Medical Treatments

The administration told insurers that they have to pay for anesthesia during screening colonoscopies for cancer.

Health & Safety

Feds Tell Insurers To Pay For Anesthesia During Screening Colonoscopies

5:14pm May 18, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Most people are anesthetized during colonoscopy. Federal law mandates that the cancer test itself must be fully covered by insurers, but quite a few of them didn't pay for anesthesia.

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.

Long-Term Depression May Boost Stroke Risk Long After Mood Improves

9:51am May 14, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Even after the psychological pain is effectively treated, damage from long years of depression may linger. It seems to double the risk of stroke among adults over age 50, research suggests.

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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.

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.

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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Share of Americans reporting they were up to date with certain cancer screenings in 2013

Health & Safety

Screening Rates Stalled For Common Cancers

11:56am May 08, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Many Americans aren't getting recommended screening tests for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer. Despite a public health push, there has been a lack of progress in reaching screening goals.

Vials of Tdap vaccine sit on a table at a Solano County, Calif., health fair in August 2010.

Whooping Cough Vaccine's Protection Fades Quickly

7:11pm May 05, 2015

by Lisa Aliferis

Effectiveness of the vaccine within one year of the final booster was 73 percent. But it fell to 34 percent in two to four years, an analysis of a Washington state epidemic found.

"Once I awoke...I could not walk, talk, read, write; I could not recall any of the details of my life. Jill Bolte-Taylor died that day." - Jill Bolte-Taylor

How Can A Stroke Change Your Brain?

4:16pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

When neuroanatomist Jill Bolte-Taylor felt her brain shut down during a stroke, she was more fascinated than panicked. Even though she spent eight years recovering, she's grateful for the stroke.

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