archive

December 18, 2012 Starting in January, the French government will provide contraceptives for girls ages 15 to 18 — without charge and without parental notification. The measure, which passed parliament without debate, aims to reduce teen pregnancies by increasing access to birth control and education.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 14, 2012 KHNOnly 17 states and the District of Columbia have proposed running their own insurance markets. Experts had expected mostly small states to seek federal help, but some of the nation's largest have said they will not run an exchange on their own.

Summary

December 14, 2012 Means testing Medicare is one of the few areas where Democrats have shown a willingness to even consider the subject of spending less on the program. But not everyone supports that idea.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 12, 2012 Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 11, 2012 KHNHealth insurers sometimes pay too much to a doctor or hospital for services rendered. When insurers look to get their money back, patients may be surprised to get stuck with the bills.

Summary

December 11, 2012 In the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling this summer, it decided that states' plans for expansion of the Medicaid program should be optional. That led governors to ask if they could expand the program in part but still receive federal funding. The administration has said no.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 7, 2012 With the presidential election decided, doctors and some advocates are calling for the administration to make it easier for teenagers to get the morning-after birth control pill.

Summary

December 7, 2012 Somebody poured a solution of industrial strength bleach into a 55-gallon drum, triggering a release of toxic chlorine gas a Tyson Foods plant. Language barriers contributed to the accident, government investigators concluded.

Summary

December 5, 2012 To raise vaccination rates, some states have made it much harder for parents to get exemptions for their children from immunizations based on personal beliefs. One doctor says restrictions could backfire.

Summary

December 5, 2012 The traditions of medical education die hard. Many doctors in training still work extreme hours, despite rules that limit the lengths of shifts for medical residents. One residency director calls for doctors educated under the old system to stop bashing the younger generation for being soft.

Summary

December 4, 2012 Economists say that excluding the value of employer-sponsored health insurance from federal taxes makes no sense. But many worry that changing the tax code could mean higher taxes or that employers would push down the value of the health insurance they provide.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 4, 2012 CPRSome doctors are unhappy about switching from paper records to electronic ones. While the government is creating incentives for doctors to switch, some say the hassles and expense exceed the rewards.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist