The risks of medical tourism are depicted in a study of U.S patients who traveled to two clinics for procedures like tummy tucks and butt lifts — and were exposed to a virulent fungal meningitis.
Fertility clinics in Alabama are contemplating next steps after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen fertilized eggs are children — and discarding them would be a crime.
More and more Southern states are talking about fully expanding Medicaid to cover poor residents. They've resisted the option for a decade, but are now running into competition with each other.
"This is the first time that this has happened in recent years," said Martin Griffiths of the United Nations. about the reduced ask. Why in a time of greater need is the U.N. lowering its appeal?
A new study shows that nearly 8,000 e-bike riders sought hospital care for head injuries in 2022. It's a huge increase and the majority of the injured riders were not wearing helmets.
Frozen embryos are people and you can be held legally responsible if you destroy them, according to the Alabama Supreme Court. The decision could have wide-ranging implications for IVF clinics.
A bill introduced Tuesday by a top lieutenant to Republican House Speaker Jon Burns proposes to create a Comprehensive Health Care Commission. That could lead to more health coverage in the future, but not this year.
In the U.S., flavored cigarettes have been banned since 2009, with one glaring exception: menthols. That exception was supposed to go away in 2023, but the Biden administration quietly delayed the ban on menthols. Why? Well, an estimated 85 percent of Black smokers smoke menthols — and some (potentially suspect) polls have indicated that a ban on menthols would chill Biden's support among Black people. Of course, it's more complicated than that. The story of menthol cigarettes is tied up in policing, advertising, influencer-culture, and the weaponization of race and gender studies. Oh, and a real-life Black superhero named Mandrake the Magician.
The state law has been interpreted as banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood argues the ban is vague and shouldn't apply until at least three weeks later in pregnancy.
Brian Mann covers the U-S opioid and fentanyl crisis for NPR. That means he talks to a lot of people struggling with addiction. Again and again, he's heard stories of people who have succumbed to their addiction — last year 112, 000 — more than ever in history.
But when Mann traveled to Portugal to report on that country's model for dealing with the opioid crisis, he heard a very different story. Overdose deaths in Portugal are extremely rare.
The country has taken a radically different approach to drugs – decriminalizing small amounts and publicly funding addiction services – including sites where people can use drugs like crack and heroin.
Portugal treats addiction as an illness rather than a crime. No one has to pay for addiction care, and no one scrambles to navigate a poorly regulated recovery system. Could Portugal's approach help the U-S fight its opioid epidemic?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
A young poet and writer who lost his father to opioid addiction says there's nothing cool about what the drugs did to his dad. So why are peers trying to look like emaciated people with addiction?
Members of the Council for a Strong America are calling on the Georgia legislature to ensure that the state budget prioritizes and promotes early childhood priorities, including mental health.
Xolair is considered the first medication approved by the FDA that can help protect against severe allergic reactions brought on by accidental exposure to certain foods.
