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Health Inc. : Shots - Health News As spending on care rises, the business of health keeps getting more important. We feature news on and analysis of drugmakers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and others in the business of providing health care.
Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

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Tuesday

For patients with disabilities, this doctor prioritizes independence — and fun

Kevin Carlson, with nurse Joshua Lee (right) and respiratory therapist Eric Mathewson (left), watches a WWE match on October 2, 2023 in San Jose, Calif. Gabriel Torres hide caption

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Gabriel Torres

Health Inc.

For patients with disabilities, this doctor prioritizes independence — and fun

TRADEOFFS

Sometimes health care means being able to go out and watch a wrestling match, according to Dr. Clarissa Kripke. She's pioneering a new kind of care for people with disabilities.

For patients with disabilities, this doctor prioritizes independence — and fun

Tuesday

There's a new prescription pill for postpartum depression. How will coverage work?

Miriam McDonald spends time with her 4-year-old son, Nico. McDonald struggled to get care for postpartum depression at Kaiser Permanente, an experience that would eventually lead to significant policy changes by the health care provider. Keith McDonald hide caption

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Keith McDonald

Health Inc.

There's a new prescription pill for postpartum depression. How will coverage work?

KQED

A prescription pill to treat postpartum depression hit the market in December, but most insurers do not yet have a policy on how patients can access it or when they will pay for it.

Saturday

Monday

Thursday

Senators ask CEOs why their drugs cost so much more in the U.S.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, pressed executives from Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck and Johnson & Johnson about the prices they charge for drugs in the U.S. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Health Inc.

Senators ask CEOs why their drugs cost so much more in the U.S.

The Senate HELP committee questioned pharmaceutical CEOs about how much more Americans pay for the same drugs sold for less in Canada, Japan and Europe.

Senators ask CEOs why their drugs cost so much more in the U.S.

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Thursday

The colonoscopies were free but the 'surgical trays' came with $600 price tags

Chantal Panozzo and her husband, who live in the Chicago suburbs, expected their first routine colonoscopies would be free — fully covered by insurance as preventive care under federal law. Taylor Glascock/KFF Health News hide caption

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Taylor Glascock/KFF Health News

Health Inc.

The colonoscopies were free but the 'surgical trays' came with $600 price tags

KFF Health News

Health providers may bill however they choose, including in ways that could leave patients with unexpected bills for "free" care. Preventive care left an Illinois couple with "surgical tray" charges.

The colonoscopies were free but the 'surgical trays' came with $600 price tags

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Tuesday

A growing wave of local governments are erasing billions in medical debts

Cook County board president Toni Preckwinkle (center) announces the county's debt relief program, along with executives from several local hospitals and Allison Sesso, President & CEO of RIP Medical Debt (far left). Cook County, Ill. hide caption

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Cook County, Ill.

Health Inc.

A growing wave of local governments are erasing billions in medical debts

New York City joined other localities this week in pledging to buy up and forgive residents' unpaid medical bills. The trend started in Cook County, Ill., and is spreading around the country.

A growing wave of local governments are erasing billions in medical debts

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Friday

In this Oklahoma town, almost everyone knows someone who's been sued by the hospital

McAlester Regional Health Center's administrative offices in McAlester, Oklahoma. Mitchell Black for KFF Health News hide caption

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Mitchell Black for KFF Health News

Health Inc.

In this Oklahoma town, almost everyone knows someone who's been sued by the hospital

KFF Health News

U.S. hospitals face growing scrutiny over aggressive debt collection tactics. At one community hospital, few patients get financial aid when they can't afford to pay. Many more are taken to court.

Wednesday

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

Drug price hikes appear to be moderate this year, with some drug prices falling. Elise Amendola/AP hide caption

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Elise Amendola/AP

Health Inc.

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

Spoiler: There are some decreases this year, too. Here's an overview of the changing prices and what to make of them.

What to know about January's annual drug price hikes

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Friday

FDA approves Florida's plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada

The Food And Drug Administration has given its OK to Florida's plan to import some prescription drugs from Canada. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images hide caption

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Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Health Inc.

FDA approves Florida's plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada

The Food and Drug Administration's authorization of Florida's plan to import prescription medicines from Canada is a first. But the state still has hurdles to clear before imports could begin.

FDA approves Florida's plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada

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Thursday

How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals

The former Akorn pharmaceutical plant in Decatur, Ill., that made a wide range of generic drugs used in hospitals is being reopened under new ownership. Emilija Manevska/Getty Images hide caption

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Emilija Manevska/Getty Images

Health Inc.

How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals

Hospitals rely on scores of generic drugs given by injection. But these workhorses are often in short supply. Cheap prices have led to factory closures that leave the supply chain vulnerable.

How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals

Listen · 6:11
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Wednesday

Monday

These pros help keep ailing, aging loved ones safe — but it's a costly service

Anne Sansevero discusses a client with one of her nurses, Beau Romero. Sansevero has seven employees in her growing private care management business in New York City. Ashley Milne-Tyte/for NPR hide caption

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Ashley Milne-Tyte/for NPR

Health Inc.

These pros help keep ailing, aging loved ones safe — but it's a costly service

Private care management, often nurses or social workers, is a growing field that helps people navigate the elder care system. People call it "a game changer" — but it comes at a high price.

These pros help keep ailing, aging loved ones safe — but it's a costly service

Listen · 3:55
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Wednesday

Saturday

Could creativity transform medicine? These artists think so

Design strategist Anna Engstrom created this sketch of a futuristic hospital that appears in Artists Remaking Medicine. She writes that she envisions "a more colorful health care future." Anna Engstrom/Procedure Press hide caption

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Anna Engstrom/Procedure Press

Health Inc.

Could creativity transform medicine? These artists think so

A new book argues that the arts have a role to play in shaking up the status quo in the American health care system and creating 'desperately needed culture change.'