On Disabilities

Medicare Advantage plans, administered by private insurance companies under contract with Medicare, treat more than 22 million seniors — more than 1 in 3 people on Medicare.

Health & Safety

Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions Annually, Records Show

3:08pm July 16, 2019

The federal government wants to deploy several new tools for catching insurers that have overcharged Medicare $30 billion in the past three years alone. But the insurance industry is balking.

Demonstrators rallied in Sacramento in May for Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented Californians. When the state's budget was finalized, only young adults up to age 26 were authorized to be included in the expansion. Gov. Gavin Newsom says that's an importa

Health & Safety

Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits

2:48pm July 11, 2019

by Sammy Caiola

In January, California expects to enroll 138,000 undocumented, low-income residents under age 26 in the state's version of Medicaid. But young adults say their parents need health care coverage, too.

From 2012 through 2016, federal health inspectors cited 87% of U.S. hospices for deficiencies. And 20% had lapses serious enough to endanger patients, according to two new reports from the HHS Inspector General's Office.

HHS Inspector General Finds Serious Flaws In 20% Of U.S. Hospice Programs

1:48pm July 09, 2019

by Ina Jaffe

Two new reports from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have found widespread problems in hospice care and say the government needs to open its scorecards on hospice care to the public.

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Demonstrators from Doctors for America marched in support of the Affordable Care Act outside the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2015. Now, another case aims to undo the federal health law: Texas v. United States could land in front of the Supreme Court ahead

The Affordable Care Act Is Back In Court: 5 Facts You Need To Know

7:49am July 09, 2019

by Julie Rovner

The ACA is again being put to the test, after a lower court judge ruled the massive health law unconstitutional. The case might yet ricochet back to the Supreme Court ahead of the 2020 election.

Marchers at a candlelight vigil in San Francisco, Calif., carry a banner to call attention to the continuing battle against AIDS on May 29, 1989. The city was home to the nation's first AIDS special care unit. The unit, which opened in 1983, is the subjec

1st AIDS Ward '5B' Fought To Give Patients Compassionate Care, Dignified Deaths

2:48pm June 26, 2019

by Terry Gross

A new documentary tells the story of America's first inpatient unit dedicated to the care of people with AIDS. Nurse Cliff Morrison helped create 5B in 1983, and worked on it with Dr. Paul Volberding.

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What do restraint and seclusion practices in schools look like?

How Some Schools Restrain Or Seclude Students: A Look At A Controversial Practice

3:08pm June 15, 2019

by Jenny Abamu

It's supposed to be a last resort when students pose a danger to themselves or others, but laws and policies vary widely around the country.

In many rural areas, helicopters are the only speedy way to get patients to a trauma center or hospital burn unit. As more than 100 rural hospitals have closed around the U.S. since 2010, the need for air transport has only increased.

Why Air Ambulance Bills Are Still Sky-High

5:00am June 14, 2019

by Rachel Bluth

The median air ambulance bill is more than $36,000 and is seldom covered by health plans. So far, legislative hurdles and industry pressure have kept Congress from stepping in.

Bonnielin Swenor, an assistant professor of ophthalmology, has myopic macular degeneration. It hasn't stopped her from having a prolific career as a researcher and epidemiologist. But until recently, she rarely discussed her disability with her peers, wor

Health & Safety

What Medicine Can Learn From Doctors And Researchers With Disabilities

5:01pm June 13, 2019

by Susie Neilson

Bonnielin Swenor has dedicated her life to helping vision-impaired patients. She also has low vision herself — and she is fighting to increase the presence of disabled people in science and medicine.

Many Americans with disabilities who live in rural areas of the U.S. said it would be a challenge for them to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense, according to the results of a new poll.

Rural Health: Financial Insecurity Plagues Many Who Live With Disability

7:35pm June 12, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Having to come up with $1,000 unexpectedly can be a challenge for anyone. NPR's recent poll on rural health found that especially true for one group: people with disabilities.

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Two reports from the federal government have determined that many cases of abuse or neglect of elderly patients that are severe enough to require medical attention are not being reported to enforcement agencies by nursing homes or health workers — even

Health Workers Still Aren't Alerting Police About Likely Elder Abuse, Reports Find

2:24pm June 12, 2019

by Ina Jaffe

Workers in nursing homes, hospital ERs and other health facilities are required by law to notify police whenever they notice likely signs of physical or sexual abuse. But that's often not happening.

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