New concerns over cancer and alcohol suggest even moderate drinking increases risk
New research shows strong ties between alcohol and cancer, which has reignited a debate among experts about the health impacts of drinking, even in moderate amounts.
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How supporting caregivers could make a difference in dementia
Patients and their caregivers are often left to navigate the confusing world of dementia by themselves, but Medicare is launching a new program to change that.
The push for embryo rights worries IVF patients and doctors in the Midwest
Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.
The Checkup: ‘Junk patents’ by big pharma lead to soaring drugs prices, FTC says
The Federal Trade Commission says drug makers are gaming the system in order to keep drug prices high by filing what it describes as “junk patents”.
Is private equity ruining health care? It’s complicated
While stories of private equity firms running amok in health care are easy to find, new research paints a more nuanced picture.
How can you tell if a product has toxic PFAS? Lack of labeling laws make it hard for consumers
PFAS have been found in all kinds of non-stick, waterproof and stain-resistant products — from pans, to carpets to fast-food wrappers.
The White House is urging schools to address a rise in fentanyl exposure among teens
Narcan, also known by its generic name Naloxone, is a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. But in two-thirds of adolescent overdose deaths, the medication wasn’t used even though there was someone nearby. The main driving factor behind these overdose deaths is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is so potent even a tiny amount can
States are turning to Medicaid to help people leaving incarceration
Lee Reed spent his first night after getting out of prison sleeping in the stairwell of a parking garage in downtown San Francisco. Just a few days shy of his 62nd birthday, Reed had nowhere else to go. During his two decades in prison, his mom and wife had died, and he’d lost touch with
Evictions on the rise in the Midwest put public health at risk
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The trouble for Rolland Carroll started last fall. That’s when the 61-year-old said his apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, informed him that his federal housing aid for his one-bedroom apartment had been reduced months ago. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2023/02/sfx-evictions-krebs.mp3 Listen to this story here. He owed more than $2,000 in back rent. “I
A researcher’s quest to make end-of-life care more equitable for Black Americans
The four months of care Annie Mae Bullock received for her stage 4 lung cancer were rocky at best. But the final three days of that care, her daughter Karen Bullock said, were excellent. Annie Mae spent those few days in hospice care at home surrounded by loved ones singing, chanting and praying as she
Tightening abortion laws reignite conversation around a permanent Child Tax Credit
INDIANAPOLIS — Maxine Thomas got her first Child Tax Credit payment in the spring of 2021. She was skeptical, like it was too good to be true. “I really didn’t think I was going to get it for some reason,” she said. Thomas is a single mom of five children. She works full time at
How effective are different policies at fighting medical debt? A researcher weighs in
LOS ANGELES — Wes Yin says it’s impossible to study health care these days without coming across the issue of medical debt. “There’s a lot of people who are struggling,” said Yin, an associate professor of economics at UCLA and one of the nation’s leading researchers on medical debt. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/11/medicaldebt-2way.mp3 Listen to this story here.
A SCOTUS case that started in a nursing home could have far-reaching implications for millions
VALPARAISO, Ind. — When Susie Talevski sued the agency that managed her elderly father’s care before he died, she hoped to get justice for her family. She did not expect the case would balloon into what it is today. A ruling against her could strip millions of vulnerable Americans of their power to hold states
How a major Medicare change could help seniors with high drug costs
OGDEN DUNES, Ind. — Multiple sclerosis was a one-two punch to Therese Humphrey Ball’s life. She had to deal with the disease – and the cost to treat it. Symptoms like loss of vision and weakness in her legs forced the 68-year-old former nurse from Indiana to retire early, and high drug costs forced her
Barred from Medicaid, some pregnant immigrants have few options for care
DES MOINES, Ia. — Last spring, two pregnant women who had recently arrived from Myanmar showed up at Abigail Sui’s home in Des Moines, Iowa. They needed help finding prenatal care. Sui, a program director for EMBARC, an Iowa-based nonprofit that supports immigrants, figured she could help these women navigate the health care system. “Because