Health & Safety

Pansy Greene, 73, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. She and her husband, Winston, have been married for 57 years. She says her secret to maintaining a normal life is to stay active and positive.

Despite Early Stages, Alzheimer's Affects Couple's Big Picture

11:22am November 16, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

Winston and Pansy Greene are getting on with their lives despite Pansy's Alzheimer's disease. In the three years since her diagnosis, little has changed, though the couple is starting to have different takes on the future. Pansy has remained positive; Winston says with no cure, he has to be realistic.

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President Obama met at the White House with CEOs from across the health insurance industry on Friday. Insurers, he says, will be allowed to renew for one more year health policies that don't meet the new national standards set by the Affordable Care Act.

Health & Safety

Can You Keep Your Old Health Plan? It May Depend On Where You Live

8:36pm November 15, 2013

by Julie Rovner

President Obama's proposal — designed to help reverse the recent cancellation of some health policies — seems to leave the decision up to insurance companies. But there are other decision-makers in the mix who are just as important: state regulators.

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The plate on the left contains about equal numbers of colonies of two different bacteria. After the bacteria compete and evolve, the lighter ones have taken the lead in the plate on the right.

Bacterial Competition In Lab Shows Evolution Never Stops

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Day after day, workers at Michigan State University care for and feed colonies of evolving bacteria. The original microbes have produced more than 50,000 generations in the 25 years since the experiment began. Despite predictions the bacteria might someday reach a point where they would evolve no more, the results show they keep changing.

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Health & Safety

Medicare Penalizes Nearly 1,500 Hospitals For Poor Quality Scores

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jordan Rau

Medicare has tied incentive payments and penalties to two-dozen quality measurements, including surveys of patient satisfaction and death rates. More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving bonuses. But more hospitals are being paid less for each Medicare patient they treat for the year that began Oct. 1.

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Health & Safety

Health Care Cancellation Cure Could Lead To Higher Premiums

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

The health care fix announced by President Obama on Thursday may be good news for some consumers, but it creates a big headache for insurance companies and regulators. An insurance industry trade group warns the last-minute change could destabilize the market and lead to higher premiums.

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Obama Apologizes, Offers Fix To Insurance Cancellations

10:49am November 15, 2013

by Scott Horsley

President Obama has acknowledged the fumbled rollout of his signature health care law has hurt his credibility and that of fellow Democrats. He offered a minor change to the law in hopes of calming Democratic nerves, and beating back bigger changes proposed by House Republicans.

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What's The Most Important Thing Food Labels Should Tell Us?

7:29pm November 14, 2013

by Dan Charles

Food labels have become battlegrounds. Government regulators, companies and food movement activists have been fighting over what belongs on the label. (GMOs? Trans fats? Claims that bran prevents heart disease?) We asked four big thinkers for their dream food label.

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A pitch from the White House touts the price of Obamacare at $50 a month or less.

Health & Safety

Can Young People Get Obamacare For $50 A Month? Sometimes

2:56pm November 14, 2013

by Chris Arnold

The Obama administration is plugging its health care plan by saying that half of young, single people can buy health coverage for $50 a month or less. A closer look at the claim finds that it's more like a third of single, uninsured, young adults who would get a deal that good.

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Health & Safety

Health Care Registration Numbers Are Revealed

6:53am November 14, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The Obama administration says just about 100,000 people managed to choose health plans through the federal and state health exchanges during their first month of the program. Critics say that shows the law is failing. But most analysts say the first month's numbers wouldn't have meant very much, even if the federal website had been working properly.

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Rep. Waxman Weighs In On Affordable Care Act Problems

6:53am November 14, 2013

Steve Inskeep talks to Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California about the lower-than-expected number of Americans who successfully signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. A growing group of Democrats are backing a Republican plan to delay the penalties or allow Americans to keep their current plans.

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