Instead of paying doctors piecemeal for prenatal appointments and delivery of the baby, some insurers now offer medical practices one lump sum to cover it all.
Drugmakers hate the idea. But Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump both say pegging the prices of U.S. medicine to what people elsewhere pay could save U.S. patients a bundle. Here's how an "IPI" might work.
The high ER charge for treating one Colorado groom's hangover the day before his wedding illustrates how emergency room bills have become major headaches for many Americans.
Type 1 diabetes can be well managed with insulin if blood sugar is consistently monitored. But insurance rules can make it hard for patients to get the medical supplies their doctors say they need.
The Austin City Council is defying Texas state legislators, setting aside $150,000 in city funds to help local women who seek abortions pay for attendant costs, such as transportation or child care.
The presidential candidate, in a Nevada campaign stop, pushed back on criticism of his "Medicare for All" plan. Instead of asking Sanders questions, people have vented about health insurance problems.
A large chunk of Thursday's Democratic primary debate featured policy brawls about health care policy — including costs, coverage and worries about whether the party is growing too extreme.
Around 20% of U.S. adults live with chronic pain. Medical schools traditionally haven't dedicated much time to teaching about pain and pain control, but one top school now has a mandatory course.
A telemedicine initiative at Meridian Health Services is making it possible to offer psychiatric care to more patients in remote areas. It's also helping recruit doctors in a tight labor market.
Many clinics that provide family planning services still rely on Title X funding. Their doctors worry about what they can say to patients about abortion under new rules.
Prenatal classes often focus on Mom-to-be — on her shifting role and emotional needs, along with new skills. But if Dad gets sidelined early into a supporting role, research shows, everybody loses.
Efforts to combat Philadelphia's opioid crisis with a supervised injection site could be stymied by a portion of federal law meant to protect neighborhoods during the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
Doctors and nurses are often barred from turning to FDA-approved medications that research shows to be the most effective way to quit. Critics of that policy say stigma is undermining best practice
Groupon and other deal sites are the latest marketing tactic in medicine, offering bargain prices. But critics say pursuing such discounts can also entail getting unnecessary or duplicative services.
State lawmakers are expected to pass a bill requiring campus health centers to provide pills used for medication abortions. If the measure becomes law, it will be the first of its kind in the U.S.
Immigration authorities are reconsidering some requests from migrants to be allowed to stay in the U.S. to get medical treatment. But others hoping to get care here could be facing deportation.
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Paul Spiegel, one of several doctors at Johns Hopkins University arguing that physicians who work in immigration detention centers could be violating the Hippocratic Oath.
President Trump promises he has a "phenomenal" health plan if the ACA is overturned in court. Here's a glimpse, according to analysts and his advisers, of what might be included in a GOP health plan.
For years, Kristin Sollars and Marci Ebberts worked together caring for critically ill patients, a job they say is also a daily mindset. "You carry a little bit of them with you," Ebberts said.
Patients are often told to be smart consumers and shop around for health care before they use it. But even when you do so, estimates from insurers, hospitals and doctors can be unreliable.
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Charles Tatelbaum, director at Tripp Scott law firm, about what the Purdue Pharma settlement would mean for the company, the plaintiffs and the Sackler family.
Frustrated with online marketing sites that peddle needless "health aids" and fears, gynecologist and columnist Jen Gunter aims to dispel myths about the female body and restore power to patients.
The $572 million judgment against Johnson & Johnson will cover one year of addiction treatment and prevention the judge says. But health economists predict it will take decades to abate the problem.
