A Public Option for Employer Health Plans

Following the 2020 presidential election, health care reform discussions have centered on two competing proposals: Medicare for All and an individual public option (“Medicare for all who want it”). Interestingly, these two proposals take starkly different approaches to employer-provided health coverage, long the bedrock of the U.S. health care system and the stumbling block to many prior reform efforts. Medicare for All abolishes employer-provided coverage, while an individual public option leaves it untouched.This Article proposes a novel solution that finds a middle ground between these two extremes: an employer public option. In contrast to the more familiar public option proposal, which would offer government sponsored health insurance directly to individuals, our plan creates a public option for employers, who can select a public plan—based on Medicare and altered to meet the needs of working populations—instead of a private health plan for their employees. Employer-based private health coverage is in decline and increasingly leaves workers vulnerable. Our proposal offers a gradual way to loosen reliance on this system.We review the policy, regulatory, fiscal, and business arguments in favor of this form of public option, which we argue is less disruptive than Medicare for All but more impactful than an individual public option. Because employer take up would be gradual and voluntary, our plan has lower fiscal costs and should face less resistance from employees and vested interests than Medicare for All. Over time, if the plan meets employers’ and employees’ needs, more people would be covered by a public option, moving away from over-reliance on private employer plans and toward something akin to Medicare-for-Many in a less politically, legally, and fiscally fraught way

EUVE Observations of the Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable QQ Vulpeculae

We present simultaneous X-ray (lambda_peak ~ 44A) and EUV (lambda_peak = 89A) light curves for the magnetic cataclysmic variable QQ Vulpeculae, obtained with the EUVE satellite. We find that the unique shape of the X-ray light curve is different from previously obtained X-ray light curves of QQ Vul and provides evidence for two-pole accretion. Detailed examination of the photometric data indicates that QQ Vul undergoes a stellar eclipse of the X-ray emitting region, indicative of a high binary inclination. We discuss possible implications for the nature of this system given the observed shape of its EUV and X-ray light curves.Comment: 12 pages including 4 figures, accepted to PAS

Cranberry Polyphenols in Esophageal Cancer Inhibition: New Insights

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a cancer characterized by rapidly rising incidence and poor survival, resulting in the need for new prevention and treatment options. We utilized two cranberry polyphenol extracts, one proanthocyanidin enriched (C-PAC) and a combination of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and glycosides (AFG) to assess inhibitory mechanisms utilizing premalignant Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and EAC derived cell lines. We employed reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA) and Western blots to examine cancer-associated pathways and specific signaling cascades modulated by C-PAC or AFG. Viability results show that C-PAC is more potent than AFG at inducing cell death in BE and EAC cell lines. Based on the RPPA results, C-PAC significantly modulated 37 and 69 proteins in JH-EsoAd1 (JHAD1) and OE19 EAC cells, respectively. AFG treatment significantly altered 49 proteins in both JHAD1 and OE19 cells. Bioinformatic analysis of RPPA results revealed many previously unidentified pathways as modulated by cranberry polyphenols including NOTCH signaling, immune response, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Collectively, these results provide new insight regarding mechanisms by which cranberry polyphenols exert cancer inhibitory effects targeting EAC, with implications for potential use of cranberry constituents as cancer preventive agents

2018 Community Health Assessment

The 2018 CHA contains the most recent health data and information to provide an understanding of our county’s health status. In this update, we have expanded the CHA to include community-specific health status information as well as countywide health information. The CHA is organized using a population health framework that looks at the physical environment, social and economic factors, health behaviors, access to quality healthcare, and health outcomes. The report presents a general picture of the health of our community, in which health outcomes and disparities are the results of complex interactions between health determinants. This assessment reflects a two-year process that included selection and analysis of over 160 health indicators, multiple community meetings, and interviews with community leaders. This provided information about strengths and challenges, identification of countywide and community-specific assets, and an assessment of the capability of the public health and health care systems to address the health challenges in our community. Much of this report expands information on health issues identified by the dedicated group of community partners who participated in the first cycle of Community Health Improvement. Together they identified, organized, and set in motion efforts to advance equity, support young children and families, respond to the opioid epidemic, help those experiencing complex health issues, and initiate healthy planning actions. As this important work continues, the 2018 CHA offers the opportunity to take a fresh look at the health of our community, identify emerging health issues, and select community priorities. The CHA will serve as the foundation for a process to create our next Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The CHIP will focus on a few selected community health priorities identified through the CHA and create a blueprint for the community to make improvements on the selected issues in a way that is collaborative and coordinated. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the many community members and organizations who contributed to this project. We hope the 2018 CHA becomes a resource and a point of connection for community members and agencies who are working to improve the health of all residents of Whatcom Count

Single-use plastics in Cheltenham's Lower High Street: A study of the use of single-use plastics by independent takeaway businesses.

This research was commissioned by the Cheltenham West End Partnership in conjunction with undergraduate Sociology students at the University of Gloucestershire, as part of the Level 5 Public Sociology module