Category: NPR

Since January, hospitals were supposed to be disclosing true prices for their services, as a way to empower patients to shop around. Turns out, compliance is spotty and the data can be hard to find.

They don’t qualify for Medicaid in their states, but earn too little to be eligible for subsidized ACA health plans. It’s a gap in health care coverage, and some politicians are trying to fix it.

Seniors, their families and states are eager to keep older Americans in their homes and out of nursing homes, but those efforts are often thwarted by worker shortages and low pay.

A college student never learned the cause of intense pain that drove her to an ER, but her bill totaled $18,735.93. She and her mom, a nurse practitioner, were outraged after dissecting the charges.

The practice of housing children who are in psychiatric crisis in local ERs — often for days, while they await appropriate in-patient treatment — has become even more prevalent during the pandemic.

With record levels of people relying on Medicaid for health care, the Biden administration is making moves to expand it even farther.

The Houston Methodist Hospital system said 153 employees either resigned or were terminated. Earlier this month, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit over the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

An NPR correspondent living with incurable cancer says 7% is no solution. That’s one estimate of how much — or how little — breast cancer research funding goes toward metastatic disease.

Eager to control costs and sickness, hospitals and insurers are trying to help patients access better food, housing and transportation. But so far there is little research showing these efforts work.

A newly-approved drug, Wegovy, has shown to have significant weight loss benefits. But it’s unclear if insurers will cover the cost of the medication for the millions of Americans who might need it.