Health & Safety

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who's in the hospital, cancels trip to Brussels

5:13am February 13, 2024

Austin canceled the trip which was set up to meet with international leaders about the war in Ukraine. Austin returned to the hospital on Sunday with a bladder issue.

A House-passed bill would equalize what Medicare pays when certain infusions are given in a hospital with what it pays when they're given in other health care settings. The hospital lobby is fighting it ferociously in the Senate.

Hospitals are fighting a Medicare payment fix that would save tax dollars

5:00am February 13, 2024

Medicare pays hospitals about double what it pays other providers for the same services. The hospital lobby is fighting hard to make sure a switch to "site-neutral payments" doesn't become law.

Aging, memory and the presidency

4:43pm February 12, 2024

by Jon Hamilton

Both President Biden and former President Trump have experienced public memory lapses. Experts say that's common for people of their age and not necessarily a sign of cognitive impairment or dementia.

Melody and her daughter Angeleena O'Connor, 16, at their home in Las Vegas. Angeleena has autism in addition to anxiety, bipolar disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, among other diagnoses that can cause violent outbursts.

Youth with autism are more likely to be arrested. A Nevada judge wants to remedy that

12:39pm February 12, 2024

by Jaclyn Diaz

Judge Sunny Bailey started a specialty court program in 2018 called DAAY Court or the detention alternative for autistic youth treatment. "It'll help other people like me," says one autistic teen."

Health & Safety

Influencers are asked to help stop the spread of mental health misinformation

5:05am February 12, 2024

by Andrea Muraskin

Harvard public health researchers recruited social media influencers who discuss mental health issues, and trained them to present better information to audiences.

Lifestyle medicine includes helping people eat a healthier diet.

Health & Safety

Weight-loss drugs aren't a magic bullet. Lifestyle changes are key to lasting health

5:01am February 12, 2024

by Lisa Doggett

A doctor argues that the current focus on fighting obesity with drugs like Ozempic ignores the bigger picture: We need a medical system and society that support healthy life habits.

When can a person be declared dead? The question can be hard to answer.

Health & Safety

Debate simmers over when doctors should declare brain death

7:01am February 11, 2024

by Rob Stein

Bioethicists, doctors and lawyers are weighing whether to redefine how someone should be declared dead. A change in criteria for brain death could have wide-ranging implications for patients' care.

Social isolation takes a toll on a rising number of South Korea's young adults

5:00am February 11, 2024

by Se Eun Gong

A growing number of South Korea's young adults are isolating themselves from society, raising questions about the state of youths in a country known for cutthroat competition and pressure to conform.

Building strength and staying active are secrets to healthy aging shared by NPR's readers.

Health & Safety

We asked. You answered. Here are your secrets to healthy aging

4:06pm February 10, 2024

by Andrea Muraskin

NPR asked our audiences to share their hard-won wisdom. We heard from more than 1,000 people, aged 16 to 103! Here's a roundup of your best advice for thriving as you age.

Sean Crimmins, a senior in engineering at the University of Nebraska, loads the robotic arm into its case on Aug. 11 before a shake test.

A tiny robot on the space station will simulate remote-controlled surgery up there

2:30pm February 10, 2024

by Juliana Kim

A robotic assistant recently arrived at the International Space Station to perform a simulated surgery that will be controlled by a surgeon 250 miles away on Earth.