How To Set Healthy Boundaries

Why Can't We All Get N95s? [Shots]( Christoper Smith for KHN [Blindsided By The ‘Birthday Rule’, New Parents Hit With Massive Medical Bill]( What does a parent’s birthday have to do with a newborn’s health insurance? Quite a lot, as Kayla Kjelshus and her husband, Mikkel, found out after their daughter Charlie arrived, along with a $271,000 medical bill. Both parents were insured separately, and they chose Kayla’s insurance -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City -- for Charlie’s birth because it offered better rates and was located in-state. But when Charlie had to go into the NICU from complications at birth, Blue Cross started investigating, discovered Mikkel had his own insurance, and stopped paying the bills. The Kjelshus were caught up in the so-called birthday rule, an insurance rule that requires a newborn to be primarily covered by the plan of the parent whose birthday comes first in the calendar year. In this case, that was Mikkel’s more expensive, less-comprehensive health plan. [Read their cautionary tale and find out how they straightened out their bills.]( [BONUS: NPR's Bill of the Month series has more stories of shocking medical bills and the lengths people go to get their care paid for.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Cha Pornea for NPR [How To Set Healthy Boundaries With Family – And Stick To Them]( With all the COVID concerns on our minds, a lot of us are trying to figure out how to establish boundaries with the people we're close to. Whether that means saying, "Sorry, I can't attend this indoor gathering" or speaking up when a relationship has become toxic, boundaries can look different to different people. NPR's Life Kit asked two experts — writer and wellness consultant Alex Elle and therapist and author Andrea Bonior — to share tools and principles for setting boundaries. [Read more for their advice, including simple tips to make boundaries stick.]( [BONUS: How an Olympic athlete learned to ask for help with her mental health struggles.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images [Why Are N95 Masks Still So Hard To Find In The U.S.?]( Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, most consumers cannot get a true N95 mask -- the kind that filters out 95% of airborne infectious particles -- despite begging and pleading with retailers. That's because supply is limited and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still says that N95 masks should be prioritized for health care workers. Yet even health care workers are still being asked to ration their masks, which are intended for single-use-only. So what gives? The story is pretty much the same with all medical supplies during this pandemic -- from ventilators and exam gloves to syringes and vaccines, NPR’s Yuki Noguchi explains. The demand is global and sustained, and puts pressure on a fragile supply chain that can’t keep up. And fraud is rampant, so some seller choose to remain out of stock rather than take a chance on a international supplier. [Read on to find out how mask makers and the Biden administration are working to increase supply.]( [BONUS: How’s The Vaccine Rollout Going In Your State?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- More of this week's health stories from NPR [How A Vocal Chord Injury Led A Writer To Document The Wonders Of The Human Voice]( [The Medical Reserve Corps Are Here To Help Vaccinate Us]( [These New Yorkers Are Dancing Their Way Through The Pandemic]( [Could Outdoor Recreation Therapy Be The Solution For Veterans Struggling With PTSD?]( We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of [NPR's health journalism]( on Shots and follow us on Twitter at [@NPRHealth](. -- Your Shots Editors --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [shots@npr.org](mailto:shots@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]