Martha Bebinger, WBUR

Author's posts

Nurse Denied Life Insurance Because She Carries Naloxone

The U.S. surgeon general has called on “bystanders” to be equipped with the opioid reversal drug to save lives. But when a nurse answered that call, her application for life insurance was denied. Why?

One Twin’s Difficult Birth Puts A Project Designed To Reduce C-Sections To The Test

A woman had twins in a hospital south of Boston, and for doctors aiming to reduce cesarean sections, the second baby’s tricky arrival tested the limits of teamwork.

One Twin’s Difficult Birth Puts A Project Designed To Reduce C-Sections To The Test

A woman had twins in a hospital south of Boston, and for doctors aiming to reduce cesarean sections, the second baby’s tricky arrival tested the limits of teamwork.

VA Adding Opioid Antidote To Defibrillator Cabinets For Quicker Overdose Response

A project that started in a Boston Veterans Affairs facility will soon go nationwide. It puts naloxone, also known as Narcan, into emergency supplies cabinets throughout the VA system.

As States Try To Rein In Drug Spending, Feds Slap Down One Bold Medicaid Move

Medicaid drug spending doubled in five years in Massachusetts. The state wanted to exclude expensive drugs that weren’t proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan, but the federal government blocked the effort.

As Opioid Crisis Rages, Some Trade ‘Tough Love’ For Empathy

An approach known as Community Reinforcement and Family Training, or CRAFT, coaches families to deal with a loved one’s substance abuse with compassion.

Some Doctors, Patients Balk At Medicare’s ‘Flat Fee’ Payment Proposal

The Trump administration says its plan to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors will save physicians time and paperwork. But critics worry the changes will hurt patients’ care and doctors’ income.