State rules were temporarily loosened in 2020 to help patients get care outside a doctor's office. But is telehealth by phone safe and effective? State legislatures and insurers must soon decide.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says health providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.

Many Americans with mental illness report waiting weeks for care, even for serious depression or suicidality. Now California has a new law for insurers, limiting those wait times to two weeks or less.

The Texas law has no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. Social workers say that's hurting some survivors financially, psychologically and physically.

Hospitals and doctors are facing more demands for ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment, despite no proof it works. In some Republican-dominated states, lawmakers and attorney generals are weighing in.

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.

These services can make the difference between being able to live at home with family or landing in a nursing facility. But state Medicaid programs don't always pay for them.

Statewide, the COVID vaccination rate for first responders is more than 95%. But it's not as high in more rural areas, where ambulance crews can't function if just a few people quit.

The new law means patients can't get hit with pricey, unexpected medical bills. Some experts say the regulation could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.

Francis Collins has served longer than any other director of the National Institutes of Health since 1971. He tells NPR he did not anticipate the culture wars taking over scientific fact.

There are more than 2 million uninsured adults in states that didn't expand Medicaid. Congressional Democrats have a plan to cover them — if they can find money for it in the massive spending bill.

More than 2 million Americans are uninsured because they live in the 12 states that didn't expand Medicaid. 60% are people of color. Will Congress help by including them in the new spending bill?

With the back and forth on boosters from government agencies, many Americans are wondering if they really need an extra shot. Here is what the science says about who needs a booster now — and why.

Dr. Janet Woodcock, an administrative veteran of the Food and Drug Administration since the 1980s, has been acting director of the agency since January. Why is the permanent job so hard to fill?

Roach researched animal misbehaviors for her new book, Fuzz. Though animals are all but charged with crimes when they run afoul of human values, she learns, they often have the last laugh.