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White working-class voters without a college education are most vulnerable to diseases of despair — suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related liver disease — and they are also most likely to have voted for President Trump. This population is deeply concerned about rising health care costs, according to focus groups conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, and more lik...
Health care never stops engendering political debate. Ten states have asked the federal government for the right to impose work requirements on some individuals receiving Medicaid, insurance premiums are expected to rise again this year, and the Affordable Care Act continues to provoke legislative and judicial action. How will all of that influence the upcoming election? L...
Trust in civic, religious, and academic institutions is at an all-time low in America.
Ahead of the midterms, what are we hearing about the candidates, the campaigns, and the issues?
Many experts argue that massive government mobilization on the scale of World War II deployment is needed to address the catastrophe of climate change. Such is the scope of the Green New Deal, a policy calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, universal health care, living wages, and jobs guarantees. But some economists argue it could cost between $51 trillion and...
What can fix a democracy in crisis?
Today, the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, ending nearly 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion and sending the decision on whether to ban, restrict, or protect abortion back to the states. Public health and legal experts will discuss the implications of this controversial decision including how abortion access will change under sta...
Today's kids are coming of age against a backdrop of political, social, technological, and economic upheaval. While these circumstances are shaping a precocious generation that is changing society and redefining cultural norms, kids are also struggling with mental health issues, the pressures of social media, and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on key developmental years....
Regardless of the fate of the Affordable Care Act, the American health care system will continue to undergo an historic transformation, fueled by evolving science and technology, new approaches to reimbursement, restructured provider networks, and demographic shifts. The health policies of the future are likely to reflect the influences of both conservative and progressive...
In its landmark 2002 study, Unequal Treatment, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) stated bluntly that racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health services than white Americans. Two decades after the IOM called out structural racism, the devastating toll remains apparent in the uneven risks associated with COVID, diabetes, asthma, cancer, stroke, and pregnancy. P...
Meet Lea Masamo, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's building a movement of people living with sickle cell disease to advocate for programs and policies needed to improve access to quality health care.
What might we learn from the past about the current state of politics and democracy in America?
US Senator Mitch McConnell has just announced that he will bring health reform legislation to the Senate floor for a vote next week. What is actually proposed in this bill, which is designed to replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and has been crafted largely out of public view? And what does it mean for health care? Three top health reporters - Margot Sanger-Katz (...
Cities are responsible for 70 percent of global carbon emissions, and by 2050, two out of every three people will live in one. Fortunately, cities are getting serious about environmental footprint — New York announced its own Green New Deal, Melbourne aims to be carbon neutral by 2020, and Los Angeles will use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Mayors are often more nim...
The colorful story behind the latest energy bonanza in this red state is the story of entrepreneurs, environmentalists, ranchers, and politicians of all stripes who developed public policy that unleashed Texas’s renewable growth. Long known for oil and gas, Texas is dominated by a conservative legislature and governor’s office. But politics is local, business is business,...
Rick Doblin wants to be a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. Learn about his work using MDMA, or ecstasy, to help people suffering from PTSD.
The Veterans Health Administration, which serves nine million vets, has come under fire for long delays in providing services and reimbursing clinicians, and fixes are clearly needed. But former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin got a lot of pushback when he argued against privatizing the $200 billion system. Everyone agrees that the veterans who sacri...
While the politics of gun reform remain divisive, many Americans are convinced that when it comes to gun violence, something has to change. Whether it’s getting more data about shootings, more background on buyers, or more resources to law enforcement to interrupt cycles of violence, there is a growing chorus of Americans demanding action. In the absence of congressional a...
The states shoulder a significant amount of responsibility for tackling the opioid epidemic, reversing obesity trends, and reducing tobacco use within their borders. They also have policy decisions to make about expanding Medicaid, developing health exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, serving undocumented residents, and strengthening their public health systems. Budge...