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Shots - Health News

Shots

Health News From NPR

Health Inc.

Friday

When Are Employee Wellness Incentives No Longer Voluntary?

There are legal questions about how far employers can go to encourage participation in wellness programs. Bjorn Rune Lie/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Bjorn Rune Lie/Ikon Images/Getty Images

Health Inc.

When Are Employee Wellness Incentives No Longer Voluntary?

Many workers like the programs, and employers say they help hold down health insurance costs. But there are legal questions about how far companies can go to encourage participation.

When Are Employee Wellness Incentives No Longer Voluntary?

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Texas Politicians And Businesses Feud Over Medicaid Expansion

While governor of Texas, Rick Perry refused to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid. Rick Wilking/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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Rick Wilking/Reuters/Landov

Health Inc.

Texas Politicians And Businesses Feud Over Medicaid Expansion

Texas has turned down federal funds to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Hospitals and some business owners want the money, but it's a tough sell in Republican-dominated state politics.

Texas Politicians And Businesses Feud Over Medicaid Expansion

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Thursday

Wednesday

Supreme Court Says Locals Can Make Pill-Makers Pay For Drug Disposal

Tuesday's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to not review an ordinance passed by Alameda County, California, means that drug makers will now need to pay for collection and disposal of unused drugs in the county. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

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Supreme Court Says Locals Can Make Pill-Makers Pay For Drug Disposal

KQED

The court decision means companies are on the hook for helping at least some consumers in California safely dispose of leftover pills and other medicine. Similar measures are in the works elsewhere.

Friday

Covered California Votes To Cap What Patients Pay For Pricey Drugs

Retired California school teacher Mikkel Lawrence sits with his cat, Max. Lawrence has hepatitis C and has struggled to afford the medicine he needs to treat it. April Dembosky/KQED hide caption

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April Dembosky/KQED

Health Inc.

Covered California Votes To Cap What Patients Pay For Pricey Drugs

KQED

The agency that administers Obamacare in California moved to make expensive medicines more affordable in 2016. In most plans, patients will pay no more than $150 or $250 a month.

Wednesday

Grassley To Justice Department: Crack Down On Medicare Advantage Overbilling

Sen. Chuck Grassley has questions about what the feds are doing to investigate allegations of Medicare Advantage fraud. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Health Inc.

Grassley To Justice Department: Crack Down On Medicare Advantage Overbilling

The Center for Public Integrity

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is asking the Obama administration pointed questions about what is being done to investigate alleged fraud, waste and abuse by Medicare Advantage plans.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Smokers More Likely To Quit If Their Own Cash Is On The Line
Corbis

Health Inc.

Smokers More Likely To Quit If Their Own Cash Is On The Line

A carrot isn't enough — bring on the stick. A study finds smokers are more likely to quit tobacco if they lose some of their own money after a relapse, than if they get a bonus for quitting the habit.

Smokers More Likely To Quit If Their Own Cash Is On The Line

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Friday

Cancer Spawns A Construction Boom In Cleveland

An architectural rendering of the Cleveland Clinic's planned cancer center. Courtesy of the Cleveland Clinic hide caption

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Courtesy of the Cleveland Clinic

Health Inc.

Cancer Spawns A Construction Boom In Cleveland

WCPN News

The famed Cleveland Clinic is building a new cancer center right around the corner from a competing cancer hospital. Both institutions are confident there will be plenty of patients.

Cancer Spawns A Construction Boom In Cleveland

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Thursday

DNA 'Printing' A Big Boon To Research, But Some Raise Concerns

Cambrian Genomics says that what it calls a DNA printer is essentially a DNA sorter — it quickly spots and collects the desired, tailored stretch of DNA. Courtesy of Cambrian Genomics hide caption

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Courtesy of Cambrian Genomics

Health Inc.

DNA 'Printing' A Big Boon To Research, But Some Raise Concerns

Companies are assembling and churning out tailored stretches of DNA faster and more cheaply than ever before. The tool speeds research into diseases of plants and people. But what about eugenics?

DNA 'Printing' A Big Boon To Research, But Some Raise Concerns

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Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City

Ann Allen (right) and Marie Birsic (left) take part in a demonstration to prevent the closure of Lakewood Hospital on Cleveland's West Side. Birsic says the neighborhood will "go down into a ghost town" once the hospital is turned into an outpatient center. Sarah Jane Tribble/WCPN hide caption

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Sarah Jane Tribble/WCPN

Health Inc.

Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City

WCPN News

Economic forces are squeezing the city of Lakewood, just outside Cleveland, forcing the closure of one hospital even as another is built in a more affluent suburb.

Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City

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Wednesday

Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages

Registered nurses Cassie Gregor (from left), Camellia Douglas and Mike Montalto monitor patients in intensive care units scattered around North Carolina. Kevin McCarthy/Carolinas HealthCare System hide caption

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Kevin McCarthy/Carolinas HealthCare System

Health Inc.

Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages

WFAE

Some hospitals are using a remote command center to keep an eye on ICU patients. This brings the expertise of a major medical center to rural hospitals — and may help keep the rural centers open.

Staffing An Intensive Care Unit From Miles Away Has Advantages

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Friday

Brand-Name Medicines Dominate Medicare's $103 Billion Drug Bill

AstraZeneca's Nexium was the top drug in Medicare Part D's spending on prescription medicines. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Health Inc.

Brand-Name Medicines Dominate Medicare's $103 Billion Drug Bill

KFF Health News

Federal officials released prescription histories of hundreds of thousands of doctors and identified the most common and costly drugs. Medicare spent the most on a purple pill for heartburn.

Thursday