Health Policy

US: Investigate Ethics in China Drug Study

Human Rights Watch | Posted 04.19.2012

Human Rights Watch

(New York) – A study about heroin cravings partially funded by a US agency and conducted in two Chinese drug rehabilitation centers raises serio...

Draft National Alzheimer's Plan Is Disappointing

Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W. | Posted 04.09.2012

Michael Friedman, L.M.S.W.

We need a National Alzheimer's Plan that reflects the psychosocial/mental health needs of Americans with dementia and their families, and that creates opportunities for them to have a vastly improved quality of life.

Memo to World Bank: Good Health Policy Is Great Economic Policy

Michael Hodin | Posted 05.29.2012

Michael Hodin

As the World Bank lays out its plans to stimulate growth in the coming years, Dr. Kim may be exactly what the doctor ordered -− a health-field expert who can prioritize healthy aging.

Preparing President Obama for the International AIDS Conference, July 2012

David Holtgrave | Posted 05.21.2012

David Holtgrave

The next four months are a critical time for the Administration, the International AIDS Conference, and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. We might ask a familiar question: We know what to do, but will we do it?

Public Health and the Illusion of Your Autonomy: Kill the Umpire?

David Katz, M.D. | Posted 03.07.2012

David Katz, M.D.

I won't speak for my friends and colleagues in public health, although I suspect they feel the same; I'll just speak for myself. I am nobody's nanny. But as you play with the military-industrial establishment with your health on the line, I don't mind being a referee.

More Education and Awareness Needed in Fight Against HIV/AIDS

David Catania | Posted 12.24.2011

David Catania

The District's continuing fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic remains a central pillar of our public health infrastructure, and with good reason.

The Farm Bill Is a Food Bill

Rajiv Narayan | Posted 12.20.2011

Rajiv Narayan

Where the farm bill allocates resources to funding food stamps, it also incentivizes the purchase of unhealthy foods.

The Credit Downgrade and the Congress: Why Polarized Politics Paralyze Public Policy

Robert Stavins | Posted 10.11.2011

Robert Stavins

No matter how one feels about the wisdom of Standard & Poor's downgrading of long-term U.S. debt, the issue of greater concern should be their assessment of the state of the U.S. body politic.

Reforming Medicare Without Harming Seniors

Stephen M. Davidson | Posted 08.14.2011

Stephen M. Davidson

Democrats have been slow to come up with their own Medicare reform plan. As they ponder what to do in this contentious atmosphere, some facts and analysis can't hurt.

New Republican Assault on Middle Class: Slash Medicaid, Hurt Seniors and Millions in Need

Ethan Rome | Posted 06.04.2011

Ethan Rome

In these tough times when we need shared sacrifice, smart government and job creation, the Republican plan to cut Medicaid accomplishes none of these things. It only makes matters worse.

Why Some Medical Studies Can Be Harmful

Dr. Dennis Gottfried | Posted 05.25.2011

Dr. Dennis Gottfried

When a study is done, what we want to find out is whether a medical or surgical treatment actually benefits a patient, that is, does the patient live longer or better.

In The Public Interest: Finding the High Ground on Health Care

Larry McNeely | Posted 05.25.2011

Larry McNeely

Yesterday, the Senate got a small glimpse of what constructive bipartisan cooperation could look like. And surprisingly, it happened in health-care policy.

Vote Today and Save a Life

Dr. Peter Klatsky | Posted 05.25.2011

Dr. Peter Klatsky

Today you have a vote that can save a life, perhaps hundreds. Just ask a patient of ours who recently confided that her life was saved by a new healt...

Millions of Lives Will Be Changed By Home Health Care Cuts

David Mixner | Posted 05.25.2011

David Mixner

Those of us who lived through the worst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s have a very special spot in our heart for ...

Why I Want a Blue Button

Stephen J. Downs | Posted 05.25.2011

Stephen J. Downs

This morning my colleague, Dr. Carol Diamond of the Markle Foundation, appeared on the Today Show to talk about an initiative called "blue button." ...

A New Labor Standard for Labor Day: Paid Sick Leave

Jake Blumgart | Posted 05.25.2011

Jake Blumgart

All employees should be able to take time off for their illnesses, not just those lucky enough to have the right job. Experience shows that we can make our economy friendlier to beleaguered workers without harming their employers.

Treat dangerous schizophrenia, the same way we treat TB.

DJ Jaffe | Posted 11.17.2011

DJ Jaffe

According to Amenoma Hartocollis of the New York Times, New York City tightened their rules for monitoring discharged patients with tuberculosis becau...

Obesity is Contagious

Dr. Dennis Gottfried | Posted 05.25.2011

Dr. Dennis Gottfried

As society initiates its battle to end the obesity epidemic, much can be learned from the similar battle waged against cigarette smoking over the past several decades.

Top 5 Orthopedic Fields Indebted to the Device Industry

Ford Vox | Posted 05.25.2011

Ford Vox

Factors other than our patients influence the care physicians provide. In the case of American orthopedic surgery, Factor X is the medical device industry.

Global Health Day Should Include Mental Health

Suzan Song | Posted 11.17.2011

Suzan Song

Too often those that suffer from mental illness are marginalized and become victims of stigma. But ignoring or neglecting this population only hurts society as a whole.

There's No Such Thing as an Accident: A Prevention Approach to the Gulf Oil Spill

Larry_Cohen | Posted 05.25.2011

Larry_Cohen

Taking action before an incident occurs has saved hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars related to tobacco use, lead poisoning, and car crashes. And like smoking or highway deaths, the oil spill was both predictable and preventable.

How Long Does It Take To Buy a Life-Saving Vaccine?

Dr. Orin Levine | Posted 05.25.2011

Dr. Orin Levine

Procurement challenges and differences on pricing policies continue to vex our efforts to get vaccines to the world's neediest children.

"Our Bodies, Ourselves": 40 Years on, Still Circling the Globe

Bella DePaulo | Posted 05.25.2011

Bella DePaulo

There are some truths about women's health that may now seem self-evident, but perhaps would not be so obvious if it were not for the ideas espoused, starting so long ago, by "Our Bodies, Ourselves."

Health Care Pizza

D. Brad Wright | Posted 05.25.2011

D. Brad Wright

Solomon really nailed it on the head when he wrote "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." One of the "old" things under the sun, is health care costs.

Go Bananas During National Food Desert Awareness Month

Mari Gallagher | Posted 05.25.2011

Mari Gallagher

Fast, cheap and easy is not a porn film; it's the new American diet.