health care

Reductions In Federal Funding For Health Law Navigators Cut Unevenly

1:39pm October 26, 2017

by Alex Olgin

North and South Carolina have very different outlooks since the Trump administration cut funding for the helpers who assist people signing up for health insurance.

Health & Safety

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Will Acquire High Point Regional Health

4:47pm October 25, 2017

by Bethany Chafin

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem is set to acquire High Point Regional Health.

"Obamacare gives states very little flexibility for innovation," said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, after withdrawing the state's insurance waiver request.

Health & Safety

Administration Denies More States' Plans To Customize Insurance Markets

4:00pm October 24, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Proposals from Iowa and Massachusetts to create reinsurance that would lower health insurance premiums didn't get off the ground.

The state of New York is putting e-cigarettes into the same category as regular tobacco cigarettes, under new restrictions signed into law this week. Here, a man uses a vape device in London last summer, next to a No Smoking sign.

New York Bans Vaping Indoors In Public: State Law Classes E-Cigs With Cigarettes

1:45pm October 24, 2017

by Bill Chappell

"These products are marketed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes but the reality is they also carry long-term risks," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Lines like this one at a health insurance enrollment fair at the Ambrose Community Center in Bay Point, Calif., in 2014 may be longer this winter.

Limited Outreach, Shorter Sign-Up Time May Cause Insurance Headaches In 2018

10:13am October 24, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

The silver (or gold) lining may be that changes in premium pricing may mean some people could sign up for a better health insurance plan that costs them less money.

Screening for Type 2 diabetes involves a blood test, and if results are concerning a second test is recommended.

Screening For Diabetes Is Working Better Than Thought

5:02pm October 23, 2017

by Katherine Hobson

The CDC says 7 million people have Type 2 diabetes and don't know it. But a new analysis says that number's much lower. Screening efforts should focus on people at highest risk, the researchers say.

The foods on the left contain naturally occurring fibers that are intrinsic in plants. The foods on the right contain isolated fibers, such as chicory root, which are extracted and added to processed foods. The FDA will determine whether added fibers can

The FDA Will Decide Whether 26 Ingredients Count As Fiber

3:41pm October 23, 2017

by Allison Aubrey

Chicory root. Bamboo. Soy fiber: Manufacturers can use these to add fiber to foods. Critics say this makes snack foods seem healthy. FDA will decide if these can count as fiber on nutrition labels.

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Trump's Move To Cut ACA Subsidies Will Improve Marketplace, Roy Says

10:37am October 23, 2017

Steve Inskeep talks to Avik Roy, president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, about the president cutting cost-sharing reduction payments, a subsidy under the Affordable Care Act.

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Fact Check: President Trump's Comments On ACA's Subsidies

1:46pm October 22, 2017

NPR's Melissa Block talks to Sarah Kliff, Vox senior policy correspondent, to fact check Trump's claim that subsidies for insurance companies are "bailouts" and "a windfall" for those companies.

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Learning To Care For My Newborn Was A Humbling Experience

5:00am October 22, 2017

by Leana Wen

I'm a doctor, and I oversee public health programs to help new mothers and infants. When my son was born, I discovered just how vitally important that help is.