Webcast: Health Care Inequalities In America
NPR polls found significant differences in the quality of health care experienced by Americans, depending on income. A webcast at 12:30 p.m. ET Wednesday will examine the disparities.
health care
Medicare Delays Plans For New Star Ratings Of Hospitals
Medicare's "overall hospital quality" rating aims to help consumers by boiling down a variety of measurements into a number star. But Congress asked the administration to hold off on the change.
Life Expectancy Drops For White Women, Increases For Black Men
Suicide, drug abuse and alcohol have started to shorten the lives of white women, a U.S. report on data from 2013 to 2014 suggests. Life-expectancy for many black men went up from 71.8 years to 72.2.
NIH Halts Some Research Amid Concerns Over Contamination And Safety
The National Institutes of Health shut down some clinical trials and two production facilities over concerns that safety rules haven't been followed, but it says no patients appear to have been hurt.
For The Insured But Cash-Strapped, Free Health Clinics Still Have A Place
Although many people thought the federal health law would reduce the need for free clinics, low-income people with high deductibles and copays still frequent the clinics for routine care.
UnitedHealth To Leave Most Obamacare Exchanges In 2017
Blaming a lack of profitability, UnitedHealth says it will drop out of most health marketplaces insurance exchanges next year. The insurer's first quarter profits in 2016 were $1.6 billion.
New Polio Vaccine Rollout Comes With A Big Risk
This week the world is attempting a first — the largest, quickest rollout of a vaccine in history. The goal is to make the polio vaccine safer, but it comes with a big risk.
More People Seek Genetic Testing, But There Aren't Enough Counselors
After Angelina Jolie disclosed her genetic predisposition for breast cancer, demand for genetic tests went up. Counselors help interpret those tests, and demand for their services has increased, too.
Analysis: Modest Effect If UnitedHealth Withdraws From Exchanges
If UnitedHealth stops selling insurance on marketplaces across the country (and isn't replaced by rivals), premiums for exchange plans could rise modestly — about 1 percent on average.
New Polio Vaccine Rolled Out In Massive Synchronized Worldwide Switch
155 countries and territories are switching to a different polio vaccine, in what health officials say is the next step to completely eradicating the disease worldwide.