NPR Health Blog

Insurance Costs Rise, But More Slowly

Annual family health insurance premiums rose about 4 percent to an average of $15,745 this year, a new survey finds. While the increase is less than the one seen last year, it exceeds both inflation and wage gains. Read More...

Published Tue, Sep 11 2012 1:02 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Portland, Ore., Becomes Latest Fluoride Battleground

Portland, Ore., is the largest American city not to add fluoride to its drinking water. Activists have been vocal, for and against a proposal to change that. The science shows that fears of side effects from small amounts of fluoride to protect teeth...

Published Wed, Sep 12 2012 1:58 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Death Toll Climbs In Congo Ebola Outbreak

The number of deaths from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo surged in the past week, prompting concern that the outbreak was spreading. A spokesman from the World Health Organization says the outbreak is not out of control. Read More...

Published Thu, Sep 13 2012 1:54 PM by Shots - Health Blog

People In Mass. Like Their Health Law, But Reservations On Mandate Persist

A poll conducted in Massachusetts finds nearly three-quarters of people support the state's law making health care coverage virtually universal. But about half of those polled would like some changes made. Read More...

Published Mon, Jun 06 2011 2:30 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

E. Coli Outbreak May Boost Argument For More U.S. Food Safety Funds

FDA's top food expert, Michael Taylor, makes the case for more funding to prevent outbreaks like the one in Europe from happening here in the U.S. But the agency faces an uphill battle to wring the money out of Congress. Read More...

Published Tue, Jun 07 2011 9:55 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

FDA: High Dose Of Popular Cholesterol Medicine May Damage Muscles

The agency says the highest approved dose of simvastatin has been linked to an increased risk of muscle injury, a risk that is greatest during the first year of use. The agency is telling doctors not to prescribe the 80 milligram dose to new patients...

Published Wed, Jun 08 2011 1:13 PM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Poll: Generation Y Divided On Abortion, Like Their Parents

The millennial generation supports gay marriage. And the same group also supports abortion rights, but is conflicted in doing so. Overlapping majorities of respondents to a new poll described themselves as both "pro-choice" and "pro-life...

Published Thu, Jun 09 2011 8:33 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

In Joplin's Tornado Emergency, Electronic Health Records Were Key

St. John's Regional Medical Center was badly damaged by the powerful twister that ripped through Joplin, Mo., last month. But its patient records weren't. The hospital completed converting to digital records just three weeks before the storm....

Published Fri, Jun 10 2011 11:43 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Government Officials Retire Chimpanzees From Research

The National Institutes of Health will retire over 100 chimps from biomedical research experiments after deciding there's no longer a need for them. Some chimps are headed to a sanctuary, while others will go to a facility in Texas that will care...

Published Fri, Sep 21 2012 2:00 PM by Shots - Health Blog

South African Children's Hospital Closed Under Apartheid To Reopen

With local hospitals in Durban, South Africa, strained by the AIDS epidemic, city leaders are trying to restore and reopen a historic children's hospital shut down in the 1980s during apartheid. The hospital originally opened in 1931 with a mandate...

Published Mon, Sep 24 2012 12:57 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Nobel Winners Unlocked Cells' Unlimited Potential

John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka discovered that every cell in our body — from skin and heart to brain and lung — can reinvent itself and become any other cell type. These stem cells have vast potential for drug development, for many diseases, like Alzheimer's...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 6:05 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Fun With Physics: How To Make Tiny Medicine Nanoballs

Scientists have long toyed with the idea of putting medicine inside microscopic capsules that could travel to hard-to-reach places inside your body. Now, researchers have come up with a method to assemble tiny nanospheres. Read More...

Published Wed, Oct 10 2012 12:17 AM by Shots - Health Blog

How Cellphones Helped Researchers Track Malaria In Kenya

By tracking nearly 15 million cellphones in Kenya, scientists mapped out how malaria spreads through the Texas-sized country. The findings pinpoint areas where efforts to control malaria would be the most effective. One day, the data may help guide alert...

Published Thu, Oct 11 2012 12:47 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Patient Vigilance Can Help Thwart Errors In Doctors' Offices

Of nearly 11,000 malpractice claims paid on behalf of doctors in 2009, some 43 percent were for errors in outpatient settings. Diagnostic errors were the most common problem leading to malpractice payments for outpatients. Read More...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 6:05 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

Avastin As *** Cancer Treatment Tests FDA's Ability To Say No

In a controversial 2008 decision, the FDA gave a fast-track approval for the pricey drug for *** cancer treatment based on a single study. Now, after subsequent research proved disappointing, the agency is moving to revoke the approval, angering patients...

Published Wed, Jun 29 2011 7:00 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health Blog

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