The most screwed-up employee perk in America (and the man who just might fix it)

The last time Atul Gawande started a company, he named it after a Greek myth.

Ariadne Labs, based in Boston, Massachusetts—where Gawande also works as a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and teaches at Harvard—has been trying since 2012 to innovate in an area that has historically resisted innovat...

Questions raised over Republican’s campaign debt in North Carolina election scandal

Controversy surrounding election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th district increased this weekend as questions surfaced about campaign debts owed by Mark Harris, the Republican initially declared the winner in the race.

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, the Harris campaign currently owes $34,310 to a political consultant employed by the Red Dome Group.

The money is owed for “Reimbursement Payment for Bladen Absentee” and “Reimburseme...

What a governor, insurer regulator, and consumer advocate want Congress to do about Obamacare

Congress won’t be able to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after the midterm elections handed Democrats control of the House of Representatives — but that doesn’t mean lawmakers are done tinkering with the 2010 health care overhaul law.

Democrats ran and won on health care and the new House majority is expected to make strengthening the ACA a top priority next year. For some lawmakers, this means passing measures to further stabilize the marketplace...

Wisconsin Republicans pass bill that undermines new Democratic governor

Lawmakers in Wisconsin approved legislation early Wednesday morning that will undermine the authority of Gov.-elect Tony Evers (D) and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul (D), moves that have sparked uproar among many liberal activists.

Outgoing Gov. Scott Walker (R) has signaled that he expects to sign the bill into law, which would give the Legislature control of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. board, make it easier for legislators to hire private attorneys, limit early voti...

Rohrabacher’s poor record on climate helped swing conservative California district, survey finds

California’s historic wildfires, combined with the climate denial views of one Republican incumbent, appear to have helped sway voters in the state to elect a Democrat in a longtime conservative congressional district during the midterm elections, new analysis shows.

On November 6, real estate developer Harley Rouda (D) defeated Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), a 15-term incumbent, to represent the 48th congressional district of California, which stretches along the Pacific coast...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is changing the way politicians use social media

If you aren’t following Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on social media, we highly recommend it.

Regardless of where you fall on the partisan political spectrum, there is something for everyone to learn from Ocasio-Cortez, who will officially become the youngest-ever congresswoman next month.

Though the new Democratic-led House won’t be seated until January 3, the New York City congresswoman-elect is already building a large following with her approach ...

The case for abolishing the lame duck session

Democrats romped through Michigan and Wisconsin last month, winning races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in both states. In response to these flagrant acts of democracy, the lame duck Republican governments now plan to pass a rush of new laws stripping these offices of power.

In Wisconsin, one proposal would prevent the incoming Democratic officials from withdrawing from a partisan lawsuit attacking the Affordable Care Act — or potentially from other la...

Coalition releases plan to end U.S. HIV epidemic by 2025

In advance of World AIDS Day Saturday, a coalition of HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations have laid out a detailed plan to end the U.S. HIV epidemic by 2025.

The new roadmap sets ambitious goals for treatment and prevention and calls upon lawmakers to enact the kinds of changes that will help achieve them.

What that looks like is meeting what is called the “95/95/95” framework:

  • 95 percent of people who have HIV are aware of their status.
  • 95 perce...

Trump admin can’t use Congress to repeal Obamacare, so it’s asking states to rewrite the health law

Less than a month after the midterm elections ended the possibility of Obamacare repeal in Congress, the Trump administration has called on states to rewrite the health law in the image of failed GOP health bills.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued new guidance on Thursday encouraging states to implement changes to the marketplace that fundamentally undermine the goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

States have always had the ability to modify the ACA...