Business

How does the doctor decide what to write on the prescription pad?

Health & Safety

Top Medicare Prescribers Rake In Speaking Fees From Drugmakers

5:38pm July 03, 2013

by Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber and Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica

Paying doctors to prescribe particular drugs is illegal. But drugmakers pay some doctors to talk with their peers about prescription drugs. The speakers say they aren't influenced by the money they get for promoting the drugs. But data show many of them are top prescribers of the medicines.

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Patients sit with their eyes bandaged at an Aravind Eye Care clinic in Madurai, India after cataract surgeries. Aravind performs more than 300,000 cataract surgeries annually.

One Man's Quest To Make Medical Technology Affordable To All

2:47pm July 03, 2013

by John Ydstie

David Green says capitalism practiced with empathy is the right way to make health care available to the masses. The social entrepreneur is working on medical devices and services that can make a difference in the developing world.

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Kyle Fronke inventories the wine in Kahn's Fine Wines and Spirits in Indianapolis last year. Only liquor stores in the state can sell cold beer, and on Sunday, practically all carry out alcohol sales are prohibited.

National

Guess Who's Fighting To Keep Indiana Dry On Sundays?

9:52am July 03, 2013

by Sara Wittmeyer

Indiana is the only state where you can't buy packaged beer, wine and liquor on Sundays and the only state that regulates alcohol sales based on temperature. Convenience stores want to change the laws, but the state's liquor stores — who would seem to have the most to gain — are fighting back.

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White House Delays Key Piece Of Affordable Care Act

9:52am July 03, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The Obama administration has decided to delay the date companies with 50 or more full-time employees are required to comply with the Affordable Care Act. They'll now have until 2015.

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Mortgage interest rates have spiked recently, causing unease among potential homebuyers.

Economy

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Homebuyers Face New Dilemma

8:12pm July 02, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

Homebuyers are on edge after a sudden jump in mortgage rates. Industry analysts wonder if the spike in rates will scare off potential buyers or push them into closing a deal before rates go up more.

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Sound World Solution's hearing device lets a user customize its settings using a Bluetooth connection and a smartphone.

To Make Hearing Aids Affordable, Firm Turns On Bluetooth

10:38am July 02, 2013

by John Ydstie

Traditional hearing aids can be too expensive for many people. But a new type that uses Bluetooth technology costs only about $300. The company that makes the new devices aims to reach millions of people around the world who need hearing aids but have trouble paying for them.

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Obama Announces Trade Africa Initiative

8:36am July 02, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

President Obama is preparing to conclude his trip to Africa. The last leg of his trip is Tanzania, where he continues to press U.S. companies to invest in Africa. A new initiative is going to try to get rid of the road blocks that slow down trade in Africa.

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Former Energy Secretary Wants Power Generation Decentralized

8:36am July 02, 2013

Renee Montagne talks to former Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, who stepped down in April, about the current energy boom and how he would like to change energy policy.

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Edwy Plenel, head of the online investigative journalism website Mediapart, at his Paris office in April. The paper has attracted paying subscribers and is making a profit.

World News

An Online Upstart Roils French Media, Politics

6:11pm July 01, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

The Web newspaper Mediapart is turning conventional wisdom about the Internet and journalism on its head. It offers in-depth reporting without fluff or advertising. The publication is turning a profit, and creating an uproar in a country where the media has often been too cozy with power.

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Alabama County Files Plan To Exit Bankruptcy

10:57am July 01, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

Creditors are going to lose up to 70 cents of every dollar they're owed by Jefferson County, Ala. The county earned the title of largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history after a sewer financing deal went awry.

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