health care

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar faced questions Wednesday from the House Ways and Means Committee about Idaho's move.

Idaho Insurer Moves Ahead With Health Plans That Flout Federal Rules

2:07pm February 15, 2018

by Julie Appleby

Blue Cross of Idaho unveiled new health plans that break with federal requirements in several ways, including setting premiums based on applicants' health. What will the administration do?

An upcoming iOS update will allow Apple users to see their health records on their cellphones.

Health & Safety

Medical Records May Finally Be Coming To Your Apple Smartphone

3:25pm February 14, 2018

by Alan Yu

In a planned upgrade of Apple's operating system for iPhones, the Health app will include health records, so people can take detailed, personal health information anywhere.

Vasectomies are more common among men over age 36 and those with higher education.

Maryland's No-Cost Vasectomy Law May Leave Some Patients Behind

5:00am February 14, 2018

by Michelle Andrews

State officials seeking to cover birth control methods for both men and women are trying to make sure the new law doesn't conflict with federal rules for health savings accounts.

Bottles of Purdue Pharma L.P. OxyContin medication sit on a pharmacy shelf in Provo, Utah, in 2016.

Doctors In Maine Say Halt In OxyContin Marketing Comes '20 Years Late'

4:39pm February 13, 2018

by Patty Wight

Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, won't promote opioids to doctors anymore. In Maine, physicians say the change should have happened long ago.

President Trump's budget request includes provisions that could affect drug prices.

Health & Safety

Trump's Budget Proposal Swings At Drug Prices But May Land Only A Glancing Blow

1:38pm February 13, 2018

by Sarah Jane Tribble

The Trump administration rolled out a list of actions in its budget proposal to attack drug prices, but most of the measures dance around the edges of the problem.

A young man uses heroin under a bridge in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, a neighborhood that has become a hub for heroin use. The economic costs of the epidemic are mounting, researchers say, as the U.S. loses more and more workers in their prime

Cost Of U.S. Opioid Epidemic Since 2001 Is $1 Trillion And Climbing

1:05pm February 13, 2018

by Greg Allen

Economists tracking federal mortality data say the opioid crisis is undercutting the productivity of people in their prime working years — 30s and 40s.

A single company, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, funneled $4.7 million to advocacy groups over the five-year period, according to the report.

Health & Safety

Drugmakers Spent Millions Promoting Opioids To Patient Groups, Senate Report Says

11:54am February 13, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The report released by Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says the cozy relationship between pain advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies may have played a key role in the opioid crisis.

OxyContin Manufacturer Says It Will Stop Promoting Opioid Painkiller To Doctors

10:14pm February 12, 2018

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with journalist Sam Quinones about Purdue Pharma's announcement that it would stop promoting its blockbuster opioid painkiller OxyContin to doctors. Purdue's move comes as it faces dozens of lawsuits.

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The new hospital garment ties in the front, like a robe, allowing the patient more modesty than the standard gown.

Can A Patient Gown Makeover Move Hospitals To Embrace Change?

4:59pm February 11, 2018

by Andrew Limbong

A Maryland hospital chain is testing new gowns that offer more coverage for patients' backsides. It's not the first time designers have tried to change the despised garment, without much success.

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What The Budget Deal Means For Medicare Drug Prices

8:02am February 10, 2018

The new budget will likely lower the cost of expensive prescription drugs for Medicare patients. Elisabeth Rosenthal of Kaiser Health News talks with NPR's Scott Simon.