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Top headlines
Lead story
The health care affordability crisis that millions of Americans are struggling with is getting worse. The proliferation of high-deductible plans, which push a bigger share of costs onto patients, is one major driver. Another is the sharp drop in premium subsidies for Americans who get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Combined with rising drug costs, these trends continue to push medical debt levels higher, including among Americans who are insured.
Patients need to arm themselves with knowledge, argue Helen Colby from Indiana University and Deirdre Popovich from Texas Tech, business professors who study consumer decision-making. Asking questions about cost can empower patients in meaningful ways – but all too often, people hold back, research shows.
In particular, consumers can ask questions about the availability of generic drugs, cheaper alternative treatments and payment assistance – which can make a big difference on the final price tag. The authors write: “Physicians can’t address financial concerns they don’t hear about, and most want to help their patients access care they can realistically follow through on. As costs continue to shift toward the patient’s burden, asking these questions isn’t just helpful – it’s essential.”
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Helen Fessenden
Senior Economy and Business Editor
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A doctor at the National Cancer Institute talks with a patient.
National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Helen Colby, Indiana University; Deidre Popovich, Texas Tech University
Three questions can help patients get a better handle on drug and health care options. But many Americans still hold back from asking providers for information.
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International
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Ioana Emy Matesan, Wesleyan University
A decade of shifting regional alliances, continuous conflict and outside interventions have narrowed the path for diplomacy.
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Health + Medicine
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Marie Helweg-Larsen, Dickinson College
A few US towns have banned cigarette sales to anyone born after a specific date, and several states are considering this path. A psychologist explains why such measures often face stiff resistance.
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Kar-Hai Chu, University of Pittsburgh; Maggie Slavin, University of Pittsburgh
As childhood vaccination rates in Allegheny County decline, The Conversation asked experts why parents are opting out and how to protect vaccination policy.
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Nathaniel M. Tran, University of Illinois Chicago; Periwinkle Seljord-Solberg, University of Illinois Chicago
An increasing number of laws aim to roll back LGBTQ+ people’s ability to access health care, leading to cascading effects on their well-being.
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Politics + Society
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Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University
Donald Trump’s false claims about the Iran War, Epstein files, tariffs and inflation have left some supporters who have traditionally believed all he says feeling duped and abandoned. Why now?
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Arts + Culture
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Kevin D. Murphy, Vanderbilt University
US presidents haven’t usually sought to impress their own architectural tastes – much less their names while in office – on national monuments.
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Ethics + Religion
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Chad S.A. Gibbs, College of Charleston
Topics such as sexual assault have been difficult for survivors and historians to write about, even decades after the war.
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