One of our public health heroes, Ciro de Quadros, 74, a public health physician from Brazil died last week. We need his attitude, skills, and persistence more than ever today.
Environmental Health
Public health ROI: Study finds investing in lead poisoning prevention could reap millions in benefits
Childhood lead poisoning is one of those health risks that everyone has likely heard about, but many probably think it’s a problem of the past. However, a recent study reminds us that in just one state — Michigan — the effects of childhood lead poisoning cost about $330 million every year. And that’s a conservative estimate.
Affordable Care Act
Will employers scrap their health plans and send employees to exchanges? Do we want them to?
A new IRS rule is likely to discourage employers from scrapping their health plans and sending workers to get health insurance from exchanges. Given that a reliance on employer-sponsored insurance disadvantages some workers and contributes to job lock, do we really want employers to keep being such a significant source of insurance coverage?
Five million dollars. That’s how much the fast food industry spends every day to peddle largely unhealthy foods to children. And because studies have found that exposure to food marketing does indeed make kids want to eat more, advertising is often tapped as an obvious way to address child obesity. Fortunately, a new study finds that the public agrees.
The Huffington Post investigates how the mining industry cheats worker safety; Seattle set to raise minimum wage to $15; and the death of a hummus plant worker could have been prevented with better safety practices.
The heath effects of occupational solvent exposure don’t always fade with time. A new study has found that years — sometimes even decades — down the road from their last workplace exposure, some workers are still experiencing very real cognitive impairments.
Late last year as many Americans purchased affordable health insurance for the first time, others opened their mailboxes to find notification that their coverage had been cancelled. The story erupted across media channels, as President Obama had promised that people could keep their plans, but the overall issue was presented with little perspective. Thankfully, a new study offers something that’s become seemingly rare these days: context.
Despite our best preparedness efforts, a real-life flu pandemic would require some difficult and uncomfortable decisions. And perhaps the most uncomfortable will be deciding who among us gets priority access to our limited health care resources. How do we decide whose life is worth saving?
The Affordable Care Act has given many women new options for health-insurance coverage and preventive services. A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds both reasons for optimism and areas for improvement when it comes to women’s health and the ACA.
$569 million. That’s how much revenue community health centers will miss out on because their state legislators decided not to expand Medicaid eligibility. The loss means that many community health centers will continue to struggle to serve all those in need, others will have to cut back on services and some could be forced to shut down altogether.