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August 31, 2012 The tax incentives are intended to defray the organ donor's cost in medical care, travel and lost wages. By federal statute, it's illegal to pay someone for the organ itself. But the modest breaks available in some states haven't made a dent.

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August 2, 2012 There's ample evidence cholesterol-lowering pills called statins can reduce the risk of a repeat heart attack. But there's fresh debate about the widespread use of statins to prevent heart attacks in people who've never had one. Are the benefits worth the risks?

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June 27, 2012 Some 39 percent of Americans polled in a recent survey said they eat less meat now than they did three years ago. Health experts say that's a sign that Americans' attitudes about consuming meat are changing.

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June 19, 2012 Even if they scrub their hands like crazy, which certainly helps, doctors succumb to germs every once in a while, just like the rest of us. And also like lots of the rest of us, doctors go to work sick, a survey of medical residents finds.

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May 31, 2012 Among recent health care consumers, 16 percent said they'd looked for prices beforehand, compared with 11 percent who'd answered that way two years ago. The most common source is a doctor's office, cited by 50 percent of people who checked on prices.

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May 23, 2012 There's a persistent shortage of organs for transplantation in this country, and it's getting worse. Federal law bans financial incentives for organ donations. Is it time to reconsider? Some calls and emails from listeners illuminate the range of opinions on the controversial subject.

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May 16, 2012 Federal law bans payments for organs. But about 60 percent of Americans support health care credits as compensation for organ donors, the NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll finds.

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December 30, 2011 A little over half of the people we surveyed said they'll resolve to exercise more in 2012. More than a third will resolve to lose weight. And 13 percent say they'll commit to either quitting smoking or reducing how much they smoke.

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December 23, 2011 More than 1 in 5 respondents said they would refuse to be examined in one of the whole-body scanners now in many airports. A third of people under 35 said they would decline the scans.

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November 22, 2011 Nearly a third of people said they'd questioned or refused a doctor's recommendation of painkillers, according to findings from the latest NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll. Fear of addiction and worries about side effects were common concerns.

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November 3, 2011 A solid majority — 59 percent — say that smokers should pay more for health insurance than nonsmokers in the latest NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll.

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September 29, 2011 An NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll finds 21 percent of Americans believe autism is linked to vaccines. Most people believe vaccines work. Among those with concerns about vaccines, uncertainty about long-term health effects is the biggest fear.

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• Report: Vaccines Are Safe, Hazards Are Few

September 12, 2011 Fewer people in the U.S. are as worried about food safety now as they were a year ago, according to the latest NPR-Thomson Reuters health poll. Those with the lowest incomes reported the most concern about the safety of the food they eat.

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• Same Plant, New Month: Cargill Ground Turkey Recall, Take 2

August 5, 2011 The latest NPR-Thomson Reuters Health Poll finds 1 in 5 households across the country has at least one person who is allergic or intolerant to at least one food. Milk and dairy products were the most common food problem. About half of

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July 20, 2011 A solid majority of American say they prefer to eat organic over non-organic food. But the fondness for organic food isn't universal. Older people don't care for it nearly as much as the rest of the population. And the cost of organic food is an issue.

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• Organic Water: A New Marketing Wave