John Snow is viewed by many as a pioneer in disease mapping. He was a founding member of the London Epidemiological Society, one of the first professional organizations devoted to the field of epidemiology. For the 1854 cholera outbreak in London’s Broad Street region, he presented a map of disease outbreaks around the Broad Street Pump to … Continue reading
Category Archives: Politics
Employer Wellness Programs: ADA and ACA
The rising cost of health benefits and prevalence of chronic diseases has increased the significance of employer wellness programs. These programs encourage healthier lifestyles and may help reduce health care costs, with numerous large firms suggesting that the programs save the average employer $3.27 for every dollar spent on them. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions … Continue reading
Reducing the Trade Deficit with China: Repealing the Crude Oil Export Ban
With much of the current energy conversation surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline, many Americans have forgotten, or may not even know, about another energy issue that might just be more important: the crude oil export ban. Since the 1970’s, the U.S. government has prohibited U.S. oil producers to export crude oil internationally in order to … Continue reading
A Federal Balanced Budget: Not a Cure-All, but Definitely Not a Bad Idea
To all the people who believe that a constitutional requirement forcing Congress to pass a balanced budget every year will make the federal debt (and yes, there is a difference between a debt and a deficit: deficit being how much money we have to borrow per year, debt being how much money we have borrowed … Continue reading
Lock In Drug Abuse
“I looked at that menu, and I just couldn’t control myself!” How many times have you walked into a restaurant planning to order a salad but instead got a whopping 2,000 calorie steak meal? We’ve all faced shortages of self-control, trading in short-term gain for long-term strain. Choosing the inferior food option is only one … Continue reading
Where the Power Really Is: Netanyahu’s Visit and its Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy
John Boehner’s recent invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak in front of a joint meeting of Congress in March has infuriated the Obama Administration. The White House claims they were never consulted about the invitation and did not know that Netanyahu was coming until Boehner announced it publically, which Obama Press Secretary … Continue reading
In Sickness and in Health?
It’s the middle of the workweek and you wake up to prepare for work only to find you have the flu. Some Americans are then faced with the question of, “Should I stay home and lose a day’s pay, or should I tough it out and head to the office?” President Obama wants to make … Continue reading
Left on the Curb? Reauthorization, Standardization & Special Education
This year marks the fourteenth year since the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). As a largely unpopular act, lawmakers are up for an interesting year as Congress plans to complete the reauthorization of this act, eight years past its planned reauthorization. With the first Senate Health Education Labor Pension (HELP) full committee hearing … Continue reading
Is Telemedicine Going to Help Curb Health Care Costs?
Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), everyone has been holding their breath in anticipation of seeing its effects. In an attempt to curb health care costs by diluting the risk pool, the ACA has mandated that individuals get insurance or pay a fine. It is true that millions are more insured due … Continue reading
We Have Bigger Issues than OPEC: Outdated Law Bedevils U.S. Oil Boom
When I recently visited Professor Robert Weiner at the George Washington University (GW), he was unimpressed by the flurry of speculation about Saudi Arabia’s response to falling global oil prices. Dr. Weiner, the chair of the International Business Department at GW’s School of Business, pointed out that Saudi Arabia doesn’t mind the lower oil prices and … Continue reading
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