health care

Anthony Salemi, of Everett, Mass., holds a photo of his brother Joe, who died from an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin earlier this year.

Deaths Linked To Fentanyl Rise As Curbing Illicit Supply Proves Tough

5:21pm November 18, 2016

by Martha Bebinger

Law enforcement is scrambling to get ahead of the opioid, which is far more chemically potent than heroin. Most illegal fentanyl is made in China. As soon as one version is outlawed, another pops up.

When Georgia Moore (second from left) was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, her parents, Trevor and Courtney Moore, worried about the germs her younger sister, Ivy, would bring home from school.

Texas Parents Have Unanswered Questions About School Vaccination Rates

11:57am November 18, 2016

by Anna Casey

Data about the number of unvaccinated kids in individual public schools aren't available to parents in Texas. Some of them are looking to change the reporting requirements.

A trio of toilets, photographed by Samantha Russell, a Peace Corps volunteer, in Viti Levu Island, Fiji.

Health & Safety

To Make A Big Stink About Diarrhea, Ask 'Em To Write A Poo-em

4:44pm November 17, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

Defeat DD is raising awareness for the No. 2 killer of children under five around the world — by getting people to write haikus about poop.

For Republicans, Partial Obamacare Repeal Carries Political Risks

4:20pm November 17, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Repeal of the Affordable Care Act is politically dangerous for Republicans unless they can pass a replacement that covers many of the people who benefit from the health care law.

Hand holding bullhorn blocked by cork stopper

CHARTS: Here's What Donald Trump Has Said On The Issues

3:38pm November 17, 2016

by Meg Anderson

NPR examined what the president-elect has said about the 10 issues voters care most about.

The Way To Get A New Health Law Is To Create A Crisis, Policy Consultant Says

2:35pm November 17, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks to health policy consultant Robert Laszewski about the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans vow to repeal and replace. Laszewski had a long career in the insurance industry.

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Addiction to opioids and heroin is a major public health problem, but so is alcohol abuse.

Surgeon General Murthy Wants America To Face Up To Addiction

2:03pm November 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

More people struggle with alcohol or drugs than have cancer, and 1 in 5 Americans binge drink. It all costs the nation $420 billion a year. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says we know how to help.

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The number of doctors prescribing millions of dollars in medication annually in Medicare's drug program has risen considerably.

Health & Safety

A Growing Group Of Doctors Are Big-Money Prescribers In Medicare

7:16am November 17, 2016

In 2011, just 41 health care providers prescribed more than $5 million each in medicines under Medicare Part D. In 2015, that number was 514. The rise of expensive hepatitis C drugs is a factor.

In 1876, O.G. Mason, Bellevue's official photographer, took a carefully staged photograph of a blood transfusion in progress.

Bellevue Hospital Pioneered Care For Presidents And Paupers

4:34pm November 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

The history of New York's Bellevue hospital is also the history of medicine in the United States. From the days before doctors believed in germs through AIDS, the hospital led the way in innovation.

A police officer holds a bag of heroin that was confiscated as evidence in Gloucester, Mass., in March. Massachusetts is one of 38 states that allow civil commitment for substance abuse.

A Twist On 'Involuntary Commitment': Some Heroin Users Request It

5:51pm November 15, 2016

by Karen Brown

Some Massachusetts opioid users are so desperate to quit the drug habit that they are asking judges to lock them up and require treatment. Critics question whether courts should play this role.