health care

Here's A Radical Approach To Big Hospital Bills: Set Your Own Price

3:26pm May 14, 2015

by Jay Hancock

Some companies are refusing to pay employee hospital bills that they think are out of line. Instead, they pay what they think is reasonable. So far the gambit appears to be working.

Symphonie Dawson and her son, Andrew. A visiting nurse program helped Dawson finish school while she was pregnant.

Health & Safety

Nurse Visits Help First-Time Moms, Cut Government Costs In Long Run

3:24pm May 14, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

The Affordable Care Act has made available more assistance to new mothers so they can raise healthier kids. But critics say the standards for those programs are too lenient.

If the Food and Drug Administration has approved a type of prescription contraception, then insurers must cover at least one option at no cost to the consumer.

Free Contraceptives Must Be Free, Obama Administration Tells Insurers

10:26am May 13, 2015

by Phil Galewitz

The notice to insurers comes after reports found many health plans weren't providing no-cost birth control for all prescription methods, a requirement under the Affordable Care Act.

Sheron Bazille pays $219.01 a month for her health insurance. She knows the amount down to the penny.

Tales From 3 Louisianans Who Got Subsidized Health Insurance

3:11pm May 12, 2015

by Jeff Cohen

About 90 percent of people in Louisiana who signed up for Obamacare got a subsidy. Some worry they won't be able to afford health insurance if the aid is overturned by the Supreme Court.

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Health & Safety

Family Doctors Who Do More, Save More

3:10pm May 12, 2015

by Anders Kelto

A study suggests that coordinated care, led by a family doctor who is judicious about referring patients to specialists, leads to cost savings.

More than 80 percent of the people getting federal subsidies to defray the cost of their monthly health insurance premiums have jobs, statistics suggest. And many are middle class.

Low, Middle Income Workers Most Vulnerable To Loss Of Obamacare Subsidies

9:00pm May 11, 2015

The Supreme Court may soon rule Obamacare subsidies illegal in about three dozen states. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute about the options those states would have.

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An architectural rendering of the Cleveland Clinic's planned cancer center.

Cancer Spawns A Construction Boom In Cleveland

5:08pm May 11, 2015

by Sarah Jane Tribble

The famed Cleveland Clinic is building a new cancer center right around the corner from a competing cancer hospital. Both institutions are confident there will be plenty of patients.

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Health & Safety

Despite Recent Measles Outbreak, Resistance To Vaccinations Persists

5:08pm May 11, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Childhood vaccination remains a potent public health weapon against the spread of many illnesses, including measles. But an NPR poll finds objections and worries about vaccination remain, too.

When it comes to treating headaches, neurologist Carolyn Bernstein says, "There is no magic pill."

For Headaches, A Lifestyle Change May Be Better Than A Doctor Visit

5:07pm May 11, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Each year more than 12 million Americans go to the doctor because of severe, chronic headaches. Many are sent for expensive tests. Researchers say all this testing isn't doing people much good.

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Registered nurses Cassie Gregor (from left), Camellia Douglas and Mike Montalto monitor patients in intensive care units scattered around North Carolina.

Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages

11:56am May 08, 2015

by Michael Tomsic

Some hospitals are using a remote command center to keep an eye on ICU patients. This brings the expertise of a major medical center to rural hospitals — and may help keep the rural centers open.

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