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Sick In America TK
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Sick In America

Thursday

Sick in America: Hispanics Grapple With Cost And Quality Of Care
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Shots - Health News

Sick in America: Hispanics Grapple With Cost And Quality Of Care

When it comes to out-of-pocket costs for health care, 42 percent of Hispanics say they're a "very serious" problem, according to a recent NPR poll. The finding runs counter to the widespread impression that African-Americans are worst-off when it comes to the cost and quality of health care.

Sick in America: Hispanics Grapple With Cost And Quality Of Care

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Friday

Need A Nurse? You May Have To Wait

Some fear that with rising medical costs and an aging population, the country's nursing staff will be stretched too thin. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Shots - Health News

Need A Nurse? You May Have To Wait

A new poll finds 34 percent of patients hospitalized for at least one night in the past year said "nurses weren't available when needed or didn't respond quickly to requests for help." We asked nurses why that might be. Stories poured in about being overworked, comparing the job to "spinning plates."

Need A Nurse? You May Have To Wait

Listen · 5:15
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Thursday

What's Up, Doc? When Your Doctor Rushes Like The Road Runner

Patients continue to complain that physicians don't spend enough time examining and talking with them. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Shots - Health News

What's Up, Doc? When Your Doctor Rushes Like The Road Runner

KQED

When it comes to time, there is a stubborn feeling among patients that doctors are in too big of a hurry. That is troubling — and frustrating — to physicians who feel that they are already packing more into every workday and are stretched thin by paperwork.

What's Up, Doc? When Your Doctor Rushes Like The Road Runner

Listen · 5:20
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Wednesday

Health Insurance Cutbacks Squeeze The Insured

Amber Cooper lives in Modesto, Calif., with her 5-year-old son, Jaden, and her husband, Kevin. She had a liver transplant when she was 10 years old and has to take anti-rejection medication. Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR hide caption

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Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR

Shots - Health News

Health Insurance Cutbacks Squeeze The Insured

Health insurance has been changing dramatically. Even people with insurance are paying thousands of dollars out of pocket before their insurance kicks in. And when that happens, insurance picks up less than it used to — often a lot less.

Health Insurance Cutbacks Squeeze The Insured

Listen · 4:52
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Monday

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System

Douglas Harlow Brown, 80, of East Lansing, Mich., watches birds inside a medical rehab facility. Brittney Lohmiller for NPR hide caption

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Brittney Lohmiller for NPR

Shots - Health News

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System

Our call-out on Facebook for people to share their experiences of the health care system yielded wrenching tales of bankruptcies, medical errors, and delayed or foregone treatment.

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System

Listen · 8:39
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Shots - Health News

Poll: What It's Like To Be Sick In America

Three out of four people who've been sick in the past year said cost is a very serious problem, and half said quality is a very serious problem. Those are among the striking findings from the latest survey on health from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Poll: What It's Like To Be Sick In America

Listen · 3:53
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