The healthcare sector has faced several disruptions this year, and it seems we are not through with them yet. On May 22nd, the House of Representatives passed a bill proposing significant cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). So far, many of the recent changes have drawn concern regarding their potential impact on issues like state finances, infrastructure budgets and job stability. The Good News Amid this backdrop, the announcement of a new executive order aimed at lowering drug prices might sound like a step in a more promising direction. Earlier this week, President Trump introduced the…

A New Chapter to Immigration Rhetoric Recent policies have introduced a new term to the administration’s immigration policy lexicon: the Office of Remigration. Announced as part of a proposed reorganization of the State Department, the new department would prioritize returning illegal immigrants to their home countries. The administration has recently notified Congress of these plans, but action has not yet been taken. As a whole, the office could dramatically expand the scale and reach of illegal immigrant removal operations. While it could be framed as a national security measure, it also introduces a change from supporting resettlement to promoting return. This…

Big Picture Americans have been burdened with high prescription drug costs for ages now, a critical issue closely tied to health outcomes. The United States is the global leader in per capita pharmaceutical spending, with 2021 data showing that the average American is U.S. consumers pay $2.78. This price gap is widening as U.S. drug prices increase more rapidly than those in other countries. Introducing a benchmarking system to align U.S. prescription drug prices with those in other countries would break down international barriers to price information, allowing all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry to access better data. While the…

Big Picture Telemedicine is defined as “the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support healthcare when distance separates the participants.” With rapid technological developments, the field of telemedicine is growing steadily, especially during COVID-19 which limited individuals’ travel flexibility. Technological advancements have broadened the scope of telemedicine to include diagnosing or treating certain diseases. In the United States, the adoption of telemedicine has been steadily increasing, yet full integration remains limited due to accessibility, security and affordability concerns. Telemedicine’s expansion offers significant benefits, such as enhanced convenience, that facilitate more consistent patient management. However, delivering telemedicine…

Historically, the U.S. has welcomed international students, but that commitment is now being called into question. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security proposed an order to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. If enacted, international students will be unable to enroll at Harvard, though they make up six percent of the U.S. higher education population. Those already enrolled would be forced to transfer or risk losing their legal status. Ironically, 2019 and 2020 international students earned 49 percent of all STEM master’s degrees and 57 percent of STEM doctorates. Furthermore, the U.S.’s global reputation for STEM…

As President Donald Trump begins his second term, the 2024 election cycle has left a lasting impression on the nation. Marked by controversy, violence and widespread mistrust, the cycle revealed deep vulnerabilities in the U.S. democratic system. Among the most alarming events was the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania in July 2024. While he survived the attack, it underscored the urgent need to address security concerns surrounding elections — a problem that has been escalating for years — and this rise in political violence is not an isolated phenomenon, but part of a troubling trend. The January 6, 2021 Capitol…

During a recent all-woman town hall on Fox News , former President Donald Trump made an attempt to address the gender gap in his voter base, which has steadily grown since his 2020 campaign. Trump discussed issues such as reproductive rights and transgender participation in sports in hopes of bridging this gap. His efforts, however, appeared disconnected. Polling from earlier this year revealed that fewer women plan to vote for Trump in the upcoming election compared to 2020. With the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first female president, Trump’s gender gap problem has only worsened. In September, Harris led Trump by a…

“It’s in their genes,” declared Donald Trump about immigrants earlier this month in an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show, claiming that they bring “bad genes” into the United States. He criticized Vice President Harris’s border policies, linking immigrants to crime and calling them murderers. As the election season heats up, the conversation about border security, crime rates and immigration policy intensifies. Yet, behind the politics, real lives are at stake. The immigration debate cannot just be a political one, but a humanitarian one as well. During his 2016 campaign, Trump built a narrative around constructing a wall along the…

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored vaccines’ crucial role in protecting public health. Vaccination has proven to be one of the most effective tools in curbing the spread of infectious diseases, offering a pathway to improved health outcomes for communities worldwide. Recent data shows that over a four-month period, individuals who received the updated COVID-19 vaccine had a 54% lower chance of contracting the virus. Despite this compelling evidence, vaccine hesitancy remains a significant barrier to achieving widespread immunity. Vaccine hesitancy in the United States is deeply influenced by a complex interplay of race, trust in institutions and political affiliation. Among Black and…

Living in the digital era, we are constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information every day, whether we realize it or not. As we encounter an increasingly broad swath of content, misinformation has become a growing concern. Efforts must begin from all sides involved to harness the overwhelming flow of information. We need to ensure that social media is a tool for empowering us rather than spreading misinformation that can lead to harmful consequences. For younger generations, such as millennials and Generation Z, social media has become an integral part of daily life and a major source of information…