On Disabilities

A man using a wheelchair hands his ID to an officer at a security screening checkpoint at Orlando International Airport in 2020.

Despite calls to improve, air travel is still a nightmare for many with disabilities

12:57pm November 09, 2021

Congress told the Transportation Security Administration and airlines in 2018 to improve air travel for people with disabilities. But TSA data and stories from flyers suggest little has improved.

A long document labeled "health insurance" turns into waves as the document stretches across the screen. Two people in a small boat ride the "waves" of the document, fishing for the jargon like "deductible" and "copayment."

6 tips to help you pick the right health insurance plan

12:19pm November 01, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The open enrollment period to buy health insurance on HealthCare.gov starts now and runs through Jan. 15, 2022. Look for more options and expanded subsidies this year — and more help signing up.

Expanded funds for in-home care can help seniors and disabled Americans stay in their homes. Here, Lidia Vilorio, a home health aide, gives her patient Martina Negron her medicine and crackers for her tea in May in Haverstraw, N.Y.

Health & Safety

New federal funds spur expansion of home care services for the elderly and disabled

3:16pm October 21, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

These services can make the difference between being able to live at home with family or landing in a nursing facility. But state Medicaid programs don't always pay for them.

Carlene Knight, who has a congenital eye disorder, volunteered to let doctors edit the genes in her retina using CRISPR.

A Gene-Editing Experiment Let These Patients With Vision Loss See Color Again

5:55pm September 29, 2021

by Rob Stein

In a first, doctors injected the gene-editing tool CRISPR directly into cells in patients' eyes. The experiment helped these vision-impaired patients see shapes and colors again.

A supporter of pop star Britney Spears participating in a #FreeBritney rally on July 14 in Washington, D.C. When anyone poses a high risk of harm to themselves or others, psychiatrists are obligated to hospitalize them, even against their will. For many p

The Cost Of Forced Psychiatric Care Like Britney Spears Got Can Be Ruinous

9:06am September 27, 2021

by Christopher Magoon

The pop star was forced into psychiatric care — and compelled to pay for it. That could happen to anyone during an episode of serious mental illness, adding a financial threat to the health woes.

Everyday tasks — such as buttoning a shirt, opening a jar or brushing teeth — can suddenly seem impossible after a stroke that affects the brain's fine motor control of the hands. New research suggests starting intensive rehab a bit later than typical

The Best Time For Rehabilitation After A Stroke Might Actually Be 2 To 3 Months Later

7:24pm September 20, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

Intensive rehabilitative therapy that starts two to three months after a stroke may be key to helping the injured brain rewire, a new study suggests. That's later than covered by many insurance plans.

Weeks after getting sick from COVID-19, Kathleen Hipps is still experiencing symptoms, even though she was fully vaccinated.

What We Know About Breakthrough Infections And Long COVID

10:19am September 13, 2021

by Rob Stein

As the delta variant causes more vaccinated people to get "breakthrough infections," concerns are rising that even the vaccinated could develop long COVID symptoms in rare cases.

A Vermont Man Needed Assistance To Kayak. His Community Got To Work To Change That

5:09pm September 08, 2021

by Jon Kalish

After a Vermont man was paralyzed from the chest down in an accident, he could only kayak if someone got him in and out of his boat. His neighbors built him a hoist so he can paddle whenever he likes.

ECMO is the highest level of life support — beyond a ventilator, which pumps oxygen via a tube through the windpipe into the lungs. Instead, the ECMO process basically functions as a heart and lungs outside of the body — routing the blood via tubing t

Across The COVID-Ravaged South, High-Level Life Support Is Difficult To Find

5:00am September 06, 2021

by Blake Farmer

ECMO, the highest level of mechanical life support, functions as a temporary heart and lungs for some of COVID-19's sickest patients. But the waitlist is too long for many patients who need it.

Storylines Abound At Tokyo Paralympics

6:19pm September 01, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Alex Azzi, editor of the NBC blog On Her Turf, about the Paralympics in Tokyo.