Less than three days in office and US president Joe Biden has taken more executive actions than his three predecessors combined did in their first weeks. As the Covid-19 crisis would warrant, many of them have to do with tackling the pandemic and strengthening healthcare.
From requiring people to wear masks and observe social distancing on federal property to rejoining the World Health Organization, to reestablishing a team in charge of pandemic response within the National...
Quartz
What is going to happen to the Affordable Care Act?
There’s a new Supreme Court justice, Election Day is less than a week away, and the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality is set to be argued before the high court in two weeks. If you’re wondering about what this all means for the future of Obamacare, you’re not alone.
What happens to Obamacare if the Supreme Court decides against the ACA? What happens if Joe Biden wins the election? Or if Donald Trump remains in office? American healthcare coverage could be significantl...
Feeling sick after getting a flu shot is a normal (and even good!) thing
The intent of flu shots is to avoid the flu. We know this. It’s been drilled into our heads again and again. And yet, a little less than half of adults in the US got the routine jab for the 2018 to 2019 flu season. (This was actually a pretty high vaccination rate; in recent flu seasons, adherence has hovered around 40%.)
The reason for this shouldn’t be the cost—most insurance and Medicaid covers the flu vaccine as preventative medicine. Nor should it be ...
H-1B workers pay billions in taxes to fund programmes that benefit American citizens
The Donald Trump administration has often blamed H-1B workers for stealing jobs from Americans. But this myopic view ignores how much these foreign workers contribute to the US economy.
As per a new study, an estimated three million H-1B visa holders contribute hundreds of billions to the US government programmes like social security and medicare—which they don’t even benefit from—and to local businesses and American companies.
The study, conducted by immigrant...
Depending on where they live, coronavirus can still cost Americans thousands of dollars
Relatively early in America’s adventures in coronavirus, on March 18, the US government approved legislation that made coronavirus testing, as well as the visit to administer it, free for all Americans, whether or not they have health care insurance (although if the visit doesn’t result in a coronavirus test, it is not covered).
It was an essential policy: The fear of medical bills acts as a deterrent for many Americans, pushing them to delay, or avoid, tests or medical tr...
RBG says women are being “tossed to the wind” in Supreme Court birth control case
The US Supreme Court today heard oral arguments in controversial cases about religious and moral objections to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration expanded existing “conscience exemptions” dramatically but a nationwide injunction has so far blocked the new rules from going into place.
The justices’ phone debate was long and sometimes painfully technical. However, distilled, the issue at the heart of these matters is relatively simp...
Why US businesses are opining on a Supreme Court case about contraception
On May 6, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases about the Trump administration’s expansion of the “conscience” exemptions to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The changes allow institutions providing health insurance to avoid paying for birth control, for religious or moral reasons, without notice.
A nationwide injunction has blocked implementation of the changes so far. Now the justices are faced with three very technical legal que...
Covid-19 expanded telemedicine measures that we’ve needed for years
This week, the US federal government said it would lift restrictions on telemedicine services for seniors under Medicare. The new measures facilitate radical changes in the way medicine is delivered, enabling patients to access hospital-level medical care outside of hospitals—in schools, hotels, and homes.
The way medicine works today has changed significantly since most regulations were put in place, and with it, the business of medicine. The above is an unprecedented move...
Telemedicine struggles to be an option for everyone in the wake of coronavirus
Telehealth services are being met with a flood of patients in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
As hospitals and public officials urge patients with symptoms of Covid-19 to avoid emergency rooms, online-only services that allow patients to consult with doctors over the phone, video, or direct message are a natural fit. But as demand increases, telehealth providers will confront two challenges: capacity and access.
For those with private insurance, many pr...
Biden is wrong: A single-payer healthcare system is not the problem in Italy
The whole of Italy has been on lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19 for more than 10 days now.
The regions of Lombardia and Veneto are at the epicenter of the crisis and have been dealing with the epidemic for much longer than that. Hospitals there are overrun. There is not enough space in intensive care units (ICUs), which are necessary to treat about 10% of those infected with the disease. The situation has been compared to a war.
During the latest Demo...