Health
Policy
![10 Newsmaking Conversations from Aspen Ideas: Health 2024](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/58daefc2-333d-4d2e-b5b1-8ca0d98462be/240620_reception_001.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=83%2C0%2C2667%2C2667&w=290)
From the debate over reproductive rights to the epidemic of gun violence to the youth mental health crisis, this year's Aspen Ideas: Health sessions tackled many of today's most pressing health issues. Explore the timely conversations with top government officials, medical researchers, business leaders, public health experts, legal scholars, and journalists to hear the ide...
![Prudential Financial Presents: What Living to 100 Means for Work and Wealth](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/fceaec56-d6ae-43f2-9e24-6983a3cdfe40/workandhealth.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=872%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Across the globe, humans are living and working longer than ever — and today’s systems, governments and businesses aren’t prepared. Examine how we can reimagine work, wealth and retirement to live our lives both longer and better.
![Francis Collins on Science and Faith](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6bfedb4f-4e98-45ef-a03c-fdc78698e0d5/53811234024_81d87a8491_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=199%2C0%2C3895%2C3896&w=290)
Few people are more deeply steeped in science than Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, and former acting science advisor to President Biden. The physician and geneticist is also an evangelical Christian and he sees no contradiction there. Indeed, Collins argues that harmonizing science and faith...
![Aspen Ideas: Health Closing Session](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/43030c8f-3f87-43e9-a2a1-f35ca0aab1c1/240623_closing_010.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=608%2C0%2C2667%2C2665&w=290)
Featuring inspiring conversations, the closing session is not to be missed. First, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Jennifer Ashton of ABC News explore the loneliness epidemic and the importance of rebuilding social connection. Next, hear a special performance by cellist Joshua Roman and a conversation between Elizabeth Cohen and Joshua Roman about his Immunity Projec...
![Future of Fertility](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4ce6ce5f-14f3-471f-8f35-5625cdc6f749/53808730334_2d0d8e8b97_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1726%2C0%2C3214%2C3212&w=290)
From in vitro fertilization (IVF), which combines human eggs and sperm outside the body, to in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which uses stem cells to create gametes, pregnancy is becoming possible in remarkable new ways. As innovative fertility treatments evolve, so do the surrounding ethical and legal questions. Some businesses now pay for IVF treatments, positioning coverag...
![Healthy Communication: How Truth Can Overpower Disinformation](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/02174c3f-94a0-4660-a498-2e3187fbc3d9/53810359739_2d413e9e55_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1154%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
From the measles vaccine to the origins of COVID, the speed at which disinformation spreads and the harms it can do have become painfully familiar. Communicators are fighting back, leveraging the same digital tools as myth purveyors—podcasts, TikTok, X, and other social media channels—to share scientific information in new ways, engage diverse audiences, combat falsehoods,...
![Return on Investment: When Business and Public Health Work Together](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/ec79140f-07fd-40b4-93ec-397cdeb4669c/240622_roi_011.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=298%2C0%2C2667%2C2667&w=290)
The economic impact of wide-scale disease outbreaks, like COVID-19, emphasize the mutual interests of public health and business to create healthy and vibrant communities. The right responses to current and future health threats require effective partnerships. Deep investments in public health and a symbiotic relationship with the private sector make possible both a health...
![CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Talks about Costs, Coverage, Access and Innovation](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4e94aede-649f-4d83-bd42-c006070650d4/53808779490_80be4a8e4b_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1934%2C0%2C3035%2C3034&w=290)
The 3M’s—Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces—cover more than 160 million people across the country, nearly one in two Americans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) negotiates drug prices in line with Congressional mandates, issues Medicaid eligibility guidelines, provides guardrails for...
![Getting Candid About Mental Health: Senator John Fetterman Opens Up](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/5dc1631c-435f-4b49-b6f5-56666e816b22/53808552448_98231ab3fa_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1665%2C0%2C3807%2C3807&w=290)
John Fetterman was campaigning for the US Senate when he suffered a near-fatal stroke. Fortunate that a visiting physician was on duty in a nearby rural hospital, Fetterman survived and went on to win the general election. A few weeks after being sworn in, his longstanding struggle with depression intensified and he entered an inpatient mental health facility. He has trans...
![Atul Gawande, Advocating for a Global Immune System](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/a58c1b54-2eed-452f-8b29-a6bd14484164/53809060518_cd635369af_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1052%2C0%2C3455%2C3454&w=290)
To secure equitable global health and security, the world needs its own immune system. That’s the message from surgeon and author Atul Gawande, who leads global health assistance for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The current strategy is emergency-driven, rarely going beyond reactive responses to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and the violenc...
![Stories of Health and Care](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/e1410f6d-1668-42cf-a564-0b03240188e1/240622_healthcare_stories_008.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=763%2C0%2C2667%2C2665&w=290)
This storytelling event will feature deeply personal stories highlighting the lived experiences of health workers. Hear how they are working every day to solve challenges and deploy solutions in their own communities, closing the gap between communities and care and helping to achieve global health equity. A reception will follow the session from 5:10-5:45pm. (Presented by...
![Urban Health Challenges and Solutions: The Role of Nature](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/839ea645-e757-425f-89cd-6fc0685cd3b8/53809264886_380b2a3a78_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=605%2C0%2C4000%2C4000&w=290)
Nature does not limit its influence only to rural populations. In cities around the world, dense living conditions, lack of green spaces, substandard housing, and poor sanitation allow rats and insects to proliferate and pollution to degrade health. But if certain urban characteristics help spread disease, others can curb it, including strategically placed trees, adaptable...
![The Fall of Roe: The Inside Story of How it Happened](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/7dc7994a-50a2-4ed9-b619-dfd3fa3b7cb6/53808294142_d724222d86_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1926%2C0%2C3852%2C3852&w=290)
Description coming soon.
![Lessons in Global Health Leadership](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6bbaf215-9a0d-43fa-9f75-bd637464db30/53806489166_58d99383ff_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1000%2C0%2C4000%2C4000&w=290)
Despite great differences in demographics, available resources, disease threats, and the structure of their health systems, all countries need responsive, equitable, and innovative policies to meet population needs. Leaders of national health agencies across the globe come together for a wide-ranging conversation that spotlights their unique and shared challenges and pione...
![Reimagining Equitable Systems for Thriving People and Places](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/2ecf465d-02c3-4558-880b-c065eb0a73b7/240621_equitable_systems_020.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=887%2C0%2C2667%2C2665&w=290)
Traditional views of healthcare have built the environment we live in—and reinforced systemic inequities and poor health outcomes. Is our own thinking limiting our ability to truly transform community-level conditions that catalyze well-being? What cross-sector investments and strategies are required to rebuild communities through shifting power, voice and interest for com...
![How To Dismantle Structural Racism in Health?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/26db16fe-9f06-4ff3-88be-c9edd1717752/53806498237_abd97894b4_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=775%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Structural racism, reflected in uneven access to care, inequitable community conditions, and the wealth gap, drives persisting racial disparities in health. Unconscionable differences in life expectancy and the incidence of numerous diseases are the result. The systems and structures at the root of these inequities were created intentionally and need to be dismantled just...
![Is Healthcare Consolidation the Cure-All for Better Health?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/4d5a14b0-0d1a-4c14-b631-f3de15c3d119/53807354848_a398b27e7b_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=976%2C0%2C3601%2C3601&w=290)
Health systems are joining hands, swallowing up competitors, acquiring new practices, and growing bigger. Like it or fear it, a tidal wave of consolidation is rocking healthcare, with uncertain impact on access, quality, and pricing. Perhaps mergers and acquisitions will allow providers to operate more efficiently so they can maintain clinical services in rural and other u...
![New Prescription for Trust](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/290bac42-f841-4530-b4d7-d1e32a03dc4d/53807869390_cfe6318fa0_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Although most Americans (83%) still trust their doctors to tell them the truth about health issues, fewer than half have faith in healthcare CEOs, government leaders, or journalists. As trust declines, people are turning to less reliable sources of medical information. The result: 40% of those surveyed say they regret a health decision they made based on misinformation. Sh...
![From Measles to Maternal Health: Strengthening Partnerships Between Healthcare and Public Health](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/d7c01682-2836-4491-875c-87d289e44105/240621_measles_maternal_health_009.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C121%2C2665%2C2660&w=290)
The mission of healthcare is to meet the needs of individual patients while public health is driven by a commitment to the health of broad populations. For too long, the two fields have operated largely in parallel, with only weak ties to connect them. Although the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the urgency of building bridges, we are now at risk of pandemic amnesia. It is...
![Mental Health Matters](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/d5c21063-2d3c-4924-bfd8-5fa27f606309/53806482912_f582492ae7_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=5213%2C810%2C3282%2C3282&w=290)
Mental health crises are plaguing Americans. Despite parity mandates that require mental health services to be reimbursed like any other medical service, clinician shortages, knowledge gaps, inequitable access to services, lack of culturally appropriate treatment models, and stigma combine to undermine effective care. To address the growing crisis, we need more research an...