health care

People who earn up to 400 percent of the poverty level (about $48,500 for an individual and $100,400 for a family of four in 2019) are eligible for subsidies of the cost of their marketplace health plans. But many of the 5 million who aren't eligible feel

Health Costs Bear Down On Families Who Don't Qualify For ACA Subsidies

10:18am December 14, 2018

by Steve Findlay

Rising costs have driven millions who don't get a subsidy for their Affordable Care Act health plan to drop the coverage or turn to cheaper, less comprehensive — and sometimes inadequate — insurance.

The deadline for signing up for individual health insurance coverage on HealthCare.gov ends Saturday, Dec. 15.

ACA Sign-Ups Have Lagged For 2019. But What Does That Mean?

7:36am December 14, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

The pace of enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans is slower than in past years. That could mean fewer people will have health coverage — or that more people are getting insurance via their work.

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Nurse Denied Life Insurance Because She Carries Naloxone

10:28am December 13, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

The U.S. surgeon general has called on "bystanders" to be equipped with the opioid reversal drug to save lives. But when a nurse answered that call, her application for life insurance was denied. Why?

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A Falcons game ball that was presented to Tim in 1991.

Former NFL Player Tim Green Has A New Opponent — ALS

2:51pm December 12, 2018

by Tom Goldman

A well-known voice on NPR in the 1990s, Tim Green is one of a growing number of former football players with the degenerative illness Lou Gehrig's disease. And he's not hiding it.

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For years, pregnant women have been routinely excluded from medical studies, a practice that has left unanswered questions about how best to treat many health conditions during pregnancy.

Research Gaps Leave Doctors Guessing About Treatments For Pregnant Women

5:34pm December 10, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

To protect a developing fetus from experimental drugs or treatments that might cause birth defects, pregnant women aren't included in many clinical trials. But that limits the safety evidence, too.

Planned Parenthood opened its new headquarters in Washington, D.C., in September. The Supreme Court declined to take up a key case, a big win for the organization.

Politics & Government

Supreme Court Ducks Effort To Defund Planned Parenthood

4:56pm December 10, 2018

by Domenico Montanaro

Two states had tried to block the use of Medicaid money for non-abortion, pregnancy-related health care services at Planned Parenthood. The action is a big win for Planned Parenthood.

Angela Lautner, who lives in Elsmere, Ky., has Type 1 diabetes and is an advocate for affordable insulin.

'We're Fighting For Our Lives': Patients Protest Sky-High Insulin Prices

2:19pm December 10, 2018

by Bram Sable-Smith

The price of insulin keeps going up. For people with Type 1 diabetes, high prices can be a life and death issue. Now a grassroots movement is pushing for change.

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Located in Northern Wisconsin along the shores of Lake Superior, Ashland, Wis. has had enough of substance abuse issue. NorthLakes Community Clinic brought in Dr. Mark Lim to start a team providing substance abuse and mental health services.

Health & Safety

For One Rural Community, Fighting Addiction Started With Recruiting The Right Doctor

11:47am December 09, 2018

by Bram Sable-Smith

While opioids get all the attention, rural communities struggle with substances like meth and alcohol too. One clinic is building up capacity to treat all of them, using both medicine and counseling.

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In front of Japan's parliament on Friday, people stage a rally against the bill to allow more foreign workers into the country.

Facing Critical Labor Shortage, Japan Opens Door Wider To Foreign Workers

7:32pm December 07, 2018

by Denise Couture

An aging population and low birth rate have led lawmakers to accept semi-skilled non-Japanese temporary laborers.

When to get care and when to pass often comes down to finances.

Health & Safety

Poll: Young People More Likely To Defer Health Care Because Of Cost

2:12pm December 07, 2018

by Scott Hensley

A third of people under 35 said cost led them to put off some form of health care, compared with only 8 percent of people 65 and older, a poll by NPR and IBM Watson Health found.