archive

February 20, 2013 Can for-profit insurers save money while providing proper care for some of the sickest patients? For years, Arizona, a state that doesn't often champion government programs, has been enlisting private companies to manage the care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicare.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

February 20, 2013 CPRHospitals are partnering with pharmacies to keep discharged patients from returning too soon. Walgreens, for one, is helping hospitals to manage patients' medications after they go home.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

February 19, 2013 Federal programs, including many that provide health care, could soon be hit with deep cuts to their budgets. Agencies won't close, but services ranging from food inspections to vaccinations could be cut back. And the health care industry warns that half a million jobs could be lost within a year.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

February 19, 2013 KHNThe federal law overhauling health care requires that contraceptives be made available to insured women without any out-of-pocket costs to them. Many family planning clinics aren't yet set up to accommodate women under those terms.

Summary

February 18, 2013 Cancer patients often have to deal with side effects from their treatments. They may need speech therapy or help rebuilding their strength. The STAR program is helping break down the barriers to rehabilitation services.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

February 15, 2013 The fallout from Cold War bomb tests is shedding light on why the Achilles tendon heals so poorly after injuries. By looking at carbon-14, scientists have found that tendon tissue in people who were alive during the tests hasn't changed much since they were youngsters.

Summary

February 15, 2013 "We should think of doctors the same way we think of shirts," an economist says. "If we can get doctors at a lower cost from elsewhere in the world then we could save enormous amounts of money."

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

February 15, 2013 The notion that being a little overweight could help people in old age is being challenged. Some of the studies in support of the so-called obesity paradox excluded people who lived in institutions, like nursing homes, or were too sick to participate, a critic says.

Summary

February 12, 2013 KHNIn some cases, "observation" may be no more than a billing designation that allows hospitals to move patients out of crowded emergency departments. Hospitals also may use them to avoid potential insurance reimbursement problems.

Summary

February 11, 2013 When researchers asked hospitals how much a total hip replacement would cost a 62-year-old woman paying cash, a surprising number couldn't or wouldn't say. Health care could learn something from the car industry about working with consumers, critics say.

Summary

February 8, 2013 MPBMississippi would have been the only Republican-led state in the South with a health insurance exchange not run by the federal government. Now Mississippi has another distinction: It's the only state to have its exchange plan turned down by the federal government.

Summary

February 8, 2013 Health care professionals aren't giving Americans the stress management advice they want, according to a new survey. The untreated anxiety may be good news for the snack food and video game industries.

Summary

February 7, 2013 Regulations to restrict the amount of silica dust that workers can inhale were set decades ago, and workplace safety experts say that limit needs to be cut in half. A proposal for new rules was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for a 90-day review, but almost two years later, it's still under review.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist