Health

Should you be screened for prostate cancer? Talk to your doctor, new guidelines say

By Laura Santhanam

Public comment on the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force is open through May 8.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's life was a study in destructive alcoholism

By Dr. Howard Markel

This is a red-letter week for American literature because it marks the debut of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby in 1925. The book was published by Charles Scribner's Sons and both Scott and his editor, the legendary Max…

The health care debate has shifted to the GOP -- and most people don't like what they see, poll says

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Emily Swanson, Associated Press

Even among rank-and-file Republicans, there's opposition to cuts to Medicaid and changes that would let insurers charge higher premiums to older adults.

Before you send your spit to 23andMe, what you need to know

By Sharon Begley, STAT

The genetic testing company 23andMe received approval this week from regulators to sell genetic reports on an individual’s risk for 10 diseases, most prominently Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

This community has slipped through the cracks of the U.S. health care system

By Helen Branswell, STAT

Thousands of people in this northwestern corner of Arkansas, many of them working poor, are from a faraway constellation of islands. In all but the fewest cases they will never be able to qualify for Medicaid or Medicare under current…

Column: Can scientists predict a bad Lyme disease season?

By Caleb Hellerman, Global Health Reporting Center

Good science aims to discern patterns that are less obvious, and one fascinating idea about Lyme disease is poised to be put to the test.

Somalia drought forces thousands to leave home seeking food and water

By Larisa Epatko

The last famine to hit Somalia was in 2011 when 260,000 people died, about half of them children under 5. Humanitarian organizations fear this year’s drought could lead to something even worse.

Why bad science is plaguing health research -- and how to fix it

By Nsikan Akpan

Biomedical scientists are struggling to reproduce the work of others. A new book from NPR's Richard Harris explores what to do about it.

This obscure Medicaid waiver opens up more beds for opioid treatment

By Christine Vestal, Stateline

An estimated 22 million Americans have a drug or alcohol addiction that needs treatment, yet only one in 10 receive it.

Trump's FDA pick faces questions over financial ties to medical companies

By Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press

Scott Gottlieb promised to prioritize the opioid crisis, said science will prevail despite his extensive financial ties to FDA-regulated medical companies.