Nationwide IV fluid shortage following Helene leads to postponed surgeries

Oct 17, 2024
It was easier for companies to transition to making PPE at the height of the pandemic than it was to produce something as sterile and specific as IV fluid.
“A product like IV fluids is almost like having water to your house — you need tons, like literal tons of this fluid in America's largest hospitals every day,” said Dr. Chris DeRienzo of the American Hospital Association.
Bevan Goldswain/Getty Images

Generic drugs in the U.S. face new economic pressures 40 years on

The generic drug industry in the U.S. has saved people billions and billions of dollars. But it faces new economic pressure today.
"Economists told me that now the prices of some drugs are almost too cheap," explained reporter and producer Leslie Walker.
John Moore/Getty Images

One in 7 Americans has gotten health insurance through the ACA in the last decade

Sep 11, 2024
But the subsidies that enabled a wave of new signups since the pandemic are only in place until 2025.
The number of people enrolled under the Affordable Care Act has surge from roughly 11 million in 2020 to about 21 million in 2204.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

The push to erase medical debt is gaining speed

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to erase medical debt for millions of Americans. The issue is getting more airtime leading up to November's election.
jittawit.21/Getty Images

Getting creative in the competition for health care workers

Aug 13, 2024
Competition for medical workers can be fierce, requiring incentives like housing assistance or student loan repayments to recruit new hires.
As wages creep up in other industries, health care has to compete. Above, a nurse visits a patient at her home.
John Moore/Getty Images

Why women's health is so far behind the curve

Improving the women's health gap could improve lives and the economy, researchers say.
FG Trade Latin/Getty images

Rural paramedics are making routine house calls to avoid costly emergency room visits

Jun 28, 2024
Experts say community paramedicine programs, which involve paramedics checking in on people with known health issues before an emergency happens, can cut costs and ease strains on health care systems in rural areas.
Paramedic Alexandria Hollenbeck and Terlingua Fire and EMS Chief Susan Martin are involved in the first community paramedicine program in rural Terlingua, Texas.
Travis Bubenik/Marfa Public Radio

For public good, not for profit.

Amid shortage, nurses abroad wait longer for visas

Jun 24, 2024
Qualified and experienced nurses are in high demand. And the Health Resources & Services Administration projects a shortfall of tens of thousands of registered nurses annually.
One way employers could help alleviate the nursing shortage? Do more to retain the nurses they already have.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

February cyberattack causes chronic pain for health care industry

May 20, 2024
When malicious hackers stole data from Change Healthcare and demanded a ransom, providers lost an estimated $100 million per day early on.
Change Healthcare processes between a third and a half of all medical insurance claims in the U.S. and is still working to get its services running smoothly.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The high cost of mental health inequities

May 16, 2024
Lots of people in this country don’t have access to good mental health care — and that's expensive for society.
Investing in things like housing, education, food and medical care makes a big difference in a person's health outcomes.
Javi Sanz/Getty Images