health care

People in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, make their way through a fumigation fog that's meant to kill the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus.

White House Says It Will Cut Ebola Funding To Address Zika

4:22pm April 06, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

The Obama administration requested $1.9 billion in emergency funds to prepare for Zika, but Congress has yet to respond. Now the White House plans to divert funding intended for Ebola.

Cassandra Steptoe (center) rehearses a performance with fellow actresses as part of The Medea Project, in San Francisco. Steptoe wrote and performs an autobiographical monologue in the production about being HIV-positive.

Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives

5:00am April 06, 2016

by Farida Jhabvala Romero

Writing her own story, with support from peers, helped Cassandra Steptoe shed the shame she felt in her diagnosis and find psychological healing instead. Now she's inspiring others to do the same.

UVA Study Links Disparities In Pain Management To Racial Bias

5:53pm April 05, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks to Kelly Hoffman, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Virginia. Hoffman recently published a paper that links disparities in pain management to racial bias.

The guy with empty pockets might also be missing health insurance.

IRS Could Help Find Many Uninsured People, But Doesn't

10:49am April 05, 2016

by Phil Galewitz

Many low-income households that claim the earned income tax credit lack health insurance. That status on tax returns could provide a clue about people who would benefit from outreach.

Just Turned 40? An Architect Says It's Time To Design For Aging

6:30pm April 04, 2016

by Meredith Rizzo

An architect looked at communities that serve older adults, and didn't like what he saw. By changing habits earlier in life, he says, we can create vibrant communities that will sustain us.

Along with the diagnosis, patients often want to talk about how much treatment will cost.

Health & Safety

Patients Miss Out On Savings When Doctors Fail To Talk About Costs

4:45pm April 04, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

Doctors aren't used to discussing financial barriers to care, and many think it's inappropriate to bring up money at all during conversations with patients.

Hackers crippled computer systems at several MedStar hospitals, including the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Malware Attacks On Hospitals Put Patients At Risk

5:12pm April 01, 2016

by Naomi LaChance

A computer virus that may be an inconvenience for another business leaves hospitals unable to effectively care for patients. Cyberattacks have left 14 U.S. hospitals without access to critical data.

Volunteers search for used needles near Rural Street in Austin, Ind. Scott County, in southeastern Indiana, experienced the worst outbreak of HIV in the state's history after people began injecting the prescription painkiller Opana.

How A Painkiller Designed To Deter Abuse Helped Spark An HIV Outbreak

4:59pm April 01, 2016

by Tom Dreisbach

When a special coating was added to the opioid Opana, it deterred people from abusing the pills by crushing and snorting them. But some users soon learned how to prepare the pills for injection.

Health & Safety

On The Rise: Workers' Desire For Raises Over Health Benefits

4:06pm April 01, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

A survey finds that the number of workers who say they would give up some health benefits to get a pay raise has increased to 20 percent from 10 percent in 2012.

State attorneys allege that the Casa Real Health Center, a Santa Fe nursing home, is one of seven facilities that billed Medicaid and private insurers for services they couldn't have delivered, given their low staffing levels.

Industrial Science Hunts For Nursing Home Fraud In New Mexico Case

8:00pm March 31, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

New Mexico is using time-motion studies to sue a chain of nursing homes for fraud. State prosecutors say the facilities couldn't possibly have provided the care promised — and billed for.

Queue Listen Now