A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net

Left out of FDR’s New Deal, the health insurance program for the poor was finally established in 1965.

Ben Zdencanovic, Postdoctoral Associate in History and Policy, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
March 18, 2025 • ~11 min

Why don’t more politicians retire? A medical anthropologist explains how the US could benefit from a mandatory retirement age

Many Americans seem to prefer to keep working well past retirement age, but it’s not clear whether the choice is motivated by the need to keep earning money or the desire to continue being productive.

Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer, Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute • conversation
Aug. 19, 2024 • ~8 min

Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – the picture is unsettling

A new study finds the risks of developing long COVID declined over the first two years of the pandemic. But unvaccinated adults were more than twice as likely to get long COVID compared with those who were vaccinated.

Ziyad Al-Aly, Chief of Research and Development, VA St. Louis Health Care System. Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
July 18, 2024 • ~9 min

Why it's hard for the US to cut or even control Medicare spending

The program’s expenses are rising rapidly as baby boomers retire and health care costs grow.

Andrew Rettenmaier, Executive Associate Director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University • conversation
March 16, 2023 • ~7 min

Economic hardship from COVID-19 will hit minority seniors the most

New data shows the Great Recession hurt older, poorer Blacks and Hispanics the most. The pandemic downturn is likely to be even worse for them.

Jane Tavares, Research Fellow, LeadingAge LTSS Center, University of Massachusetts Boston • conversation
Aug. 24, 2020 • ~7 min

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