A comparison of the prices at three major Houston hospitals — Houston Methodist, St. Luke’s Health and Memorial Hermann — associated with Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare PPO health plans finds wide-ranging costs for services.
Anti-vaccine advocates have been deploying a new tactic: pushing for unvaccinated individuals to become a protected group under constitutional and statutory law. Expert Valerie Gutmann Koch explores why this could threaten public health.
Vaccination policies are a cornerstone of public health, but anti-vaccine activists have been adamantly pushing for legislation that would weaken and dismantle the public health infrastructure, the authors write. In this issue brief, they examine vaccine policy challenges leading up to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the future of vaccine legislation in Texas and the United States.
The authors identify key themes that emerged from anti-vaccine testimonies during the 2021 Texas legislative session and consider the implications of these discussions as the next legislative session draws near.
This report finds that America's largest companies could be increasing their profits by identifying opportunities to reign in the costs of health insurance coverage — while still maintaining or improving the quality of benefits for their employees.
Stem cells have two unique properties that make them an appealing therapeutic tool for regenerative medicine: they can grow indefinitely and can differentiate into a wide variety of cell types, including those that form blood, bones, lungs, skin, and the brain.
There have been promising developments in recent years in the fight to reduce overdose deaths. But barriers to drug checking and other overdose prevention tools remain throughout the country, writes fellow Katharine Neill Harris.
The authors examine a new methodology from the National Academy of Medicine that could inform social, ethical and legal governance frameworks for a range of cutting-edge technologies. Read more at Issues in Science and Technology.
Findings from Kamda's study indicate a need for a more comprehensive approach to help veterans who are food insecure that extends beyond referral to food pantries or federal assistance programs. Policies and programs should encompass additional basic needs and be culturally aligned.
A regulation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) required that, starting January 1, 2021, all U.S. hospitals publicly display the cash price as well as the minimum and maximum negotiated charge for 300 “shoppable services.”
Vivian Ho, Alan Beltran Lara, David Ruiz, Peter Cram, M.D., Marah ShortMay 12, 2022