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.

Health Inc.

Thursday

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new suppliers have jumped into the market for surgical masks. Some have touted FDA certificates that don't have any regulatory meaning. Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images

'Meaningless' FDA Certificates Are Used To Tout Dubious Face Masks

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/890776466/892034510" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

It wasn't easy in early March to get a test in the U.S. confirming you had the coronavirus — scarce availability of tests meant patients had to meet strict criteria linked to a narrow set of symptoms and particular travel history. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ted S. Warren/AP

Monday

Gilead Sciences, maker of the antiviral drug remdesivir, has come up with a price for the COVID-19 treatment that was less than some analysts expected. ULRICH PERREY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
ULRICH PERREY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Remdesivir Priced At More Than $3,100 For A Course Of Treatment

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/884648842/884958712" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Some cities, such as Washington, D.C. are offering free coronavirus testing for people who've attended protests. Where free tests aren't available, some people may find insurance refuses to cover precautionary testing. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Carolyn Kaster/AP

Monday

Costs have gone up for addiction treatment centers in recent months, as they have had to invest in teletherapy and personal protective gear. "We are at risk for not having the funding that we need to keep our doors open," says one medical director. Maskot/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Maskot/Getty Images

A New Addiction Crisis: Treatment Centers Face Financial Collapse

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/865006675/881826956" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

The first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, receives an injection in May. Pfizer's candidate for a coronavirus vaccine is one of number that are in various stages of development around the world. University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP hide caption

toggle caption
University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP

NIH Director Hopes For At Least 1 Safe And Effective Vaccine By Year's End

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/868833292/869135907" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Friday

Dr. Ming Lin was fired from his position as an emergency room physician at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington after publicly complaining about the hospital's infection control procedures during the pandmic. Yoshimi Lin hide caption

toggle caption
Yoshimi Lin

Monday

Saturday

Wednesday

Anna Davis Abel, a graduate student studying creative writing at West Virginia University, couldn't get tested for COVID-19 until her doctor ruled out other possible illnesses. Rebecca Kiger for KHN hide caption

toggle caption
Rebecca Kiger for KHN

COVID-19 Tests That Are Supposed To Be Free Can Ring Up Surprising Charges

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/847450671/847755327" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Despite recent changes in insurance policy, some patients say doctors and insurers are charging them upfront for video appointments and phone calls — not just copays but sometimes the entire cost of the visit, even if it's covered by insurance. sesame/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
sesame/Getty Images

Friday

Only 28% of the factories that make active ingredients for pharmaceuticals for the domestic market are located in the U.S., according to the Food and Drug Administration. Ariana Lindquist/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Ariana Lindquist/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Monday

All 84 residents of Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside, Calif., were evacuated from the facility in early April after 39 residents tested positive for the coronavirus. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Discharging COVID-19 Patients To Nursing Homes Called A 'Recipe For Disaster'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/832034662/838297687" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Emergency medical technicians wheel a patient into the ER of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Emergency hospitalizations related to COViD-19 can be costly. Fine print in the HHS rules regarding the CARES Act seem to spare patients at least some of the financial pain. Stan Grossfeld/Boston Globe via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Stan Grossfeld/Boston Globe via Getty Images

Wednesday

Paramedics and hospital workers prepare to lift a COVID-19 patient onto a hospital stretcher outside the Montefiore Medical Center Moses Campus, the Bronx, Tuesday, April 07, 2020, New York City. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
John Moore/Getty Images