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Doctors and hospitals hold an exalted position in American life, retaining public confidence even as other institutions such as government, law enforcement, and the media are losing peopleās trust. But with health care debt out of hand, medical providers risk their good standing.
With the communityās help, former co-workers came together to fill gaps in care left by the loss of doctors and departments at a Gallup, New Mexico, hospital.
State officials have promised to boost funding for Californiaās Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.
Itās been the summer of broken weather records around the world ā for heat, rain, and wildfire smoke ā advertising the risks of climate change in a big way. But, apparently, itās not enough to break the logjam in Washington over how to address the growing climate crisis. Meanwhile, in Texas, women who were unable to get care for pregnancy complications took their stories to court, and Congress gears up to ā maybe ā do something about prescription drug prices. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join Julie Rovner, Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā chief Washington correspondent, to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Meena Seshamani, the top administrator for the federal Medicare program.
As politicians bash privately run hospitals for their aggressive debt collection tactics, consumer advocates say one North Carolina familyās six-figure medical bill is an example of how state attorneys general and state-operated hospitals also can harm patients financially.
A little-noticed provision of sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would make it easier to fly human organs from donor to recipient.
Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nationās highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition.
The Food and Drug Administrationās approval is viewed as groundbreaking, but many details still must be figured out.
To defeat smallpox in South Asia, public health workers had to navigate the regionās layered cultural ideas about the virus. They also dreamed big. In Episode 1, host CĆ©line Gounder wonders how the U.S. might tap into similar āmoral imaginationā to prepare for the next public health crisis.
Many people working in global health thought eradicating smallpox was impossible. They were wrong. Season 2 of the Epidemic podcast, āEradicating Smallpox,ā is a journey to South Asia during the last days of variola major smallpox. Explore the timeline to learn about significant dates in the final push to end the virus.
Researchers have found that while obesity at any age risks harming health, a few extra pounds in later life isnāt cause for concern.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation ā whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic ā isnāt about to end.
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforteās veto disappointed and bewildered those seeking to address low-income residentsā long wait for assisted living or in-home care.
President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. Meanwhile, the Supreme Courtās decision to outlaw affirmative action programs could set back efforts to diversify the nationās medical workforce. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Bram Sable-Smith, who reported the latest Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News-NPR āBill of the Monthā about how a hospital couldnāt track down a patient, but a debt collector could.
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are companies that negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Hear about their role in raising drug prices and the ongoing efforts to regulate this complex industry.
It has been over a decade since whole milk was served in schools through the National School Lunch Program, after U.S. government dietary guidance effectively banned it. But dairy farmers, some health experts, and members of Congress say itās time to bring it back.
The state now requires Medicaid to cover midwife services and has expanded the list of prescription drugs midwives can administer.
The number of Californians dying from alcoholic liver disease rose dramatically in the last decade, sped by the pandemic.
It is illegal to help a minor obtain an abortion in Idaho or leave the state for one without parental consent. The lawsuit says the ban infringes on the right to interstate travel and First Amendment freedoms.
