Health care

Rachel Z. Ardnt writes in an article in Modern Health about the potential benefits of integrating telemedicine into treatment for patients with behavioral and mental health issues: But digital tools are opening up more vantage points and providers are gaining new insights into their patients’ mental and emotional states—which…

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) voted to approve a Notice of Inquiry which would move forward a plan to launch a “Connected Care Pilot Program.” The program would allocate $100 million for new telehealth initiatives that would promote “connected care” for low-income and…

Julie Havlak reports for Carolina Journal Online about the impact of N.C. anti-opioid laws on patients with chronic pain. John Hood’s Daily Journal explains how illegal actions thwart the cause of people who want to remove North Carolina’s Confederate monuments.

“U.S. social policy is built on a foundation of values,” AEI’s Michael Strain writes at Bloomberg.com in getting to the heart of why reforming most government programs creates such heated debate.  Most discussion of work requirements, eligibility, and the costs and benefits of social programs begs the questions of personal…

From Sy Mukherjee at Fortune comes the tale of an interesting study and approach to reducing the prescribing of addictive opioids: write a letter. “A simple letter, supportive in tone, to inform clinicians of a scheduled drug harm to their patient resulted in fewer subsequent opioids dispensed by those…

Julie Havlak reports for Carolina Journal Online that regulations and provider shortages block drug addicts from getting treatment. Kristen Blair’s Daily Journal focuses on reversing declining math scores among American students.

New York’s state comptroller divested that state’s pension funds from two private prison companies that operate immigration detention centers. The California State Teachers’ Retirement System faced pressure from “hundreds of educators” among its 933,410 members to do the same, but has opted to keep its investment and “to communicate with…

Benedic Ippolito explains for the American Enterprise Institute that a recent $32.6 trillion, 10-year cost estimate for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ health care proposal depends on politically contentious cost controls. Single-payer health care is back in the news this week thanks to a new cost estimate of Senator…