health care

Health & Safety

Study Finds HPV Vaccine Has Lowered Number Of Women With Disease

6:31pm February 23, 2016

The HPV vaccine has lowered the number of women with HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cancer, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Dr. Joseph Bocchini from Louisiana State University to get his read on the results.

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Ratings on patient satisfaction and quality of care often don't match.

Conflicting Ratings For Home Health Agencies Can Be Puzzling

5:33pm February 23, 2016

by Jordan Rau

Medicare compiles ratings of agencies' quality and of patients' perceptions. But the stars assigned by the government often don't align.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a Las Vegas high school last Friday.

Hillary Clinton Hitches Her Health Care Wagon To Obamacare

4:33pm February 23, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Rather than sweeping reform, Clinton's health plan is a collection of tweaks to the Affordable Care Act. The proposed changes are aimed at trimming consumer costs and improving coverage.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, has proposed a health care policy he calls "Medicare for All." But some left-leaning economists say the plan doesn't pencil out.

Sanders' Health Plan Renews Debate On Universal Coverage

1:08pm February 23, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Left-leaning economists and Democratic analysts are sparring over Sanders' proposal of health care for all, paid for by the government. Some who like his aspiration say the numbers don't add up.

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Troy Hodge was only 41 years old when a vessel in his brain burst. "You don't think of things you can't do until you can't do them," he says.

Strokes On The Rise Among Younger Adults

7:33pm February 22, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Fewer people are having strokes now than decades ago. But that improvement seems to be mostly among the elderly. Young people are actually having more strokes, partly because of the rise in obesity.

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Health & Safety

Zika Spike Overwhelms Colombia Doctors

8:25am February 20, 2016

The spread of Zika is taxing Colombia's already over-burdened health care system.

A health worker in Lima, Peru, fumigates against the mosquito that spreads Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya.

How Scientists Misread The Threat Of Zika Virus

5:21pm February 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Zika was ignored by infectious disease scientists for years. This happens more often than you might think, especially with diseases discovered in remote regions. A researcher says we can do better.

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Dr. Tom Frieden (left), director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies about Zika virus with Dr. Anthony Fauci (center), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Ariel Pablos-Mendez, assistant a

Health & Safety

When Fear Becomes An Unintended Public Health Problem

4:19pm February 19, 2016

by Doug Levy

There's a fine line between telling people about an emerging public health threat, such as Zika virus, and scaring them out of their wits. Once alarm spreads, it can be hard to make the facts known.

Sharlene Adams rode three buses to get to an East Baltimore medical supply store.

When Getting A Blood Pressure Cuff Takes All Day

8:59pm February 18, 2016

by Rachel Bluth, Capital News Service

Sharlene Adams has hypertension but no car, computer or credit card. Insurance will pay for a blood pressure cuff, but the many small hurdles in her life make getting one a time-consuming ordeal.

Matt Keil participates in physical therapy during a BeFit class at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., in 2007.

For Fertility Treatment, Wounded Veterans Have To Pay The Bill

9:45pm February 17, 2016

by Quil Lawrence

U.S. military health care covers the high cost of in vitro fertilization, but the Veterans Affairs health system doesn't. The discrepancy is putting vets with combat injuries in a bind.

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