Policy
How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage
How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage Health insurance companies use artificial intelligence algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services recommended by a patient’s physicians, often leading to delays or denials of necessary care. The use of AI in health insurance can have serious consequences, including withholding care from […]
🏥 Health
We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects
We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects Surveying 1,500 Florida kids aged 11-13 found that banning cellphones in schools may have limited effects on mental health and academic performance. Only 31% of kids reported feeling relief when […]
📰 News
Two-state solution in the Middle East has been a core US policy for 25 years – is the Trump administration eyeing a change?
Two-state solution in the Middle East has been a core US policy for 25 years – is the Trump administration eyeing a change? The Trump administration’s stance on the two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be shifting, as evidenced by comments from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Huckabee stated that he opposes the […]
🏛️ Politics
Will you be able to get a COVID shot this fall?
Will you be able to get a COVID shot this fall? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women, effective immediately. The FDA has also changed its policy framework, stating that boosters will only be available to adults over […]
🏥 Health
How school choice policies evolved from supporting Black students to subsidizing middle-class families
How school choice policies evolved from supporting Black students to subsidizing middle-class families School voucher programs that allow families to use public funds to pay tuition to attend private schools have evolved from their original purpose of supporting Black students to subsidizing middle-class families. The first vouchers were offered in the 1800s to help children […]
🏛️ Politics
How Trump’s ‘gold standard’ politicizes federal science
How Trump’s ‘gold standard’ politicizes federal science President Donald Trump’s “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order aims to increase transparency and reproducibility in federal science, but critics argue that it politicizes science and undermines scientific rigor. The order focuses on “reproducibility,” which means ensuring consistency in results, rather than “replicability,” which requires different scientists to […]
🏛️ Politics
Supreme Court changes the game on federal environmental reviews
Supreme Court changes the game on federal environmental reviews The US Supreme Court has changed the game on federal environmental reviews by issuing a landmark ruling in the case of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. The court’s decision clarifies that federal agencies should give strong deference to their own NEPA (National Environmental […]
📰 News
There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill
There’s no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill Republicans in the US Senate are likely to adopt work requirements for Medicaid recipients, despite a lack of evidence that they boost employment, as part of their spending bill. The House version of the […]
🏛️ Politics
Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs
Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs Republican lawmakers have passed a bill that includes massive tax and spending cuts, including provisions to reduce federal Medicaid spending by requiring anyone enrolled in the program who appears to be able to get a job […]
🏛️ Politics
FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules
FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules The FDA has announced that it will only approve COVID-19 vaccines for adults 65 years old and older, as well as those with one or more risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. The new […]
🏥 Health