Category: NPR

Research indicates bed rest does not improve birth outcomes and can be risky for the mom. So why is it still prescribed by many doctors and midwives for about 20 percent of pregnant women in the U.S.?

Infections with Clostridium difficile can be difficult to treat and life-threatening. Once a problem seen mainly in health care facilities, the infections are now occurring often in the community.

A woman had twins in a hospital south of Boston last summer, right around dinner time. For doctors aiming to reduce cesareans, the second baby’s tricky arrival tested the limits of teamwork.

A gunman shot and killed three people at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago this past week. NPR’s Scott Simon remembers and honors one of the victims, Tamara O’Neal.

After years of price hikes, the cost of the average Affordable Care Act policy is dropping across the U.S. Competition among insurers has increased as the political uncertainty starts to settle down.

NPR’s Audie Cornish speaks with ProPublica reporter Marshall Allen about an investigation detailing how health insurers pass the high costs for sleep apnea breathing machines onto patients.

Although researchers acknowledge many factors could be at play, a recent study suggests that seriously ill children who had once-in-a-lifetime wishes fulfilled also incurred lower health care costs.

The state has started to reduce overdose deaths by offering counseling and medication for opioid addiction in prison. Research finds the treatment helps inmates avoid relapse after release.

Most children moving to the U.S. from Central America come without adults, hoping to join parents or family already living in the U.S. To succeed, psychologists say, these families need support.

In its latest effort to curb smoking by young people, the FDA wants to outlaw menthol cigarettes. The agency would also restrict sales of flavored e-cigarettes to reduce youth addiction to nicotine.