Health policy and public health

4,357 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 12

Ecovillages and organic agriculture: a scenario for global climate restoration

January 10, 2026Jan 10, 2026

Eight years ago, motivated by concern for my six grandchildren and future generations, I began a systematic study of climate change through the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). That work led me to focus on a central omission in mainstream climate modeling: The failure to model global conversion to exclusively organic agriculture.

In 2024, the preprint journal SSRN published my scenario to reduce net projected greenhouse …

Health policy

How environmental justice and health disparities connect to climate change

January 10, 2026Jan 10, 20263

Environmental justice, health disparities, and climate change are deeply interconnected, with climate change acting as a threat multiplier that exacerbates existing health inequities, particularly among marginalized and underserved communities. Environmental justice refers to equitable and meaningful involvement in environmental policies, regardless of income, race, etc. Historically marginalized communities of color, the low-income population, and indigenous people are disproportionately exposed to ongoing as well as historical environmental policies. Health disparities arise …

The Podcast by KevinMD

Sustainable legislative reform outweighs temporary discount programs [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

January 9, 2026Jan 9, 2026

President and chief executive officer of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Leah M. Howard discusses her article "Pharmacy benefit manager reform vs. direct drug plans." Leah analyzes the recent emergence of direct-purchase drug programs and argues that while innovative thinking…

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President and chief executive officer of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Leah M. Howard discusses her article “Pharmacy benefit manager reform vs. direct drug plans.” Leah analyzes the recent emergence of direct-purchase drug programs and argues that while innovative thinking is welcome, it cannot replace the need for deep systemic …

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Health policy

Mobile dentistry: a structural redesign for public health

Rida Ghani

January 8, 2026Jan 8, 2026

Canada prides itself on having a strong public health system, yet we continue to treat oral health as optional. Dental disease occupies a peculiar niche in health care: scientifically essential, yet structurally marginalized. We know that chronic gum inflammation is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes complications, and even adverse pregnancy outcomes. Yet it remains largely detached from how we think about preventing chronic illness.

This disconnect isn’t caused by a …

Health policy

Accountable care cooperatives: a 2026 vision for U.S. health care

David K. Cundiff, MD

January 7, 2026Jan 7, 2026

As of January 1, 2026, the American health care system is in crisis. People can no longer afford their health insurance premiums or even to afford to pay for any health insurance. Recently, a 62-year-old self-employed friend of mine saw his premiums increased tenfold in a single cycle. I am lucky that I am over 65 and have Medicare insurance as well as a pension from my employment. Millions of …

Physician voices

The real cost of U.S. health care dissatisfaction

Way Chiang, BSN, DO

January 6, 2026Jan 6, 2026

There is a general undercurrent of dissatisfaction with health care in America that is, shall we say, palpable. Many studies and statistical analyses support this notion but I think a broader view is both valuable and less abstract than a data set. We could go measure the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and evaluate the foundational errors, but it doesn’t take that level of granularity to see that …

Health policy

Student loan cuts for health professionals

Naa Asheley Ashitey

December 30, 2025Dec 30, 2025

I want to make something clear from the very beginning, because this point often gets lost when taking this perspective on this topic. Nurses, physician assistants, occupational therapists, physical therapists, medical assistants, and every allied-health professional are indispensable to our…

I want to make something clear from the very beginning, because this point often gets lost when taking this perspective on this topic.

Nurses, physician assistants, occupational therapists, physical therapists, medical assistants, and every allied-health professional are indispensable to our health care system. They are professionals whose expertise saves lives, keeps clinics running, and provides the continuity of care that physicians alone cannot sustain. Their work is rigorous, their training is …

Health policy

Why lab monkey escapes demand transparency

Mikalah Singer, JD

December 30, 2025Dec 30, 2025

A laboratory transport truck crashed in Mississippi last month resulting in eight monkeys escaping, seven of whom were shot and killed after surviving the initial crash. Tragedies like this happen too often. Over the past two decades, there have been more than 15 publicly reported lab monkey escapes, both during transportation and directly from labs, including from the California, Southwest, and Oregon National Primate Research …

Physician voices

Why patient trust in physicians is declining

Mansi Kotwal, MD, MPH

December 29, 2025Dec 29, 20255

My last patient of the day had been to four other doctors before coming to see me. She was coming in for abdominal pain that had been going on for about two years and had seen multiple specialists that resulted in multiple tests, in hopes to get an explanation for her symptoms. She came in wanting answers, but also skeptical of me. Skeptical of my ability to help her, skeptical …

Physician voices

Physician shortage and private equity: the ruin of U.S. health care

John C. Hagan III, MD

December 24, 2025Dec 24, 2025

U.S. health care, once a citadel of innovation and quality, has sadly devolved into a complex, frustrating, and frequently inaccessible system. It is so disorganized and inefficient it might not even meet the definition of a “system.” U.S. health care fails to address the needs and expectations of patients on many occasions and in many ways. For most of my career, I have considered U.S. health care the best in …

Health policy

The political selectivity of medical freedom: a double standard

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

December 22, 2025Dec 22, 2025

I've been thinking about "choice" a lot lately, not the rich, ethically grounded version we teach in medical school, rooted in autonomy, informed consent, and shared decision-making, but a thinner, more selective version now circulating in political and legal discourse.…

I’ve been thinking about “choice” a lot lately, not the rich, ethically grounded version we teach in medical school, rooted in autonomy, informed consent, and shared decision-making, but a thinner, more selective version now circulating in political and legal discourse. The kind that sounds principled until you read the fine print.

The message goes like this: You may choose, just make sure you choose correctly.

It’s the literary equivalent of Animal Farm: …

Health policy

Understanding alternative drug funding programs

Martha Rosenberg

December 20, 2025Dec 20, 2025

As elected officials and citizens brace for the possible expiration of federal subsidies for health insurance premiums, many wonder if there are alternatives to the confusing rebate/copay/deductible/premium drug coverage word salad (see: PSAOs, GPOs, NADACs, ASOs, MLRs, AWPs, WACs, U&Cs,…

Just because patients don’t understand the opaque layers/players behind the drug procurement affordability crisis, doesn’t mean that lawmakers do, say experts (which …

Conditions and diseases

The economic case for investing in tobacco cessation

Edward Anselm, MD

December 16, 2025Dec 16, 2025

Despite decades of progress in reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking, tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease, and a significant driver of health care costs in the United States. Smoking cessation therapy is consistently ranked among the most cost-effective clinical preventive services and is considered to be “the gold standard of health care cost-effectiveness.” Yet, delivery of evidence-based treatment …

Health policy

Accountable care cooperatives: a community-owned health care fix

David K. Cundiff, MD

December 13, 2025Dec 13, 2025

After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history (one triggered by battles over health care funding) the core issue remains unresolved. Neither political party has produced a durable solution. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects U.S. health care spending will reach nearly $9 trillion by 2035, consuming 20 percent to 22 percent of GDP. The Congressional Budget Office projects that without significant changes in policy, …

Health policy

Why U.S. health care costs so much

Ruhi Saldanha

December 12, 2025Dec 12, 2025

The U.S. has the lowest health care quality ranking compared to other high-income countries. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. spent approximately $4.9 trillion on health care in 2023. This means that almost one out of every five dollars spent in the U.S. goes towards health services. Despite this high spending, the U.S. consistently has a lower life expectancy compared …

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Why U.S. health care costs so much

Health policy

Why the expiration of ACA enhanced subsidies threatens health care access

Sandya Venugopal, MD & Tina Bharani, MD

December 12, 2025Dec 12, 2025

Just over 40 days into the longest government shutdown in American history, the rope snapped. The enhanced premium tax credits that kept 22 million Americans insured will expire on December 31, 2025. Premiums are soaring, protections are vanishing, and the safety net is unraveling. Americans are already reeling from gutted SNAP benefits. Now they’re losing health care coverage too. The Congress has made it clear that the most vulnerable are …

Health policy

Why extending ACA subsidies is crucial for health care access

Curt Dill, MD

December 11, 2025Dec 11, 2025

When Americans decide something is right, political inertia does not prevent us from acting, and now is the time for health care. Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 60 percent of Americans had employer-sponsored coverage, 20 percent relied on public programs, and the remaining 20 percent had to obtain insurance on their own, a difficult task because the individual market was unsustainable. But the ACA stabilized these issues by expanding …

Physician voices

Modern eugenics: the quiet return of a dangerous ideology

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

December 8, 2025Dec 8, 2025

I'm not paranoid. And I don't believe in conspiracy theories. But as a physician who has spent decades watching the pendulum of medical ethics swing back and forth, I can't ignore the pattern emerging across public health and politics today.…

I’m not paranoid. And I don’t believe in conspiracy theories. But as a physician who has spent decades watching the pendulum of medical ethics swing back and forth, I can’t ignore the pattern emerging across public health and politics today. Some of what I’m seeing looks uncomfortably familiar. It looks like eugenics, not the caricature of white coats and calipers, but the quieter, policy-driven, values-encoded version that shaped America a …

The Podcast by KevinMD

A lawyer’s essential checklist for physician side hustles [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 5, 2025Dec 5, 2025

Licensed attorney Anu Murthy discusses her article, "A lawyer’s guide to physician side gigs." Anu details why the pandemic caused an explosion in physician side gigs (from telehealth to passion projects) and why many doctors are seeking new income streams,…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple Podcasts Spotify YouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

Licensed attorney Anu Murthy discusses her article, “A lawyer’s guide to physician side gigs.” Anu details why the pandemic caused an explosion in physician side gigs (from telehealth to passion projects) and why many doctors are seeking new income streams, driven by everything from burnout to the FIRE movement. She …

Physician voices

The devaluation of physicians in health care

Allan Dobzyniak, MD

December 5, 2025Dec 5, 2025

It is remarkable that treatises, white papers, editorials, and articles on the cost of health care are consistent with ignoring the essence of care, and they are lacking in physician commentary. Insurance is not health care, and there can be no health care without doctors. Simply stated, in the end after all the intermediaries have claimed their pound of flesh for myriad services that most often provide little to no …

Health policy and public health

Articles, page 12

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