Immigrants make up nearly 16% of Philadelphia’s population of 1.6 million, according to a 2024 report from Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew reports this marks the largest percentage since the 1940s,…
Tag: Health care
Buyouts can bring relief from medical debt, but they’re far from a cure
One in 10 Americans carry medical debt, while 2 in 5 are underinsured and at risk of not being able to pay their medical bills. This burden crushes millions of…
Asthma meds have become shockingly unaffordable − but relief may be on the way
The price of asthma medication has soared in the U.S. over the past decade and a half. The jump – in some cases from around a little over US$10 to…
College students with loans more likely to report bad health and skip medicine and care, study finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Students who took out loans to pay for college rated their overall health and mental health…
Migrants often can’t access US health care until they are critically ill – here are some of the barriers they face
“Can you tell me about cancer care for the undocumented?” I asked Henry during an interview. He was a doctor who volunteered his time at a community-based clinic designed exclusively…
Abortion restrictions put hospital ethics committees in the spotlight – but what do they do?
Many states have imposed sweeping restrictions that all but ban abortion since the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the 50-year-old constitutional right to the procedure. These laws have…
What does ending the emergency status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US mean in practice? 4 questions answered
The COVID-19 pandemic’s public health emergency status in the U.S. expires on May 11, 2023. And on May 5, the World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 public…
Gender-affirming care has a long history in the US – and not just for transgender people
In 1976, a woman from Roanoke, Virginia, named Rhoda received a prescription for two drugs: estrogen and progestin. Twelve months later, a local reporter noted Rhoda’s surprisingly soft skin and…
