health care

Jose De Diego Middle School teacher Cyd Browne challenged her 7th-grade engineering class to design a plan to protect an area from the mosquitoes that carry Zika.

Miami Schools Take Steps To Protect Returning Students From Zika

10:32pm August 22, 2016

by Greg Allen

Mosquito repellent, long-sleeved shirts and pants are part of the plan, as well emails, texts and education about standing water. But controlling the spread of the virus is a major challenge.

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A Small Town Struggles With A Boom In Sober Living Homes

11:53am August 22, 2016

by Will Stone

Prescott, Ariz., has become a destination of choice for people trying to get sober, with growing numbers of group homes for recovering addicts. Some residents are calling for regulation of the homes.

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The 'Young Invincibles': A Huge Hurdle For Obamacare

5:48pm August 21, 2016

Young, healthy people referred to as "young invincibles" pose a serious challenge to the success of President Obama's expanded health care coverage, the Affordable Care Act.

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How Japan Is Dealing With Impacts Of Supporting The Oldest Population In The World

9:53am August 21, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Nearly 27 percent of the people in the country are 65 or older. NPR's Ina Jaffe visited Japan and tells Rachel Martin what she learned about why the population is aging.

Lydia Joy Ziel, whose crib is pictured here, was diagnosed a serious disease while still in the womb. Miscarriage and stillbirth are common, but often parents feel they're walking through the experience alone. A trained group called Baby Loss Family Advis

Health & Safety

For Parents Who Have Lost A Baby, Some Aid In Their Grapple With Grief

5:24pm August 20, 2016

by Stina Sieg

Parents who lose a child to miscarriage or stillbirth often feel like they're going through it alone. But the experience is actually common in the U.S. — and one group is trying to help them cope.

Timely eye exams for kids can help prevent lifelong vision problems.

Insurance Alone Isn't Enough To Make Sure Kids Get Eye Exams

7:33pm August 19, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

The lower the household income, the less likely it is for children to receive needed eye exams. The income effect was independent of insurance status, a study found.

Abraham Vidaurre, 12, checks his arm after receiving an HPV shot in Corpus Christi, Texas. The vaccine is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls.

Parents Feel Better About HPV Shots For Preteens If They Can Opt Out

1:25pm August 19, 2016

by Tara Haelle

The HPV vaccine prevents cancer, but in a survey most parents said they don't want it to be required for school. They're much happier with a mandate if they're given an opportunity to opt out.

Alina Nurieva (right) sat with Gabriela Cisneros, an insurance agent from Sunshine Life and Health Advisors, and picked an insurance plan at the Mall of the Americas in Miami last November.

Where Insurers' Exits Are Hurting Obamacare Exchanges — And Where They Aren't

5:13pm August 18, 2016

by Phil Galewitz

Competition on some exchanges will be diminished next year when three of the nation's largest health insurers drop out. Still, most marketplace consumers won't see any ill effects from the moves.

The goal is to intervene early so that fewer Latino women develop Type 2 diabetes.

To Fight Off Diabetes, Latina Women Find Power In A Group

10:27am August 18, 2016

by Amanda B. Keener

La Comunidad, a grassroots effort in Winston-Salem, N.C., offers treatment to a population at high risk of developing diabetes. Group meetings led by non-medical facilitators help reduce costs.

Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna, told the Justice Department in July that the insurer would walk away from many health exchanges if the government opposed the company's proposed deal for Humana. On Tuesday, Aetna followed through.

Aetna CEO To Justice Department: Block Our Deal And We'll Drop Out Of Obamacare

3:51pm August 17, 2016

by Scott Hensley

A July letter from Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini to the Justice Department said the company would pull back from health insurance exchanges if the government opposed the company's merger with Humana.