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Health Care

National

Court Hears Marijuana Case

The Supreme Court considers arguments on the legality of using marijuana for health reasons. The federal government is seeking to prosecute two California women who grow and use marijuana under medical supervision. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Medical Marijuana

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Law

Court Hears Marijuana Case

The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether states may permit the medical use of marijuana. The case revolves around a California resident who used marijuana to relieve pain from an inoperable brain tumor. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Supreme Court to Rule on Medical Marijuana

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Analysis

FDA's Approval Process

NPR's Scott Simon talks with a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. David Kessler, about the FDA's complications with the arthritis drug Vioxx and other drugs, and the process by which drugs are approved.

Assessing the FDA's Approval Process

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Health

Girl Beats Rabies, No Vaccine

Without the help of a vaccine, doctors save a 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who contracted rabies when a bat bit her at church. The treatment involved putting her into a coma; now conscious, she appears to have no signs of the virus. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Dr. Rodney Willoughby of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Breakthrough Treatment Helps Girl Survive Rabies

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National

Tennessee Health Program for Poor Endangered

The governor of Tennessee will soon decide whether to scrap or scale back "TennCare," the state's novel health plan for the poor. Either way, say advocates for the poor, Tennessee is setting a dangerous precedent for how states deliver health care to its most vulnerable citizens. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Tennessee Health Program for Poor Endangered

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Opinion

Hospitals' Drab Appearances Belie the Drama Within

Commentator and medical student Joe Wright is spending more time in the hospital than the classroom these days. Invariably, hospitals appear pretty dull, he observes; but what goes on inside those boring-looking buildings is extraordinary.

Hospitals' Drab Appearances Belie the Drama Within

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Report: Drug Plan Benefits Mix

About 30 million Medicare beneficiaries are expected to sign up for the new drug benefit that begins in 2006. Low-income beneficiaries will get significant help under the new law. But a quarter of those who sign up will pay more for the coverage than they'll get back in benefits, a Kaiser Family Foundation study finds. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

Some Face Higher Costs from Medicare Drug Plan

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National

Vioxx Sparks Malpractice Debat

Following the recent removal of the drug Vioxx from the market, lawmakers are reconsidering a portion of medical malpractice reform. Caps in the malpractice bill would affect pharmaceutical and medical product manufacturers. Democrats oppose the caps, but Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) calls the situation a "feeding frenzy" for trial lawyers. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Vioxx Sparks Debate over Malpractice Reform

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Bills Overdue, Hospital Seeks Liens on Patients

Faced with increasing red ink, American hospitals are becoming more aggressive in their pursuit of patients who don't pay. Nancy Cohen reports on a hospital in Springfield, Mass., that puts liens on the homes of some patients.

Bills Overdue, Hospital Seeks Liens on Patients

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Drugs' Safety Questioned in Hearing on FDA

A scientist singles out five drugs as unsafe while testifying before a Senate committee on the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of Vioxx. David Graham said Thursday that the agency suppressed his criticism of the pain medication, which has since been withdrawn from the market. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

Drugs' Safety Questioned in Hearing on FDA

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