Medical Treatments

Marge Loennig, 87, says her hometown of Baker City, Ore., has become divided during the COVID-19 pandemic, a far different time than during the polio crisis when she was younger.

Vaccinated seniors navigate life in mostly unvaccinated rural America

9:02pm October 29, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

Vaccination rates in much of rural America remain low. But there's one consistent holdout demographic: seniors, many of whom remember lining up eagerly as children to get the polio vaccine.

Ari Blank got a comforting hand-squeeze from his mom in May as he was vaccinated against COVID-19 in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. This week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of Pfizer's vaccine in even younger kids — ages 5 to 11.

FDA authorizes use of Pfizer's COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds

5:54pm October 29, 2021

by Joe Neel

The agency acted after an independent panel of scientists strongly supported the move. Kids could start getting vaccinated within the week.

FDA extends emergency use authorization of COVID vaccine for kids ages 5-11

4:29pm October 29, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Kids are one step closer to being eligible for COVID-19 vaccination after the Food and Drug administration extended its emergency use authorization of Pfizer's vaccine for children ages 5-11.

Like many seniors, William Stork of Cedar Hill, Mo., lacks dental insurance and doesn't want to pay $1,000 for a tooth extraction he needs. Health advocates see President Biden's Build Back Better agenda as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide de

Health & Safety

Getting dental coverage added to Medicare faces pushback from some dentists

11:34am October 29, 2021

by Bram Sable-Smith

Without dental insurance, William Stork has put off getting his rotten tooth pulled; Medicare doesn't cover the $1,000 procedure. Dentists can't agree on whether all seniors should get that benefit.

Kathryn Whitehead: How can we safely deliver vaccines to the right cells?

10:52am October 29, 2021

mRNA vaccines are groundbreaking—but the mRNA inside them is fragile. Kathryn Whitehead explains how scientists have created the right "packing material" to safely deliver these to the right cells.

Queue Listen Now

Keller Rinaudo: How can delivery drones save lives?

10:26am October 29, 2021

In rural areas, basic health care can be out of reach. Keller Rinaudo founded Zipline, a delivery company that uses drones to deliver necessary medical supplies within hours, even minutes.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Why some parents want their kids vaccinated against COVID — and some don't

4:55pm October 27, 2021

by Jenny Brundin

Authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11 has many kids, parents and teachers eagerly anticipating shots and perhaps slightly more normal lives.

When Caitlin Wells Salerno and Jon Salerno's first son, Hank, was born, his delivery cost the family only $30. Gus' bill came in at more than $16,000, all told — including the $2,755 ER charge. The family was responsible for about $3,600 of the total.

A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency'

10:56am October 27, 2021

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Obstetrical emergency departments are a new aspect of some hospitals that can inflate medical bills for even the easiest, healthiest births. Just ask baby Gus' parents about their $2,755 ER charge.

Booster shots are now recommended for millions of Americans.

Health & Safety

What you need to know about COVID boosters

6:25pm October 26, 2021

by Will Stone

You've seen the headlines about COVID boosters. But what does it all mean for you? Here's how to sort through the science and figure out if and when you need a booster and which one to get.

An ambulance crew weaves a gurney through the halls of Sparrow Hospital's emergency department in Lansing, Michigan. Overcrowding has forced the staff to triage patients, putting some in the waiting rooms and treating others on stretchers and chairs in th

Health & Safety

ERs are now swamped with seriously ill patients — but many don't even have COVID

5:14pm October 26, 2021

by Kate Wells

Patients who couldn't see a doctor earlier in the pandemic or were too afraid to go to a hospital have finally become too sick to stay away. Many ERs now struggle to cope with an onslaught of need.