health care

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine requires storage in extremely frigid temperatures before it's thawed out for use. Moderna's vaccine also must be stored in very cold temperatures.

They're A Precious Commodity, So Why Are Some COVID-19 Vaccines Going To Waste?

7:54pm January 28, 2021

Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins University says strict guidelines around how to roll out the vaccine have discouraged health care providers from giving spare doses to noneligible groups.

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A Look At The Racial And Ethnic Disparities In The COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

4:32pm January 28, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Samantha Artiga, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Racial Equity and Health Policy Program, about racial and ethnic disparities in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

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Biden To Expand Access To Reproductive Health Care And Obamacare

4:12pm January 28, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

President Biden is signing two executive actions designed to expand access to reproductive health care and health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.

Biden Signs Most Far-Reaching Federal Protections For LGBTQ People Yet

4:12pm January 28, 2021

by Leila Fadel

President Biden has signed an executive order to combat discrimination against LGBTQ people in health care, housing and education. The action is the most far-reaching of any federal protections yet.

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A member of FDNY EMS gives a thumbs up while receiving Moderna's vaccine against the coronavirus in late December. By mid-January, New York City Medical Reserve Corps volunteers also were mobilized to help with the vaccine effort.

Health & Safety

Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers Deployed To Help With Vaccination

1:31pm January 28, 2021

by Michael Schulson

Cadres of volunteers, mostly medical professionals, are part of a little-known federal emergency program launched in the aftermath of 9/11. Increasingly, states are deploying them against COVID-19.

Health & Safety

Biden To Sign 2 Executive Actions Related To Health Care

10:02am January 28, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

President Biden on Thursday is expected to sign two executive actions aimed at expanding access to health insurance and reproductive health care.

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The nearly 5,600-page legislative package that Congress passed in December includes new laws regarding aid to rural hospitals, funds for training more physicians, modest improvements in mental health care parity, and medical bill transparency.

Beyond COVID-19: 4 Other Key Health Issues Congress Recently Addressed

5:00am January 28, 2021

by Emmarie Huetteman

The huge spending bill Congress passed last month included aid to rural hospitals, training for new doctors, new rules regarding mental health coverage and requirements for billing transparency.

Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus' daughter, Charlie, had a complication during delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for brain damage. Charlie needed seven days of neonatal intensive care, which resulted in a huge bill — $207,455 f

'Birthday Rule' Blindsides First-Time Parents With A Mammoth Medical Bill

6:15pm January 27, 2021

by Cara Anthony

An insurance regulation known as "the birthday rule" is tripping up couples who are putting their newborn children on the wrong policy and risk losing thousands of dollars.

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A health worker holds an N95 respirator in the emergency room at OakBend Medical Center in Richmond, Texas, in July. N95s are tested and approved by a federal agency as having demonstrated that they can filter out a minimum of 95% of airborne particles.

Health & Safety

Why N95 Masks Are Still In Short Supply In The U.S.

5:00am January 27, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

Early in the pandemic, shortages of N95 respirators and other medical gear prompted panic across the world. A year later, the masks still aren't widely available to U.S. consumers.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis watches as nurse Christine Philips (left) administers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 to Vera Leip, 88, a resident of John Knox Village, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Pompano Beach, Fla.

Florida's Vaccine Rollout Rife With Snags And Inequities

6:09pm January 26, 2021

by Greg Allen

Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting the success of his policy providing COVID-19 vaccines to everyone 65 years and older in the state. But critics say the vaccine distribution favors some groups over others.