Affordable Care Act

Palliative medicine physician Michael Fratkin gets off a plane after visiting a patient on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. He's recently launched a startup to support this kind of work.

Rural Doctor Launches Startup To Ease Pain Of Dying Patients

4:16pm January 05, 2015

by April Dembosky

Getting basic health care to rural areas has always been difficult, and delivering specialized care even harder. One doctor is raising money to bring palliative care to patients in rural California.

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Health & Safety

North Carolina Residents Busy Signing Up For Health Care

1:47pm December 31, 2014

by Neal Charnoff

North Carolina is again one of the country's busiest states for consumers signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The state's reluctance to take part in the program mean

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President Obama responds to a question from NPR's Steve Inskeep on Dec. 17 in the Oval Office.

Here's Why Obama Said The U.S. Is 'Less Racially Divided'

6:05pm December 30, 2014

by Steve Inskeep

The president says incidents in the past year have "surfaced" long-simmering issues between minority communities and authorities, allowing for a healthy airing of grievances.

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Hospitals Win In States That Chose To Expand Medicaid

11:58am December 30, 2014

In negotiations over the Affordable Care Act, hospitals agreed to cuts in federal payments for uncompensated care in the expectation that millions of people would get Medicaid coverage.

Kevin Counihan (left) runs HealthCare.gov, and Michael Cannon, of the Cato Institute, is a prominent critic of Obamacare.

A Split View On Obamacare's Past And Future

10:05am December 30, 2014

by Jeff Cohen

The Affordable Care Act created insurance subsidies that are under legal challenge. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in 2015 and could rule against a key provision of the law.

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Donna Giron wheels through the halls of the nursing home she's lived in since May. Finding an affordable home of her own has been difficult.

When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach

8:19am December 29, 2014

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Health insurance doesn't pay for housing, but sometimes that is what a patient needs most. A Medicaid experiment helps some elderly and disabled people move out of institutions into their own homes.

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Tennessee's Medicaid Deal Dodges A Partisan Fight

11:07am December 28, 2014

by Bobby Allyn

An agreement between the Tennessee Hospital Association and Republican Gov. Bill Haslam expands Medicaid without tax dollars, an agreement that could be a blueprint for other states.

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Need a gift for a 20-something kid about to age out of the family's health plan? Juana Rivera (left) discusses insurance options with Fabrizzio Russi, an agent from Sunshine Life and Health Advisors, at the Mall of the Americas in Miami.

Would You Like Health Insurance With Those Stocking Stuffers?

5:06pm December 26, 2014

by April Dembosky

While shoppers rush to the mall to pick up the last neckties and Transformers for Christmas, health officials are trying to pitch them on an unconventional gift this holiday season: health insurance.

Obama Administration Downplays Court Challenge To Health Law

10:24am December 24, 2014

by Julie Rovner

With this year's enrollment in Obamacare brisk, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says she's not worried that the U.S. Supreme Court may yet overturn a key provision of the law.

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Sandra Lopez (left) and her dog, Coco, greet hospice nurse Heather Meyerend last fall. In the weeks before Lopez died, Meyerend stopped by weekly to check her physical health, pain levels and medications.

Too Little, Too Late For Many New Yorkers Seeking Hospice

4:27pm December 17, 2014

by Fred Mogul

Evidence shows hospice care can extend life and save money, but only if patients and doctors dare ask for the help. One New Yorker said hospice gave her back life at peace, pain subdued.

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