Health & Safety

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Outlines Potential Effects Of Repealing Obamacare

4:41pm November 21, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Republican Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart on what a GOP push to repeal the Affordable Care Act could mean for the insurance market and the U.S. economy.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., discussed a Republican alternative to Obamacare upon its release at the American Enterprise Institute in June.

If Republicans Repeal Obamacare, Ryan Has Replacement Blueprint

2:54pm November 21, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

The lack of specifics on health care from the president-elect means a plan released in June by House Speaker Paul Ryan is the best outline of what the GOP would like to replace Obamacare.

Bradley Opere, student body president at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, is a trailblazer in a blazer.

Kenyan 'Wonk' Breaks Barriers As Student Body Prez At UNC

2:37pm November 21, 2016

by Jason Beaubien

Bradley Opere is the first African to hold the office at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Along the way, he's learned a lot about politics, race — and football.

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Marijuana is now legal for recreational or medicinal use in more than half the country, but it's still banned in professional sports.

NFL Players Searching For Painkiller Choices Hope For Relaxed Marijuana Ban

2:36pm November 21, 2016

by Tom Goldman

Now that marijuana use is allowed in 28 states, it has opened up renewed questions about the drug as a pain reliever for people — including players in the National Football League.

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Volunteer Julia Torrano helps Estelle Day, 79, style her hair while she's a patient at UCLA Medical Center.

Hospital Companions Can Ease Isolation For Older People

1:43pm November 21, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Loneliness and social isolation can affect health for the worse. A California hospital is training volunteers to provide companionship and friendly assistance.

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When Morton Pollner was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 76, he thought it was a death sentence.

Older Patients Can Benefit From Lung Cancer Surgery

8:50am November 21, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Lung cancer affects mostly older people, but they're often not offered surgery as a treatment. A study finds that most older people can tolerate surgery, and that it extends lives.

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Protest signs at the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board's meeting Saturday in Marathon, Fla.

Florida Keys Approves Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Fight Zika

2:58pm November 20, 2016

by Greg Allen

In the Florida Keys, no cases of locally transmitted Zika have been reported, but officials have decided to go ahead with trials of a genetically modified mosquito to combat the spread of the disease.

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Crash Test Dummies Show The Difference Between Cars In Mexico And U.S.

12:20pm November 20, 2016

by Erin Ross

A car sold in the U.S. may have 10 airbags. The same model sold in a less wealthy country could have 2 — or maybe none.

Khoudia Diop didn't realize her skin color was special until she left Senegal.

How Khoudia Diop Learned To Love Her Dark Skin

6:59am November 20, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

The Senegalese model shot to social media fame for embracing her unusually dark skin — and inspiring women to do the same.

At the Grace Community Health Center in Manchester, Ky., psychologist Joan Nantz meets with patient Ramiro Salazar, who gained Medicaid under the expansion.

In Depressed Rural Kentucky, Worries Mount Over Medicaid Cutbacks

4:27pm November 19, 2016

by Phil Galewitz

People in poverty-stricken Clay County, Kentucky, worry about what will happen to their health care if Gov. Matt Bevin's and President-elect Trump's ambitions to overhaul Medicaid proceed.