(NECN) - As the costs of health care soar, most insurance plans are increasing the amount of money patients need to spend for doctor's visits and medical tests.

A new study finds that these costs mean fewer women are receiving regular mammograms for breast cancer screening.

Researchers from Brown University analyzed mammogram use and health costs for more than 366,000 women covered by 174 different health plans.

They found that the number of plans requiring co-payments for a mammogram increased from just 3 in 2001 to 21 in 2004.

(NECN) - Whether you are looking to fight a cold or improve your memory, there are some very popular herbal supplements to help you do so.

Dr. Mark Mincolla, PhD, a natural health care practitioner from Cohasset, Massachusetts, joins NECN to tell us what forms these supplements generally come in, who should and who shouldn't take them and what side effects to watch out for.

(NECN) - Last year Bangor, Maine became the first city in the country to ban smoking in the car when children are present.

Now Maine lawmakers are considering making that measure a state law. Some residents are objecting, saying they have a right to smoke, and are afraid the government is getting too involved.

NECN's Amy Sinclair has more.

(NECN) - In a continuing effort to combat childhood obesity, Boston public schools are now taking aim at soft drinks.

Officials say the sugary beverages need to be replaced with healthier alternatives.

But, what can they do off school grounds?

NECN health and science reporter Ally Donnelly has more from the Dorchester section of the city.

(NECN) - The Greater Boston Food Bank is pushing Super Hunger Month, trying to raise awareness of the growing problem.

Stephanie Nichols of the Greater Boston Food Bank joins NECN's Leslie Gaydos for a discussion.

(NECN) - New research finds obesity surgery is a better treatment for diabetes then diet and exercise alone.

Government estimates show that diabetes afflicts between 15 and 30% of people who are overweight by 100 pounds or more.

Doctors in Australia randomly assigned 60 obese people with diabetes to receive either diet and exercise counseling or a gastric banding operation.

Results showed the obesity surgery was vastly superior at curing the diabetes.

ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson has more in this medical minute.

(NECN) - In a continuing effort to combat childhood obesity, Boston public schools are now taking aim at soft drinks.

Officials say the sugary beverages need to be replaced with healthier alternatives.

But, what can they do off school grounds?

NECN health and science reporter Ally Donnelly has more from the Dorchester section of the city.

(NECN) - A new study confirms that how much caffeine a pregnant woman ingests, is linked to her chances of having a miscarriage. Published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, the report found that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine a day during the first three months of pregnancy, were twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage than those who skipped coffee.

There remains controversy about the caffeine-miscarriage risk. Researchers at Mt. Sinai recently reported no link between light caffeine use and pregnancy loss. NECN's Ally Donnelly has more.

(NECN) - A new study confirms that how much caffeine a pregnant woman ingests, is linked to her chances of having a miscarriage. Published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, the report found that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine a day during the first three months of pregnancy, were twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage than those who skipped coffee.

(NECN) - Michael Guglielmo's 17-month-old son, Giovanni, has spent much of his infancy in the hospital suffering from a rare condition called Nemo.

Nemo, is a chromosomal disorder that can severely compromise a person's body functions, including one's immune system.

Giovanni is one of only a dozen in the U.S. with the disease.

He needed a bone marrow transplant within his first year of life in order to survive and the odds of finding a donor were very low.