health care

Mary Lynne Bill-Old Coyote, Montana's director of Indian health, says the ACA has helped build the community by providing job opportunities. Montana saw 3 percent growth last year in the number of health care jobs.

Obamacare Brought Jobs To Indian Country That Could Vanish With Repeal

5:00am February 09, 2017

by Eric Whitney

Many Native Americans have shifted to the Affordable Care Act for health coverage, and in rural Montana that's created jobs. The state could lose 3,000 health care jobs if the ACA is repealed.

Since The Election, Americans Grow More Supportive Of Obamacare

8:09pm February 08, 2017

by Danielle Kurtzleben

There are now more people who think Obamacare is a good idea than those who don't. It's basic human nature: People tend to get upset if they think they are about to lose something they feel entitled to or previously had. It's also the idea that fueled Donald Trump's electoral base, and ironically, now fuels those who are opposed to him.

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If you owe a tax penalty for not having health coverage in 2016, don't expect an eventual Obamacare appeal to bail you out.

Even If You Expect Obamacare To Be Repealed, Don't Skip Paying Tax Penalty Now

12:40pm February 08, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

People who think the change in administrations may save them from having to pay a fine for not having insurance in 2016 could be in for a rude surprise.

Medicare accounts for about 29 percent of all spending on prescription medicines in the U.S. each year.

White House Says Medicare Should Leverage Its Buying Power To Pull Down Drug Prices

8:13pm February 07, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

A spokesman said Tuesday that President Trump does want Medicare to be able to directly negotiate prescription drug prices with drugmakers. Analysts disagree about how much difference that would make.

The hemoglobin A1C test for blood sugar, a standard assay for diabetes, may not perform as well in people with sickle cell trait, a study finds.

The A1C Blood Sugar Test May Be Less Accurate In African-Americans

4:40pm February 07, 2017

by Richard Harris

People with sickle cell trait, which includes about 10 percent of African-Americans, can get erroneous readings on a common blood glucose test. That could mean they miss out on diabetes treatment.

Athena Haniotis leaves the Health Care for the Homeless clinic in downtown Baltimore.

Obamacare Helped The Homeless, Who Now Worry About Coverage Repeal

11:41am February 07, 2017

by Pam Fessler

Among those who benefited from Obamacare are many homeless people who were able to get Medicaid for the first time. Some are worried about what a repeal of the Affordable Care Act could mean.

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Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., seen here with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., at a Jan. 18 hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says he'd like to see the individual insurance market fixed before repealing Obamacare.

Trump, GOP Lawmakers Back Off From Immediate Obamacare Repeal

2:57pm February 06, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

Both are now saying it's going to take time to come up with a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Figure at least a year, the president said Sunday.

Maureen O'Connell leads an insurance talk in St. Paul, Minn., in 2013 to help attendees understand how the federal health law could affect them.

Minnesota Moves To Shore Up Health Insurance Market

12:26pm February 06, 2017

by Mark Zdechlik

The Minnesota Legislature passed a bailout to make coverage under the Affordable Care Act more affordable, rejected an option for bare-bones insurance and is floating a state-sponsored public option.

Republicans Consider Restoring High-Risk Pools In Obamacare Replacement

6:34pm February 03, 2017

Republicans are working on plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. One of the possibilities that has been put forward, reinstating high-risk pools. NPR's Audie Cornish talked to Ryan Burt, who's been involved with high-risk pools for 25 years and helped establish Minnesota's high-risk pool, one of the oldest and most highly regarded high-risk pool programs in the country.

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With Congress vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, health insurance executives are looking at a very uncertain future. And they don't like uncertainty.

Health Insurers Say They Don't Want To Go Back To Being The Bad Guys

6:34pm February 03, 2017

by NPR Staff

Researchers asked health insurance executives what worries them most about Republican plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. They said incentives to keep healthy people enrolled need to be stronger.

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