While opioids get all the attention, rural communities struggle with substances like meth and alcohol too. One clinic is building up capacity to treat all of them, using both medicine and counseling.
A third of people under 35 said cost led them to put off some form of health care, compared with only 8 percent of people 65 and older, a poll by NPR and IBM Watson Health found.
Incarcerated pregnant women are often shackled during medical appointments and childbirth. A provision in a criminal justice bill aims to end the practice in federal facilities.
American medical schools have historically been disproportionately white, but they are starting to attract more diverse students. The change may be the result of a diversity policy with teeth.
Medicare's incentive program to discourage nursing homes from discharging patients too quickly will also give bonuses to facilities that have fewer rehospitalizations.
The Trump administration offered states specific examples Thursday of how they could change the way they implement the Affordable Care Act. Critics say Trump's plan could drive up premiums for many.
As illegal meth use has made a comeback across the U.S., pregnant women have not been spared, doctors say. New research shows rural areas in the South, Midwest and West have been hit hardest.
Economic growth usually means more kids get health insurance, but that's not been the case during the Trump years, a study shows. For the first time in a decade, the uninsured rate for children is up.
When Joseph Sakran was 17, he was shot in the throat after a high school football game. That experience inspired him to become a surgeon — and to speak out against gun violence.
The Trump administration is spending $10 million this year on health care navigators — down from $63 million in 2016. Nationwide, workers are scrambling to apprise people of insurance options.
Shereese Hickson's doctor wanted her to try a drug called Ocrevus for her multiple sclerosis. Trained as a medical billing coder, Hickson was shocked by the six-figure bill and the share she owed.
Some doctors are morally opposed to performing abortions. Others feel it's their calling and give up weekends to work at small clinics that offer them. And that can put their jobs in jeopardy.
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. For doctors aiming to reduce cesareans, the second baby's tricky arrival tested the limits of teamwork.
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 that many factors could be at play, a recent study suggests that seriously ill children who had once-in-a-lifetime wishes fulfilled also had 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.
Installment plans and refunds for treatments that don't work are two options getting more attention as ultra-expensive therapies become more common. The financial strains will only grow.
