Wired: “In 2013, a young computational biologist named Yaniv Erlich shocked the research world by showing it was possible to unmask the identities of people listed in anonymous genetic databases using only an Internet connection. Policymakers responded by restricting access to pools of anonymized biomedical genetic data. An NIH official said at the time, “The… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Health Care
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures (2018)
“There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide… Continue Reading
Flu shot strongly recommended this year
BuzzFeedNews: “It’s officially fall in the US, which means it’s time for cozy sweaters, pumpkin-flavored everything, and…your seasonal influenza vaccine. Given that last year’s flu season was one of the deadliest in the last 40 years — an estimated 80,000 people died, including 180 children — it’s important to get a flu shot as soon as… Continue Reading
VA.gov to relaunch as front door to benefits, services
FCW.com: “Amid a barrage of daily headlines about turnover, disarray and mismanagement, the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to reinvent itself as an agile agency focused on customer service. The effort is paying off – without much in the way of publicity, a unified VA services website at Vets.gov has attracted 40,000 daily users… Continue Reading
Voter Enthusiasm at Record High in Nationalized Midterm Environment
Top voting issues: Supreme Court, health care, economy: “With less than six weeks to go before the elections for Congress, voter enthusiasm is at its highest level during any midterm in more than two decades. And a record share of registered voters – 72% – say the issue of which party controls Congress will be… Continue Reading
Children Who Get Less Screen Time Think Better, Study Finds
Gizmodo: “Keeping your kid’s mind sharp might involve making sure they don’t spend all day on their smartphone or other screen devices, suggests yet more research published this week. Canadian researchers looked at the first bits of data from a 10-year-long U.S. project meant to study how children’s brains develop over time, called the Adolescent… Continue Reading
HBR – Uninformed Consent
Harvard Business Review – Companies want access to more and more of your personal data — from where you are to what’s in your DNA. Can they unlock its value without triggering a privacy backlash? Leslie K. John – Marvin Bower associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School: “…Technology has advanced far beyond… Continue Reading
The 2019 Medicare & You Handbook is now available
Your online connection to the “Medicare & You” handbook. Several formats are available: PDF, Large Print PDF, eBook, Audio, Braille, Paper handbook. [h/t Pete Weiss] Continue Reading
John Hancock will include fitness tracking in all life insurance policies
Insurance Journal: “John Hancock, one of the oldest and largest North American life insurers, will stop underwriting traditional life insurance and instead sell only interactive policies that track fitness and health data through wearable devices and smartphones, the company said on Wednesday. The move by the 156-year-old insurer, owned by Canada’s Manulife Financial Corp., marks… Continue Reading
US Census Bureau International Data Base
“The International Data Base (IDB) was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide access to accurate and timely demographic measures for populations around the world. The database includes a comprehensive set of indicators, as produced by the U.S. Census Bureau since the 1960s. Through sponsorship from various U.S. Government agencies, the IDB is updated… Continue Reading
What Consumers Should Know About Commercial DNA Testing
WSJ (paywall) – For starters, find out what happens to the sample you submit – “Less costly genetic testing has let millions of people unlock the information in their DNA. Yet there’s a lot about these tests they don’t know—but should…” Continue Reading
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2017
“The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that real median household income increased by 1.8 percent between 2016 and 2017, while the official poverty rate decreased 0.4 percentage points. At the same time, the number of people without health insurance coverage and the uninsured rate were not statistically different from 2016. Median household income in the… Continue Reading
