Category: NPR

This medicine to treat opioid addiction is hard to come by — only a fraction of doctors are approved to prescribe it. So some people trying to quit a heroin habit turn to a black market for help.

A former health insurance executive made it her mission to bring down high health care costs. She’s demanding a better deal for employers — and the workers whose care they pay for.

“He told hospital staff that he had a gun and that he would shoot anyone who came near him,” police said, adding that officers approached the man out of concern for other patients who needed care.

New short-term insurance policies will likely be cheaper than Affordable Care Act plans. But those lower prices mean they won’t pay for as much health care.

People can soon buy health insurance that may be cheaper than Obamacare. It however is not required to cover as many medical services and is exempt from covering people with pre-existing conditions.

College students are among the least likely to get vaccinated against the flu, which killed more than 80,000 people last winter. Experts say the reasons are a combination of fear and misperception.

A mechanical pump can be life-saving for heart failure patients or it can cause dangerous complications. Doctors can do a better job at explaining the reasons some patients may want to opt out.

Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, often win patents for incremental changes with debatable value. Now there’s a twist involving an opioid addiction treatment.

The overdose antidote naloxone could soon be available in more public places. The Veterans Administration is adding it to its automated defibrillator cabinets. Other institutions are following suit.

Medevac helicopter companies are on the congressional radar, as a funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration nears passage. Consumer protections against deceptive practices could become law.