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Wendy E. Parmet
- Public Health under the Trump Administration
Posted on December 16, 2016
The recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics showing a decline in life expectancy in the U.S. in 2015 highlights a point largely overlooked in post-election discussions about health policy under the Trump Administration. The significant increases in health insurance coverage under the ACA have not resulted in population-wide improvements in life expectancy.… Read more
- Overturning Health Reform: A Cautionary Tale
Posted on April 14, 2010
Shortly after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – commonly known as the health care reform act – was enacted, at least 14 attorneys general, led by Florida’s Bill McCollom, filed suit to overturn the law. Most legal experts responded by noting that while the lawsuits might make for good politics, they are on… Read more
- The ADA Amendments of 2008: Restoring Rights; Reviving Questions
Posted on October 15, 2008
Eighteen years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted with great fanfare. The ADA promised civil rights protection to an estimated 43 million Americans with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public accommodations, and by state and local governments. Given its intended breath, the ADA was expected to have a major impact on the health… Read more
- Beyond Preparedness: Time to Rethink the Connection between Public Health and National Security
Posted on September 11, 2008
Last month, the FBI announced named a suspect for the 2001 anthrax attacks on the U.S. mail – Bruce E. Ivans, a former scientist at the army’s Medical Research Institute at Fort Detrick. With Ivans’ suicide, the question of his guilt or innocence is likely to remain disputed. Beyond dispute is the magnitude of the… Read more
- Safety First – Or Safety Preempted?
Posted on March 6, 2008
According to the World Street Journal, the Food and Drug Administration is about to launch a new effort – appropriately dubbed “Safety First” – to enhance its capacity to oversee the safety of already approved drugs. Given the host of drug-safety problems revealed in recent years, from Vioxx to Avandia, as well as the ongoing… Read more
- Quarantine and the Covenant of Trust
Posted on June 4, 2007
The story of Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta attorney and first American quarantined by the federal government in over 40 years, reads like a Hollywood screenplay, a global action thriller, in which government agents track down a tubercular killer. As Hollywood might tell the tale, Speaker was a selfish man who threatened the lives of innocent… Read more
- The President’s Proposal for Genetic Discrimination Misses the Point
Posted on January 24, 2007
Last month President Bush called once again for Congress to enact the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a bill that has previously passed the Senate only to be killed by Republicans in the House. Given the President’s record on civil rights issues, not to mention his views on biomedical research, his support for a bill that… Read more
- Does Victory for Wal-Mart Mean Defeat for Health Care?
Posted on August 14, 2006
“Maryland is not a shrinking violet,” exclaimed Maryland State Senator Gloria G. Lawlah in explaining her support for Maryland’s Fair Share Health Care Fund Act, more widely known as the Wal-Mart bill. Neither it turns out is Wal-Mart, which last July, working through the Retail Industry Leaders Association, convinced federal district court Judge Fredrick Motz… Read more