health care

Home Care Aides Await Decision On New Labor Rules

4:11pm February 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

The industry has changed rapidly, but amendments exempting the workers from minimum wage and overtime pay have not. The Obama administration has yet to formally approve new rules, though the president has come out in favor of them.

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A worker makes a cut in the side of a sandstone block at the Cleveland Quarries facility in Vermilion, Ohio, earlier this month. The legal limit on the amount of silica that workers can inhale was set decades ago.

Silica Rule Changes Delayed While Workers Face Health Risks

3:07pm February 07, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Regulations to restrict the amount of silica dust that workers can inhale were set decades ago, and workplace safety experts say that limit needs to be cut in half. A proposal for new rules was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for a 90-day review, but almost two years later, it's still under review.

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White House Tries Again To Find Compromise On Contraception

7:35pm February 01, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Under the proposed rule, employees at nonprofit religious organizations would get access to no-cost contraception, but their employer wouldn't pay for the coverage. The move is another attempt to provide contraceptive coverage without violating the beliefs of religious nonprofits.

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When Superstorm Sandy came ashore, Bellevue Hospital was quickly submerged. Inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency marked the flood line in the basement with orange tape or spray paint. In some areas, water was 14 feet deep.

Bellevue Hospital's Slow Comeback After Superstorm Sandy

6:18pm January 30, 2013

by Fred Mogul

Repairs to the New York City hospital are expected to allow a full reopening in early February. Engineers have been working around the clock to make everything is ready. Bellevue hasn't been able to care for trauma patients since the storm. That has put a strain on neighboring hospitals.

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Health & Safety

Free Breast Pumps And The Cost Of Health Care

5:12pm January 25, 2013

by Zoe Chace

Health insurers are now required to pay for breast pumps. What will that mean for health care costs?

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Health & Safety

In Syria, Addressing Medical Needs In An Embattled City

4:07pm January 23, 2013

Nearly two years after the crisis in Syria began, the humanitarian situation in the country remains dire. Shinjiro Murata, head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in northern Syria and NPR foreign correspondent Deborah Amos, discuss the efforts to address growing medical needs.

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'We Have No Choice': A Story Of The Texas Sonogram Law

9:19am January 23, 2013

Journalist Carolyn Jones wrote about her experience with the law for The Texas Observer after having an abortion last year. The state requires that a woman seeking an abortion receive a sonogram at least 24 hours before the procedure.

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Patient William Wishart, age 4 months, looks on as Dr. Melanie Walker uses a portable computer to enter information from his exam into an electronic medical records system, in North Raleigh, N.C., in November.

Growing Pains As Doctors' Offices Adopt Electronic Records

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by Eric Whitney

Millions of dollars have been spent to digitize medical records. But doctors are only slowly adopting the the new systems, and many systems won't talk to each other. Some now wonder when the promised benefits in care and cost savings will arrive.

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President Obama signs a series of executive orders Wednesday about the administration's gun law proposals as Vice President Biden and children who wrote letters to the White House about gun violence look on.

Health & Safety

Obama's Plans For Guns Put Focus On Mental Health Of The Young

11:32am January 17, 2013

by Sarah Varney

The president's push to address gun violence and mental health centers largely on training teachers and others who work with children, teens and young adults to recognize illness as it's developing.

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Businesses Sue Government Over Birth Control Mandate

8:07pm January 11, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Religious groups were among the first to object to a requirement that employers' health plans provide free birth control. But some companies have also objected, saying the mandate violates their religious freedom, too.

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