Category: NPR

The first civil trial against an opioid manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, has ended in Oklahoma. The verdict could affect lawsuits filed by other local and state governments coping with addiction.

Sepsis, the body’s overreaction to infection, strikes more than a million Americans a year and kills more than 250,000. Evidence suggests that regulations can improve its diagnosis and patient care.

The federal government wants to deploy several new tools for catching insurers that have overcharged Medicare $30 billion in last three years alone. But the insurance industry is balking.

Monday was the last day in a widely-watched trial about opioid addiction in Oklahoma. The state sued opioid manufacturers, but only Johnson & Johnson fought it in court after others settled.

Some physicians say connecting environmental effects of climate change — heat waves, more pollen and longer allergy seasons — to the health consequences helps them better care for patients.

This week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at improving the care of kidney patients. Nephrologist Amaka Eneanya talks with Scott Simon about some of the new initiatives.

The Justice Department has mounted a legal challenge to block the effort, claiming such a site violates federal drug laws and would enable opioid users.

President Trump has signed an executive order pushing for sweeping changes in the way kidney disease is treated.

Under federal law, people sexually assaulted don’t have to pay for their medical forensic exams. Yet some have trouble getting the hospitals or collection agencies to stop dunning them for payment.

Expanding health benefits to more undocumented immigrants was praised by state Democrats, but some Republicans worried about California becoming a “magnet” for migrants in search of coverage.