In his recent executive order, Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets, President Trump directed federal agencies to utilize forced institutionalization of unhoused individuals under the guise of public safety, lambasting evidence-based harm reduction programs in the process. Unhoused people…
In his recent executive order, Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets, President Trump directed federal agencies to utilize forced institutionalization of unhoused individuals under the guise of public safety, lambasting evidence-based harm reduction programs in the process. Unhoused people are framed as threats by Trump, engaging in open-air drug use and vagrancy. In response, the National Homelessness Law Center condemned this executive order and projected even worse outcomes due …
Every night I spend at home, I wake up to the sound of Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven. If you asked my dad, who works remotely, he would grimace and tell you he hears it at least 10 times…
Every night I spend at home, I wake up to the sound of Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven. If you asked my dad, who works remotely, he would grimace and tell you he hears it at least 10 times a day. It’s a classic piano piece, don’t get me wrong, but we don’t have a piano, nor are we a family of Beethoven fanatics. My dad probably loved Beethoven …
The health insurance crisis has finally entered the public consciousness. 200,000 to 350,000 Kentuckians are expected to lose their coverage as a result of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Commercial insurance carriers have already substantially increased premiums in response…
The health insurance crisis has finally entered the public consciousness. 200,000 to 350,000 Kentuckians are expected to lose their coverage as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Commercial insurance carriers have already substantially increased premiums in response to market uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Congress failed to act before the end of the year to extend the expiring enhanced premium tax credits that help millions of Americans afford health …
Health insurers have failed in their promise to deliver quality and value to the taxpayers, providers, employers, and their subscribers. If you find a wasteful government program, isn't there an obligation to foster a public discussion about it? Physicians for…
Health insurers have failed in their promise to deliver quality and value to the taxpayers, providers, employers, and their subscribers.
If you find a wasteful government program, isn’t there an obligation to foster a public discussion about it? Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP) has developed an analysis that reveals the waste in allowing private health plans to manage Medicaid medical services. According to PNHP, returning management of medical services …
During my pediatrics rotation in my third year of medical school, the most important skill I learned was how to listen more carefully. Children rarely have the language or power to fully articulate their needs. They are forced to rely…
During my pediatrics rotation in my third year of medical school, the most important skill I learned was how to listen more carefully.
Children rarely have the language or power to fully articulate their needs. They are forced to rely on adults, systems, and institutions to advocate on their behalf. In pediatrics, that responsibility is not an abstract idea. It shows up in exam rooms where parents must choose to pay …
House lawmakers recently passed a health care bill that grabbed headlines for what it excluded: a solution to the looming expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. But largely overlooked inside the bill was a provision that did make…
House lawmakers recently passed a health care bill that grabbed headlines for what it excluded: a solution to the looming expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. But largely overlooked inside the bill was a provision that did make it through, a long-requested provision toward creating stronger federal legislation directly targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen who increasingly determine what Americans pay for their medications. These rules …
Saravanan Kasthuri, medical director at Northwest Endovascular Surgery, and Jason McKitrick, executive director at the Office Based Facility Association, discuss their article "Medicare payment is failing rural health." Saravanan and Jason analyze the critical economic forces dismantling independent medical practices…
Saravanan Kasthuri, medical director at Northwest Endovascular Surgery, and Jason McKitrick, executive director at the Office Based Facility Association, discuss their article “Medicare payment is failing rural health.” Saravanan and Jason analyze the critical economic forces dismantling independent medical practices and threatening patient access in underserved areas. They highlight the …
President Trump recently made national headlines by calling a female reporter "Piggy," an act widely decried as outrageous, even for a man who doesn't shy away from misogyny. It's one thing to intentionally refer to someone with a derogatory, dismissive…
President Trump recently made national headlines by calling a female reporter “Piggy,” an act widely decried as outrageous, even for a man who doesn’t shy away from misogyny. It’s one thing to intentionally refer to someone with a derogatory, dismissive label. This kind of behavior should appropriately be met with indignation and moral outrage. But what happens when we carelessly (and repeatedly) call someone a name that belongs to …
At some point in their careers, health practitioners find themselves preoccupied with issues that go beyond the confines of the clinical room. Beyond diagnoses and prescriptions lies a larger health care landscape, one shaped by policy, economics, culture, technology, and…
At some point in their careers, health practitioners find themselves preoccupied with issues that go beyond the confines of the clinical room. Beyond diagnoses and prescriptions lies a larger health care landscape, one shaped by policy, economics, culture, technology, and power. Health professionals then begin to ask how this broader system affects not only their individual patients, but also communities and society at large. It is often at this intersection …
As a nurse, I have been with patients during their first breath and their last. While with grieving families, one statement that stays with me is, "At least now she/he can rest." This statement almost always comes from a grieving…
As a nurse, I have been with patients during their first breath and their last. While with grieving families, one statement that stays with me is, “At least now she/he can rest.”
This statement almost always comes from a grieving Black family who lost a family member to a premature death of a preventable or manageable disease. Why must we wait until we are six feet under to rest?
When a correlation between acetaminophen and autism was claimed on the national stage recently, it did more than produce a headline; it signaled a fracture in public trust. Oftentimes dismissed simply as fringe rhetoric, medical misinformation is anything but, having…
When a correlation between acetaminophen and autism was claimed on the national stage recently, it did more than produce a headline; it signaled a fracture in public trust. Oftentimes dismissed simply as fringe rhetoric, medical misinformation is anything but, having lasting impact on public health outcomes. The same way the U.S. health care system suffers from a paradox between high spending and substandard outcomes, our information ecosystem suffers from high …
Obstetrician-gynecologist Priya Panneerselvam discusses their article "How medicine reflects women's silence." Priya discusses how the quiet deference observed in their mother's generation continues to manifest in patients who apologize for their pain and hesitate to ask questions. The conversation explores…
Obstetrician-gynecologist Priya Panneerselvam discusses their article “How medicine reflects women’s silence.” Priya discusses how the quiet deference observed in their mother’s generation continues to manifest in patients who apologize for their pain and hesitate to ask questions. The conversation explores the cultural and national forces that suppress female voices, linking …
United States (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.…
United States (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 …
As major public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and state health departments face reductions in scope and resources, a unique opportunity arises for health insurers…
As major public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and state health departments face reductions in scope and resources, a unique opportunity arises for health insurers to take a leading role in improving public health, while also enhancing their own reputations and financial sustainability.
Consider tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, …
Medical oncologist, geriatrician, and physician scientist GJ van Londen and Chief of Genetic and Genomic Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Gerald Vockley discuss the article "FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients." GJ…
Medical oncologist, geriatrician, and physician scientist GJ van Londen and Chief of Genetic and Genomic Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Gerald Vockley discuss the article “FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients.” GJ and Gerald explore the complex regulatory impasse where the U.S. …
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…
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 …
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,…
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 …
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…
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 …
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…
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.
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…
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 …
