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Surprise! Not one of these things contains a single speck of blue pigment.Evan Leeson/Bob Peterson/lowjumpingfrog/Look Into My Eyes/Flickrhide caption

i toggle captionEvan Leeson/Bob Peterson/lowjumpingfrog/Look Into My Eyes/Flickr

Your Health

How Animals Hacked The Rainbow And Got Stumped On Blue

By Rae Ellen Bichell

There's more than one way to make color, nature tells us. And more than one way to use it to your own advantage.

Don't Miss

Advocates of computed tomography screening say it can catch cases of cancer in high-risk smokers before it spreads, as in this 79-year-old man.Cavallini James/BSIP/Corbishide caption

i toggle captionCavallini James/BSIP/Corbis

Medicare Poised To Cover CT Scans To Screen For Lung Cancer

Ouch! Jeffrey Craig Hopper got good emergency treatment after being hit in the eye with a baseball in June. But months later he was slapped with an extra medical bill he never expected.Jennifer Hopperhide caption

i toggle captionJennifer Hopper

Surprise Medical Bills: ER Is In Network, But Doctor Isn't KUHF

Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Trouble Swallowing Pills? Try The 'Pop Bottle' Or The 'Lean Forward'

A nurse adjusts the position of a patient's arm during dialysis treatment. The treatment requires trained staff that weren't readily available in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Michael Donne/Science Source hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Donne/Science Source

Treatments

Hurricane Sandy Stranded Dialysis Patients. Lessons Learned?

by Alison Bruzek

November 13, 2014 • A quarter of the dialysis patients who were in New York City when Hurricane Sandy hit missed at least one treatment due to power outages. Yet, not many are prepared for the next disaster.

Clean lens case = happy eyes. Pulse/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Pulse/Corbis

Your Health

Poor Contact Lens Care Leads To A Whole Lot Of Eye Infections

by Nancy Shute

November 13, 2014 • Almost 1 million people a year end up with painful eye infections, and improper contact lens care is a big reason why, according to a new study from the CDC.

Premature infants in a neonatal intensive care unit may be exposed to DEHP, a chemical in some PVC medical equipment. ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis

Treatments

Preemies May Be Exposed To High Levels Of Phthalates In The NICU

by Nancy Shute

November 13, 2014 • Chemicals in medical equipment can be transferred to patients, and it's a particular concern with premature infants whose bodies and brains are immature.

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Helmets? Way to avoid traumatic brain injury, guys. Kevin Dodge/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Kevin Dodge/Corbis

Your Health

The Risk Of Brain Injuries Shifts As Children Grow Up

by Alison Bruzek

November 12, 2014 • For toddlers, the risk is in taking a fall. Teenagers need to worry about car accidents, sports injuries and assault. Knowing how risks change can help prevent fatal or disabling brain injuries.

Policy-ish

Training The Next Generation Of Doctors To Get LGBT Health Right

by Nancy Shute

November 12, 2014 • People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender often have a hard time getting appropriate health care. Med schools need to integrate LGBT health throughout training, a key group says.

Surprise! Not one of these things contains a single speck of blue pigment. Evan Leeson/Bob Peterson/lowjumpingfrog/Look Into My Eyes/Flickr hide caption

itoggle caption Evan Leeson/Bob Peterson/lowjumpingfrog/Look Into My Eyes/Flickr

Your Health

How Animals Hacked The Rainbow And Got Stumped On Blue

by Rae Ellen Bichell

November 12, 2014 • There's more than one way to make color, nature tells us. And more than one way to use it to your own advantage.

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Advocates of computed tomography screening say it can catch cases of cancer in high-risk smokers before it spreads, as in this 79-year-old man. Cavallini James/BSIP/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Cavallini James/BSIP/Corbis

Treatments

Medicare Poised To Cover CT Scans To Screen For Lung Cancer

by Scott Hensley

November 11, 2014 • To qualify for coverage, patients would have to first meet with a doctor to talk through the pros and cons of scans, which involve a low-dose of radiation.

Ouch! Jeffrey Craig Hopper got good emergency treatment after being hit in the eye with a baseball in June. But months later he was slapped with an extra medical bill he never expected.

itoggle caption Jennifer Hopper

Health Inc.

Surprise Medical Bills: ER Is In Network, But Doctor Isn't KUHF-FM

by Carrie Feibel

November 11, 2014 • When Jennifer Hopper's husband was hit in the eye with a baseball, she rushed him to a hospital she knew was within their insurance plan. Then the ER doctor sent her an extra bill for more than $700.

Listen Loading… 3:47

Public Health

The Burden Of Colon Cancer Shifts From Rich To Poor

by Alison Bruzek

November 11, 2014 • Rates of colorectal cancer have dropped nationally, thanks to better screening. But people who don't have access to health care are more likely to miss out on screening, and face increased risk.

Your Health

Pay Attention To The Health Insurance Calendar To Avoid Surprises

by Michelle Andrews

November 11, 2014 • Consumers can sign up for health insurance through the online marketplaces anytime from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15. But waiting can trigger medical bills and the health law's penalties.

NPR's Nina Totenberg says the pop bottle method worked without a hitch.

Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Your Health

Trouble Swallowing Pills? Try The 'Pop Bottle' Or The 'Lean Forward'

by Maanvi Singh

November 11, 2014 • One-third of people have trouble downing pills, and many skip taking medications as a result. A researcher in Germany says that two techniques help. Really? We tested them ourselves to find out.

This is a re-creation of a color plate from Interaction of Color, by Josef Albers. The two X's are are exactly the same — it's the different backgrounds that make them look like very different colors. Source: Josef Albers Interaction of Color hide caption

itoggle caption Source: Josef Albers Interaction of Color

Your Health

These X's Are The Same Shade, So What Does That Say About Color?

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

November 10, 2014 • Never mind the physics. Color isn't just a particular wavelength of light, it turns out. It's a fascinating mix of context and what's happening outside and inside your head.

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Health Inc.

Kidney Dialysis Company Expands Into The Hospital Business MTPR

by Eric Whitney

November 10, 2014 • DaVita HealthCare partners, a provider of dialysis for kidney patients, says its expertise working with very sick patients can help hospitals expand into wellness and prevention.

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A nurse at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco protests lack of Ebola preparedness in October. The issue will be the focus of national demonstrations Wednesday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Policy-ish

California Nurses Say They'll Strike, Without Talking Wages KQED

by April Dembosky

November 10, 2014 • Wages and benefits are usually the big sticking points in labor negotiations. But so far both sides are focusing on things like Ebola preparedness, separating patient care from economics.

Look no farther for the top things to watch out for when shopping for health insurance on the online marketplaces. Giorgio Magini/iStockphoto hide caption

itoggle caption Giorgio Magini/iStockphoto

Your Health

5 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Obamacare

by Mary Agnes Carey

November 10, 2014 • If you buy your own health insurance, it's time to check out the options on the Obamacare exchanges. Enrollment starts Nov. 15.

Daniel Horowitz for NPR

Your Health

Combining The DNA Of Three People Raises Ethical Questions

by Rob Stein

November 10, 2014 • Scientists in England are ready to do something that's never been done before — combine the DNA of two women and one man to create embryos that don't carry hereditary mitochondrial disorders.

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When Dad is the one who gets pregnant, the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth gets a lot more complicated. Inti St. Clair/Ocean/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Inti St. Clair/Ocean/Corbis

Public Health

Transgender Men Who Become Pregnant Face Social, Health Challenges

by Robin Marantz Henig

November 7, 2014 • Getting prenatal care can be a struggle, transgender men report in what may be the first study of its kind. And their feelings on once again appearing more female varied greatly.

Time for a replay?: Protesters waited outside the Supreme Court for decisions in June. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Policy-ish

In Surprise Move, Supreme Court Takes On Fate Of Obamacare Again

by Julie Rovner

November 7, 2014 • Is it legal for a state-sponsored health exchange to provide subsidies that help people pay insurance premiums? That's the point in question, and one that's still being considered by an appeals court.

A survey of more than 400 doctors asked how electronic medical records had affected their free time on the job. The answers weren't pretty. NPR hide caption

itoggle caption NPR