Bram Sable-Smith

After emergency gallbladder surgery, a Tennessee woman said she spent months without a permanent mailing address and never got a bill from the hospital. She ended up in court a few years later.

Instead of health insurance, the Rev. Jeff King had signed up for an alternative that left members of the plan to share the costs of health care. That meant lower premiums, but a huge hospital bill.

In NPR's on-going investigation into medical debt with Kaiser Health News, we travel to Lawrence, Kan., to see how far one couple went to avoid bankruptcy.

After a car wreck, three siblings were transported to the same hospital by ambulances from three separate districts. The sibling with the most minor injuries got the biggest bill.

Some consumers sign up for Obamacare and find out later they actually purchased a membership to a health care sharing ministry. But regulators and online advertising sites don't do much about it.

The pandemic exposed how old-school tech hampers access to health care and other public services. With new federal funding, states finally have a way to upgrade, if they seize the opportunity.

Public health experts have been urging Americans for months to get vaccinated and tested for COVID-19. But the options for children under 5 are limited. Parents long for more support and guidance.

Parents of children too young for vaccines are exhausted. As omicron surges, they keep trying to protect their kids. But some feel isolated and even forgotten by those who just want to move on.

Without dental insurance, William Stork has put off getting his rotten tooth pulled; Medicare doesn't cover the $1,000 procedure. Dentists can't agree on whether all seniors should get that benefit.

The coronavirus pandemic is not easing up in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. With COVID-19 spreading unchecked in nearly every state, we hear from reporters in three hard-hit states.

A survey of 17 cities found more than 50,000 pandemic-related eviction filings. Housing advocates worry that increased housing instability will lead to more COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Housing and health are intertwined: families are facing eviction even if they are sick or vulnerable. Despite the CDC's moratorium, landlords have filed tens of thousands of eviction notices.

Wisconsin was already facing a shortage of caregivers who provide crucial health services and help their clients live and work independently. The pandemic has eroded this workforce even more.

In rural America, chronic pain and opioid addiction are common, but treatment is often harder to come by. In the village of Necedah, Wis., population 916, one doctor is changing that.

Type 1 diabetes can be well managed with insulin if blood sugar is consistently monitored. But insurance rules can make it hard for patients to get the medical supplies their doctors say they need.

Dozens of people in the Midwest have been hospitalized with severe lung damage in the past month. It's unclear what exactly is causing the problem, but the common link appears to be vaping.

VA hospitals are recording patients' life stories to help strengthen understanding between patients and their caregivers. Including such stories in medical records may even improve health outcomes.

VA hospitals are pioneering the use of storytelling to strengthen the relationships patients have with doctors and nurses. With more information about patients, there may be some health benefits.

The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said Monday that it would offer a generic version of Humalog insulin, one of its best-selling medicines. The move could help blunt criticism about high prices.

Faced with high U.S. prices for prescription drugs, some Americans cross the border to buy insulin pens and other meds. At least 1 insurer reimburses flights to the border to make such purchases easy.