health care

Ben and Tara Stern relax at home in Essex, Md. Ben was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2016. After conventional treatment failed to stop the tumor, Ben tried an experimental drug.

For Now, Sequencing Cancer Tumors Holds More Promise Than Proof

3:17pm January 15, 2018

by Richard Harris

Sequencing the DNA of cancer tumors to help pinpoint treatment is an emerging element of precision medicine. While patients and doctors alike want these tests, they often don't benefit patients.

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Health & Safety

The Call-In: The Nursing Industry

8:02am January 14, 2018

Depending on where you live, nurses can be in short supply. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Peter Buerhaus, a nursing professor at Montana State University, about the changing nursing industry.

A needle exchange program at the Austin Community Outreach Center in Austin, Ind., is aimed at stopping spread of HIV.

Mapping How The Opioid Epidemic Sparked An HIV Outbreak

6:00am January 14, 2018

by Heather Boerner

Researchers knew the HIV outbreak in the small town of Austin, Ind., was related to IV drug use. Mapping how the virus mutated over time revealed its path — and how it might have been stopped.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin On Requiring Medicaid Recipients To Work

7:51am January 13, 2018

Kentucky is the first state to require Medicaid recipients to work or get job training in order to qualify for aid. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Gov. Matt Bevin about the new requirements.

The Forgotten Needs Of Refugees From Hurricane Irma

7:00am January 13, 2018

by Abraar Karan

Finding a place to live is just the start. A doctor shares his experiences with two hurricane refugees.

Activity levels are based on the percent of outpatient visits in a state due to influenza-like illness (ILI) and are compared with the average percent of ILI visits that occur during weeks with little or no influenza virus circulation.

Flu Season Is Shaping Up To Be A Nasty One, CDC Says

6:02pm January 12, 2018

by Rob Stein

The flu season started early this year and is already widespread throughout the country and intense in dozens of states. But it's not too late to get that flu shot, officials say.

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Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, R-Ky., has said he thinks that Medicaid recipients should have "skin in the game."

Kentucky Gets OK To Require Work From Medicaid Recipients

5:40pm January 12, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

The move comes one day after the Trump administration said it would let states add work requirements to their Medicaid programs, which provide health coverage for people with low incomes.

Utah Gov. On State's Proposal To Impose Medicaid Work Requirements

5:17pm January 12, 2018

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, talks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about his state's proposal to impose a work or community engagement requirement on Medicaid recipients. The Trump administration recently opened the door for states to implement such policies.

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Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, at a White House press conference in May. More people moving off Medicaid, she says, would be a good outcome.

New Rules May Make Getting And Staying On Medicaid More Difficult

5:12pm January 12, 2018

by Jake Harper

Indiana is one of the states poised to get permission to require Medicaid recipients to work. Advocates say work requirements may be good politics but they're bad policy.

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Ariel Haughton's children Rose (left), 4, and Javier, 2, are covered by CHIP. Haughton is upset that lawmakers have left CHIP in flux for her two children and millions of kids around the country.

Health & Safety

Scramble Is On To Care For Kids If Insurance Coverage Lapses

12:26pm January 12, 2018

Doctors are telling families to refill prescriptions now. Other physicians are giving away drugs to make sure patients have enough if the Children's Health Insurance Program goes unfunded.