An Affordable Care Act provision taking effect this week will reduce Medicare reimbursements to hospitals with high readmission rates. But to what extent are readmissions under a hospital’s control?
California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed two bills that worker advocates promoted: The Humane Treatment for Farm Workers Act and the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
Warehouse workers employed by Walmart subcontractors march 50 miles to LA for safer working conditions; researchers investigate an alarming incidence of kidney disease among Sri Lankan farmers; and Washington, DC doesn’t know if employers are complying with its law requiring paid sick leave.
This American Life’s “Back to School” episode pulls together research on how childhood trauma can leave people at greater risk for social impairment and health problems — and they talk to two women who’ve benefited from programs designed to address these disadvantages.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases new data about fatal occupational injuries, including the sectors where the most workers died and how they were injured.
Environmental Health
Technology, behavior, and reduced driving associated with decline in auto fatalities
There are two ways to reduce fatalities from vehicle crashes: prevent crashes, and make the ones that happen less deadly.
California’s legislature passes a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights; a fire at a Venezuelan oil refinery kills 41; and researchers publish findings on construction workers and former NFL players.
In honor of (US) Labor Day, Celeste and I have started what we intend to be a new Labor Day tradition: publication of a report that highlights some of the important research and activities in occupational health in the US over the past year.
Public Health Practice
Worth reading: NIH superbug, Nebraska’s child welfare system, and Paul Ryan’s convention speech
A few recent pieces worth a look.
An NEJM piece offers some advice and cautions about health insurance exchanges — a key to the Affordable Care Act’s success — based on the experiences of the Netherlands and Switzerland.