health care

Supreme Court Finds Texas Law On Abortion Providers Unconstitutional

12:28pm June 27, 2016

The 2-year-old law required clinics that provide abortions to have surgical facilities and doctors to have hospital admitting privileges; the justices reversed a federal appeals court decision, 5-3.

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The Man Who Argued Health Care For Obama Looks Back As He Steps Down

6:00am June 25, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The day after Solicitor General Donald Verrilli announced he was stepping down, he sat down with NPR's Nina Totenberg to reflect on his five years as the government's chief advocate.

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield headquarters in Eagan, Minn., the losses on the sale of insurance plans to individuals led to a change in course.

Minnesota's Largest Health Insurer Will Drop Individual Plans

5:54pm June 24, 2016

by Mark Zdechlik

More than 100,000 Minnesotans will need to look for new insurance for 2017. Blue Cross Blue Shield is pulling back from the state's market for individual policies, citing heavy losses.

Tests you can take at home to check for colorectal cancer are now recommended on par with colonoscopy.

Changes For Colon Cancer Screening: 5 Things To Know Now

12:30pm June 24, 2016

by Julie Appleby

A federal task force expanded the list of recommended colorectal cancer screening tests. Here's the lowdown on the tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.

The Text4Baby app sends free, periodic text messages in Spanish or English to pregnant women and new moms about prenatal care, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, developmental milestones and immunizations.

The Challenge Of Taking Health Apps Beyond The Well-Heeled

9:03am June 23, 2016

by Barbara Feder Ostrov

A nutrition app may not be the top priority for someone who struggles to pay for groceries. But cellphones have the potential to improve the health of people with low incomes, if they can get them.

House Speaker Paul Ryan Reveals GOP Health Care Plan

7:41pm June 22, 2016

by Scott Horsley

House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled the health care component of congressional Republicans' policy agenda Wednesday, a long-awaited alternative to the Affordable Care Act.

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Like many small towns, Bridgton, Maine, had few resources for people seeking treatment for opioid abuse.

A Small Town Bands Together To Provide Opioid Addiction Treatment

6:03pm June 22, 2016

by Susan Sharon

After four or five of his patients died from opioid overdoses in one month, Craig Smith, a family doctor in Bridgton, Maine, realized he couldn't wait for someone else to offer addiction treatment.

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Health & Safety

Even A Small Meal For A Doctor Can Tip The Balance For A Brand-Name Drug

7:50pm June 21, 2016

by Charles Ornstein

Researchers say the time doctors spend with drug company representatives when they are dropping off meals is probably more important than the food in influencing prescription choices.

Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld, 74, has not been able to find a successor to lead his abortion practice in Houston. He says younger doctors don't want to deal with the politics and protesters.

Politics Makes Abortion Training In Texas Difficult

5:10pm June 21, 2016

by Carrie Feibel

The hostile climate surrounding abortion in Texas has made it hard for doctors in training to learn to do abortions. Professors feel intimidated, and there are fewer clinics where residents can train.

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In Syria, Underground Efforts To Train Doctors Amid Regime Attacks

4:30pm June 21, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to reporter Ben Taub of The New Yorker about efforts to spread medical knowledge in Syria. Taub chronicles underground efforts to train doctors in Syria amid ongoing attacks by regime forces against medical personnel and facilities.