Health & Safety

In exchange for tax breaks, nonprofit hospitals provide assistance to poor patients. But some hospitals seize wages from poor patients with unpaid bills — even those who qualify for reduced-cost care.

The shift of North Carolina's Medicaid program from the Department of Health and Human Services to a new panel of experts has been delayed. The expected committee vote Wednesday did not occur.

Noncommunicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are now the biggest killers on Earth. They account for 68 percent of deaths — and have an even greater impact in the developing world.

A new state law requires that condoms be made available to all prison inmates — even though state law also forbids sex between prisoners.

By making E. coli dependent on an artificial amino acid, scientists hope to show that engineered organisms can be safer and more useful for industrial processes like drug production.

Ebola brought education to a halt in the country. This week, school doors reopened. Some parents are a little nervous about possible health risks. And some kids are actually glad to be back!

People use wearable gadgets and phone apps to monitor their health — everything from calories consumed to medication taken. But all that data doesn't necessarily translate into better health care.