Health & Safety

Surgeons are starting to reduce their opioid prescribing habits a little. But they still prescribe a lot of pain pills in the midst of an opioid addiction crisis.

Health & Safety

Opioid Prescribing Guidelines Are Slowing The Flow Of Pills — But Progress Is Slow

8:12pm August 14, 2019

After a group of hospitals in Michigan implemented opioid prescribing guidelines, surgeons there reduced the number of pills they prescribed by around a third. Nationally numbers are slow to change.

Unless a federal court intervenes, Planned Parenthood says it will formally withdraw from the nation's family planning program for low-income people.

Planned Parenthood To Withdraw From Title X, Unless Court Intervenes

6:27pm August 14, 2019

by Sarah McCammon

Planned Parenthood officials asked for a stay against new Trump administration rules that forbid organizations receiving Title X funds to provide or refer patients for abortion.

The "Cadillac tax," an enacted but not yet implemented part of the Affordable Care Act, is a 40% tax on the most generous employer-provided health insurance plans — those that cost more than $11,200 per year for an individual policy or $30,150 for famil

'Cadillac Tax' On Generous Health Plans May Be Headed For Repeal

3:51pm August 14, 2019

by Julie Rovner

The tax on an employer's generous health plan — originally envisioned as a way to get patients to avoid unneeded care — has never been implemented. Now Congress is considering a bipartisan repeal.

Hide The Wine! I'm Hosting My First Eid Al-Adha Feast

2:42pm August 14, 2019

by Malaka Gharib

I haven't been to a mosque in ages. I had no idea how to celebrate the holiday — or whether it was appropriate for me to do so.

Lithium: A Doctor, a Drug, and a Breakthrough, by Walter A. Brown

'Lithium' Is A Homage To A Drug — And To The Renegade Side Of Science

1:05pm August 14, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

By celebrating those who applied the substance as a drug, Walter A. Brown aims to raise awareness — and to demolish what remains of the myth that scientific progress is driven by rigorous dispassion.

Smog is common not only in Los Angeles but also in cities across the country. New research finds that long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution may be as harmful to the lungs as smoking.

Health & Safety

Air Pollution May Be As Harmful To Your Lungs As Smoking Cigarettes, Study Finds

11:31pm August 13, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

Smog can spike during hot days. A new study finds that the effects of breathing air pollution may be cumulative. Long-term exposure may lead to lung disease, even among people who've never smoked.

Queue Listen Now

A Newark, N.J., resident carries a case of bottled water distributed Monday at a recreation center. The Environmental Protection Agency said residents shouldn't rely on water filters the city gave out to address lead contamination.

Newark's Drinking Water Problem: Lead And Unreliable Filters

8:11pm August 13, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

Officials in the New Jersey city began to hand out water bottles this week after the Environmental Protection Agency said filtered drinking water samples exceeded government thresholds on lead levels.

The river that once snaked through the village is now a large trash heap.

How Bad Is Pakistan's Plastic Bag Problem? See For Yourself

5:47pm August 13, 2019

Prime Minister Imran Khan's ban on plastic bags in Pakistan goes into effect on Aug. 14. Environmentalists say it's a good idea — but argue that the plan is flawed.

Disability activists from around the world attended a seminar in Oregon. From left, Joyce Peter of Vanuatu, Sidonie Nduwimana of Burundi,, Wendy Beatriz Caishpal Jaco of El Salvador, Gina Rose Balanlay of the Philippines (standing) and Raluca Oancea of Ro

For Disability Activists, 3 Weeks In Oregon Is A Game Changer

3:39pm August 13, 2019

by Aparna Vidyasagar

A person with a disability may be practically invisible in some countries — or the target of cruel comments. Global activists gathered in Oregon to learn how to change laws and attitudes.

A child in a neighborhood in Kampala, Uganda, fills a container with water.

Report: There's A Growing Water Crisis In The Global South

3:08pm August 13, 2019

by Tim McDonnell

New research by the World Resources Institute finds evidence of a growing crisis in the supply of urban water.