health care

Tom and Dana Saputo sit in their backyard with their three dogs. Tom Saputo's double-lung transplant was fully covered by insurance, but he was responsible for an $11,524.79 portion of the charge for an air ambulance ride.

Health & Safety

The Air Ambulance Billed More Than The Lung Transplant Surgeon

11:23am November 06, 2019

by Anna Almendrala

After Tom Saputo underwent a double-lung transplant in 2018, he was stunned by the more than $11,000 bill for his share of a 27-mile air ambulance ride from one hospital to another.

Health & Safety

Trump Administration Plans To Roll Back Anti-Discrimination Rules Tied To HHS Funding

4:43pm November 05, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The Trump administration wants to roll back anti-discrimination rules tied to Health & Human Services spending, meaning groups could refuse a client based on sexual orientation, gender or religion.

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Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe first encountered Ebola in 1976, before it had been identified. Since then, from his post at the Congo National Institute for Biomedical Research, he has led the global search for a cure.

This Congolese Doctor Discovered Ebola But Never Got Credit For It — Until Now

12:24pm November 04, 2019

by Eyder Peralta

Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe first confronted a mysterious, bloody disease in 1976. But credit for the discovery went to Belgian researchers.

Health & Safety

Open Enrollment For 2020 Health Care Plans

8:10am November 03, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

This year, as open enrollment kicks off, the federal health insurance marketplace Healthcare.gov has a few new bells and whistles.

Kate Clyatt, 28, works seasonally as a ranch hand in southwest Montana, and relies on the state's Medicaid program for health coverage. "Ranching is just not a job with a lot of money in it," Clyatt says. "I don't know at what point I'm going to be able t

Health & Safety

Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid's Work Requirements

8:10am November 03, 2019

by Corin Cates-Carney

Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?

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Voters Weigh In As Elizabeth Warren Takes Health Care Plan On Campaign Trail

5:12pm November 02, 2019

by Asma Khalid

Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a plan to pay for "Medicare for All" without raising taxes on the middle class, and now she's on the campaign trail talking about it.

Adding Up Warren's 'Medicare For All' Plan

7:57am November 02, 2019

Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News tells NPR's Scott Simon about Elizabeth Warren's just-released plan to pay for her version of "Medicare to All."

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HealthCare.gov provides tools to guide you cost comparisons when you're choosing a health care plan.

Health & Safety

Open Enrollment Is Here: 6 Tips For Choosing A Health Insurance Plan

6:22pm November 01, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

If you're not getting health insurance from your employer, you can still get covered. You can shop for options through HealthCare.gov or your state's marketplace. Here's how to pick a plan.

Health & Safety

New Hope For Patients Living With Cystic Fibrosis After Scientists Unveil Therapy

4:33pm November 01, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins about the new cystic fibrosis drug therapy that could benefit 90% of patients with the disease.

During recent blackouts in California, people like Fern Brown (left) and her sister, Lavina Suehead, came to a pop-up community center at the Auburn, Calf., fairgrounds to use electricity. Brown, 81, needed a treatment for her chronic lung condition.

Health & Safety

California's Preemptive Blackouts Put A Strain On People With Home Medical Needs

10:26am November 01, 2019

by Mark Kreidler

People who rely on plug-in health devices or medicine that requires refrigeration are scrambling to find ways to avoid potentially life-threatening disruptions now and in future fire season shutdowns.