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.

Saturday

Delta-8 products are set for testing at Virginia Commonwealth University's forensic science lab. These products come in different forms and packaging, many of which are designed to look like candies or cereal. Crixell Matthews/VPM News hide caption

toggle caption
Crixell Matthews/VPM News

States look to regulate weed alternatives like delta-8 as sales explode

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114246987/1114759063" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Lucille Brooks, a retiree who lives in Pittsford, New York, was sued in 2020 for nearly $8,000 by a nursing home that had taken care of her brother. The nursing home dropped the case after she showed she had no control over his money or authority to make decisions for him. Heather Ainsworth for KHN hide caption

toggle caption
Heather Ainsworth for KHN

Nursing homes are suing friends and family to collect on patients' bills

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1113134049/1114335494" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

The FDA is trying to make "bivalent" COVID vaccines, which target two different antigens, available as soon as September. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Reformulated COVID vaccine boosters may be available earlier than expected

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1113615330/1113615331" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Kristi Alcayaga's teenage son, Michael, was able to try a cancer drug called clofarabine that got an accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration. But the medicine didn't help him. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jovelle Tamayo for NPR

Friday

Kristi Alcayaga's teenage son, Michael, was able to try a cancer drug called clofarabine that got an accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration. But the medicine didn't help him. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jovelle Tamayo for NPR

Drugmakers are slow to prove medicines that got a fast track to market really work

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1110830985/1112970297" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, can also be prescribed for other medical uses. However some pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for them. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Supporters of abortion rights rally at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in downtown St. Paul following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Saturday

Jeni Rae Peters and daughter embrace at their home in Rapid City, S.D. In 2020, Peters was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. After treatment, Peters estimates that her medical bills exceeded $30,000. Dawnee LeBeau for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Dawnee LeBeau for NPR

She was already battling cancer. Then she had to fight the bill collectors

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1110370391/1110667163" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

The new rules will help people get upfront cost estimates for about 500 so-called "shoppable" services, meaning medical care they can schedule ahead of time. DNY59/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
DNY59/Getty Images

Thursday

Some lost their homes. Some emptied their retirement accounts. Some struggled to feed and clothe their families. Medical debt now touches more than 100 million people in America, as the U.S. health care system pushes patients into debt on a mass scale. Jamar Coach; Eamon Queeney; Laura Buckman for KHN and NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jamar Coach; Eamon Queeney; Laura Buckman for KHN and NPR

Thursday

Jon Miller sits in his bedroom with his dog, Carlos, whom he received as a present for successfully completing cancer treatment a decade ago. Miller sustained severe brain damage, and requires the help of home health aides to continue living in his home. Natalie Krebs/Side Effects Public Media hide caption

toggle caption
Natalie Krebs/Side Effects Public Media

Wednesday

Claudia and Jesús Fierro of Yuma, Ariz., review their medical bills. They pay $1,000 a month for health insurance yet still owed more than $7,000 after two episodes of care at the local hospital. Lisa Hornak for Kaiser Health News hide caption

toggle caption
Lisa Hornak for Kaiser Health News

Hit with $7,146 for two hospital bills, a family sought health care in Mexico

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1094636821/1094970710" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Virginia Mayo/AP

'Pandemic, Inc.' author says financial predators made more than $1 billion off COVID

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1091678178/1092347613" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Suzanne and Jim Rybak, inside the craft room where their son, Jameson, would encourage Suzanne to make colorful beach bags, received a $4,928 medical bill months after it was supposedly resolved. By Gavin McIntyre/Kaiser Health News hide caption

toggle caption
By Gavin McIntyre/Kaiser Health News

Sunday

Mary Daniel took a dishwasher job at her husband's Florida memory care facility to see him during the initial coronavirus lockdown. She has been fighting for visitation rights ever since. Tiffany Manning for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Tiffany Manning for NPR