Editor's note
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The House of Representatives narrowly passed a patched-up version of the Republican’s American Health Care Act on Thursday. The vote is being seen as a political victory for President Donald Trump but what will the new bill mean for people’s health if it’s approved by the Senate?
Simon Haeder of West Virginia University focuses on the very American problem of insuring people with pre-existing conditions: “while most other industrialized nations have long resolved the issue equitably, the U.S. continues to struggle with it.” And health finance scholar J. B. Silvers of Case Western dissects the reasons why health insurance became so complicated
in the first place.
Though it’s currently on hold, there’s one part of Obamacare that may still survive: a rule requiring that restaurants include calories on their menus. But does that number contain all the information you need to make a healthy decision? Evidence suggests that Americans wildly underestimate the amount of sodium in their meals. Perhaps we should consider including that data next to our food and drink choices.
And dive into the minds of U.S. enemies, from Saddam Hussein to Kim Jong Un, UConn’s Stephen Dyson research on profiling leaders explains why empathy (not sympathy) is our greatest defense.
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Lynne Anderson
Senior Editor, Health & Medicine
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Top story
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Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) speaks to reporters outside the White House on May 3, 2017 after a meeting with the president on proposed legislation that could limit coverage for preexisting conditions.
Susan Walsh/AP
Simon Haeder, West Virginia University
How preexisting conditions came to be a condition for passage of the Republicans' health care law is a complicated tale. Insurers created the cost-saving technique, excluding millions over the years.
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Health + Medicine
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JB Silvers, Case Western Reserve University
Even Pres. Trump said he had no idea that health insurance can be so complicated.
Part of the reason is that it's not something we really want to buy – and not something we want to buy for others.
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Alyssa Moran, Harvard University; Jason Block, Harvard Medical School
Evidence suggests that most Americans wildly underestimate the amount of sodium in their food.
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Science + Technology
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Noah Wardrip-Fruin, University of California, Santa Cruz; Michael Mateas, University of California, Santa Cruz
People want video games and interactive experiences that help them explore deep and meaningful themes, such as creating family, valuing diversity and living responsibly.
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Samuel Redman, University of Massachusetts Amherst
A century-old case of scientific fraud illustrates how hard it is to untangle the truth when access to new discoveries is limited.
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Environment + Energy
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Martin C. Heller, University of Michigan; JB Ruhl, Vanderbilt University; Sacoby Wilson, University of Maryland
Large livestock farms, known as CAFOs, have polluted air and water in many communities. A recent court decision will force CAFOs to report their air emissions from manure and other sources.
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From our International Editions
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Laura Clancy, Lancaster University
It turned out to be a fairly minor announcement, but the palace knows how to work the news cycle.
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Robin Lacassin, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP) – USPC; Raphael Grandin, Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP) – USPC
Oklahoma is trying to limit the number of earthquakes caused by oil and gas extraction, but some existing faults there – which could be activated by wastewater injection – have never been mapped.
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Londiwe H Gamedze, University of Cape Town
In the US and South Africa, "passing" as another race has a long and painful history. Controversial American Rachel Dolezal's "passing" to justify her identity makes a mockery of such histories.
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