Health & Safety

Gary Gray's liver was failing. But doctors told him he might die waiting for a liver transplant, thanks to a policy change that disadvantaged Kansans and people from some other Southern and Midwestern states.

Health & Safety

One man left Kansas for a lifesaving liver transplant — but the problems run deeper

6:33pm May 24, 2023

by Rose Conlon

It's harder for people in some Midwestern and Southern states to get liver transplants than it used to be, highlighting inequities in a system that doctors say has always been unfair.

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Health & Safety

What one author says a post-Roe U.S. reveals about Planned Parenthood

5:55pm May 24, 2023

Writer Eyal Press talks about Planned Parenthood and what a post-Roe U.S. reveals about the organization.

Alicia Celaya, David Cardenas and their son Adrian, 3, in Phoenix in April. Celaya and her family will lose their Medicaid coverage later this year, a result of a year-long nationwide review of the Medicaid enrollees that will require states to remove people whose incomes are now too high for the program.

Health & Safety

In some states, hundreds of thousands dropped from Medicaid

3:00pm May 24, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

As states begin to require people to requalify for the free health insurance, many who are eligible are losing coverage because of administrative snafus.

Health & Safety

North Carolina launches sexual health awareness campaign

10:56am May 24, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

North Carolina is launching a new campaign to raise awareness about sexual health.

Noise can affect how the brain develops.

How a little more silence in children's lives helps them grow

10:07am May 24, 2023

by LA Johnson

Studies show too much noise, particularly loud, irregular noise, can hurt a child's brain development, because if sound is irregular, it distracts our brains and makes concentration more difficult.

South Carolina Sen. Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, speaks during a Senate debate on whether to pass a stricter law on abortion, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina is poised to renew its 6-week abortion ban

8:19pm May 23, 2023

by The Associated Press

The proposal restores a ban South Carolina had in place when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year — which was overturned by the state's highest court.

A vendor in a market in Nigeria counts local bills. The country is one of dozens whose devalued currency is fueling a debt crisis.

Health & Safety

A dilemma for dozens of countries: Fund your schools and hospitals or pay your debt

8:05pm May 23, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

There's a looming debt crisis in many lower income countries. Low interest rates a few years back started the cycle. Then came a series of once in a generation shocks. Is there a solution?

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For people with long COVID, getting long-term federal disability is a big challenge

4:51pm May 23, 2023

by Keith Mizuguchi

Many people affected by long COVID have lost their jobs and now rely on disability checks to try to survive. But getting approved for long-term federal disability for long COVID is a major challenge.

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President Joe Biden listens as he meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., to discuss the debt limit in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, May 22, 2023, in Washington.

More than 6 in 10 say Biden's mental fitness to be president is a concern, poll finds

4:39pm May 23, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

As President Joe Biden seeks a second term in office, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that a majority of Americans are concerned about his mental fitness.

After emergency surgery, an American expatriate with Swiss insurance now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill.

Health & Safety

He visited the U.S. for his daughter's wedding — and left with a $42,000 medical bill

4:39pm May 23, 2023

by Sarah Jane Tribble

After emergency surgery, an American expatriate now carries the baggage of a five-figure bill. Costs for medical care in the U.S. can be two to three times the rates in other developed countries.