the tab for the surgery but denied coverage for follow-up appointme

Health & Safety

Native Americans Feel Invisible In U.S. Health Care System

2:44pm December 12, 2017

by Eric Whitney

About a quarter of Native Americans report experiencing discrimination in health care, according to a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Nine million U.S. children get their health coverage through CHIP, a program jointly funded by federal and state governments. Several states say they can't fund the program alone past January.

Parents Worry Congress Won't Fund The Children's Health Insurance Program

1:59pm December 12, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

The federal funding of the program lapsed in September. States have been burning through leftover funds, or borrowing from other accounts, as they wait for Congress to act before the end of January.

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Join us for a webcast of the poll results on discrimination against Native Amercians hosted by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Health & Safety

Forum: Examining Discrimination Against Native Americans

1:14pm December 12, 2017

by Joe Neel

How do Native Americans experience discrimination in daily life? Experts in Native American issues discuss the results of an NPR poll showing widespread discrimination across the nation.

A week after Hurricane Harvey swept through southern Texas in August, the streets of Katy, Texas, were still flooded. People in Puerto Rico and the Southeastern U.S. who were affected by the hurricanes are among those who may have extra time to enroll for

Deadline Is Friday For Most ACA Insurance Sign-Ups, With Important Exceptions

1:10pm December 12, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Some people looking for 2018 insurance under the Affordable Care Act may have a little longer to sign up — for example, in states and U.S. territories hit by this year's hurricanes.

Five years ago, Avielle Richman, 6, was shot in her first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

A Newtown Family's Campaign To Change How We Think About Violence

11:01am December 12, 2017

by Tovia Smith

Avielle Richman was 6 years old when she was killed in her first-grade classroom. Her parents think a possible solution to gun violence is to treat it like a disease.

Michele Comisky of Vienna, Va., enrolled her 8-year-old son, Jackson, in a study to test the value of probiotics in preventing the gut distress often experienced when taking antibiotics.

Could Probiotics Protect Kids From A Downside Of Antibiotics?

7:26pm December 11, 2017

by Rob Stein

Many marketing claims about the potential benefits of probiotics have raced ahead of the science, say researchers who are now trying to catch up. One NIH study is investigating kids' gut microbes.

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Chart: Among women, personal experiences with discrimination vary by race, ethnicity and LGBTQ identity

Poll: Discrimination Against Women Is Common Across Races, Ethnicities, Identities

6:54pm December 11, 2017

by Joe Neel

New results from an NPR poll show sexism and discrimination against women is widespread and pervasive. Sexual harassment is just one of many challenges women experience in daily life.

DOJ Stepping Up Prosecutions Of Medical Providers Who Abuse Prescribing Authority

4:38pm December 11, 2017

It's believed that 80 percent of people addicted to heroin today started with prescription painkillers. The over-prescription of opioids in the U.S. has been well documented. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about how the Department of Justice is ramping up prosecutions of medical providers who abuse their prescribing authority when it comes to opioids.

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