The clash over who gets health care coverage and who pays — which resulted in the 2013 government shutdown — is just part of the story.

According to the CDC, more than three-fourths of U.S. medical costs are attributed to largely-preventable illnesses related to our lifestyle behaviors (what we eat, whether we exercise, how we manage stress, if we smoke).

Yet visits to the doctor are often too brief to get a handle on these complicated problems. An NPR/Robert Wood Johnson/Harvard poll shows about 3 in 5 patients are unhappy with the rushed pace. Frequently they come away with prescriptions to treat symptoms, rather than a solution to underlying causes. And it's increasingly hard for time-stressed physicians and nurses.

To get to the root of this, The Search for Well-Being examines the emergence of "integrative medicine," for which clinics are now widespread at major hospitals throughout the United States, including parts of the Veterans Administration, which operates the nation’s largest health care system.

The aim is to provide effective, low-tech care for the whole person: mind/body/spirit. Many integrative clinics offer acupuncture, teach meditation skills for stress reduction and provide health counseling. Some of these services are newly covered by the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.

To explore this fascinating trend, we've talked in depth with health care providers, patients and others around the country. The sound-rich stories are powerful. Hour 1 explains this approach to health care and how it is transforming the relationship between patients and their doctors and nurses. Hour 2 looks at new developments in medical and nursing education to prepare a new wave of professionals for integrative practice.