Health & Safety

The FDA posted recall notices for eyedrops distributed by Pharmedica and Apotex.

2 more eyedrop brands are recalled due to risks of injury and vision problems

10:20am March 08, 2023

by The Associated Press

The FDA posted recall notices for certain eyedrops distributed by Pharmedica and Apotex, including an over-the-counter product, Purely Soothing 15% MSM Drops, "that could result in blindness."

Health & Safety

Getting abortion pills into Ukraine during a war meant having to be creative

9:25am March 08, 2023

by Gregory Warner

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the supply of abortion pills dwindled. NPR reporters follow a secret effort to resupply doctors and help women with pregnancies made complicated by war.

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A vial of the Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, Bivalent. Though the shots are free to pretty much anyone who wants one in the U.S. as long as federal stockpiles hold out, the next update of the vaccine might be costly for some people who lack health insurance.

Moderna's COVID vaccine gambit: Hike the price, offer free doses for uninsured

5:01am March 08, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

Once U.S. stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccine run out, Moderna says it might charge as much as $130 per dose, but give people who lack health insurance a break. Critics say that's not enough help.

Newsom denounces Walgreens for saying it'd only dispense abortion pill in some states

5:19pm March 07, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

California's governor tweeted out the state was "done" with Walgreens because of its response to a threat from 20 Republican attorneys general over abortion pills.

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Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, speaks near the Texas Capitol in Austin during an event to announce that her group is suing the state on behalf of five women and two doctors.

5 Texas women denied abortions sue the state, saying the bans put them in danger

4:34pm March 07, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

The lawsuit filed on behalf of five patients who said their lives were put at risk and two physicians asks a state judge to clarify exceptions for medical emergencies under Texas law.

Walgreens announced last week that it'd stop selling mifepristone, a popular abortion pill, in red states. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his state will cut ties with the pharmacy giant after the move.

California will cut ties with Walgreens over the company's plan to drop abortion pills

3:43pm March 07, 2023

by Emily Olson

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state would halt business with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant agreed to stop distributing mifepristone in some red states amid legal pressure.

New York no longer has a face mask mandate — and New York City Mayor Eric Adams is telling stores to get customers to lower their mask before entering, to help prevent crime. It's a reversal of previous guidance for shops: Here, a face mask sign is seen on a cafe's door in December of 2021, when the state mandated the wearing of masks.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is telling stores to have customers remove their face masks

2:51pm March 07, 2023

by Bill Chappell

"We are putting out a clear call to all of our shops: Do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask," the mayor said. A flurry of questions ensued.

Millions of households across 32 states and the District of Columbia are receiving far less in SNAP benefits this month as Congress unwinds pandemic-era assistance.

Health & Safety

What SNAP recipients can expect as benefits shrink in March

5:08am March 07, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

Participants in the federal food program might want to reevaluate their eligibility level for SNAP — and consider other assistance programs — as a pandemic-era supplement ends this month.

Marcus and Allyson Ward were paying off a debt dating back to the birth of their twins, Theo and Milo. They are among 100 million Americans with medical debt, according to a KHN/NPR investigation.

Medical debt affects millions, and advocates push IRS, consumer agency for relief

5:00am March 07, 2023

by Noam Levey

More than 50 consumer and patient groups want the Biden Administration to aggressively protect Americans from medical bills and debt collectors. The effort follows a KHN/NPR investigation.

Residents who live near Jack Daniels distilleries have to deal with whiskey fungus

6:56pm March 06, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Lexington Herald Leader reporter Janet Patton about the whiskey fungus plaguing thousands of residents who live near Jack Daniels distilleries in Tennessee and Kentucky.

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