health care

E-cigarettes are marketed as a safer way to inhale nicotine, but the evidence remains unclear on benefits and harms.

With More People Quitting Smoking, Do We Need E-Cigarettes?

4:41pm June 26, 2015

by Ina Yang

It's easy to think that hardcore smokers will never quit, and thus e-cigarettes without the smoke is a better alternative. The changing demographics of smoking suggests otherwise, a study finds.

A box of vaccine vials sits on a table during a Solano County health fair in 2010 in Vallejo, Calif.

California Law To Curtail Vaccine Exemptions Clears Hurdle

4:41pm June 26, 2015

by Rebecca Plevin

If the bill passes out of the Legislature, the bill would then move to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. He hasn't indicated whether he'll sign the bill.

Obamacare Ruling Moves Debate To Presidential Race, Rep. Tom Price Says

7:17pm June 25, 2015

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Rep. Tom Price, who has led efforts to undo the Affordable Care Act. Price, a doctor, has introduced alternatives that he says would cover more people.

Queue Listen Now

Leukemia survivor Rhett Krawitt, 7, carries a box of petitions representing more than 30,000 people supporting a measure requiring nearly all California schoolchildren to be vaccinated. He took them to the governor's office at the Capitol in Sacramento, C

California Lawmakers Vote To Remove Vaccine Exemptions For Schoolchildren

5:37pm June 25, 2015

by Scott Neuman

A similar bill, which eliminates all but medical exemptions, has already passed the state Senate. Gov. Jerry Brown has not said whether he will sign it.

Texas Abortion Curbs Go Into Effect Soon, Unless Supreme Court Acts

2:19pm June 25, 2015

by Wade Goodwyn

A controversial 2013 law, which will likely leave just nine clinics open in the state, is set to go into effect July 1. Abortion-rights supporters have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

Queue Listen Now

President Obama delivers remarks in the Rose Garden after the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling to uphold the nationwide availability of tax subsidies that are crucial to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Obama: Affordable Care Act Is 'Here To Stay'

1:28pm June 25, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The president said that after setbacks and successes, health care in America has been affirmed as "not a privilege for few, but a right for all."

Statehouse Fights Over Obamacare To Rage On Despite Supreme Court Decision

1:00pm June 25, 2015

by Fred Schulte

Bills to advance or cripple the federal health law in statehouses didn't come to a halt in the months that lawmakers awaited the Supreme Court decision. They may well smolder for months or years.

Health & Safety

When Does Workplace Wellness Become Coercive?

12:37pm June 25, 2015

by Julie Appleby

A small but growing number of employers tie financial incentives to losing weight and exercising. The cost of nonparticipation can be so high that critics question whether workers have a true choice.

Breaking Down The Supreme Court Ruling On Obamacare Subsidies

12:17pm June 25, 2015

by Mara Liasson

On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the nationwide availability of tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. For details on the ruling, Renee Montagne speaks with Nina Totenberg and Mara Liasson.

Queue Listen Now

An Opponent's View On Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling

12:16pm June 25, 2015

The court's ruling on Obamacare subsidies gives President Obama a win with his signature health care law. David Greene speaks with the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon, who opposes the law.

Queue Listen Now