The hottest Healthcare Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health Politics Topics

Data and Dobbs

Technically Optimistic • 79 implied HN points • 20 May 24
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare
  1. Protecting women's health data is crucial, especially in today's politically charged environment.
  2. Legislation like the Reproductive Data Privacy and Protection Act aims to safeguard sensitive reproductive health information from exploitation.
  3. There is a need for comprehensive data privacy legislation to prevent the potential weaponization of all personal data, not just reproductive health data.

Policymakers in several African countries are on the wrong side of the medical professionals "brain drain" debate

An Africanist Perspective • 415 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🌍 World Politics Healthcare
  1. The shortage of medical professionals in several African countries is a real concern, with low physician-to-patient ratios impacting healthcare accessibility.
  2. Banning the emigration of medical professionals may not address the root causes of the shortage. Instead, investing in expanding training, wages, and incentives locally could be a more effective solution.
  3. Emigration of high-skilled professionals, like doctors, can be viewed as exporting high-skilled services and can potentially benefit both the sending and receiving countries through remittances and skill development.

The New York Times goes full right-wing transphobic bigot in agreeing that the permanent sterilization of kids who can't give informed consent is, like, totally messed up

Beck of the Pack • 196 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. The New York Times is criticized for supporting irreversible surgeries on kids without informed consent.
  2. Financial motives are highlighted as a driving force behind radical medical treatments for children.
  3. Criticism is directed at individuals promoting irreversible procedures on kids without considering long-term consequences.
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Unraveling Alzheimer's Inequalities: From New Drugs to Healthcare Disparities

American Inequality • 393 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. Alzheimer's is a major problem in the US, affecting millions and expected to double in the next 25 years.
  2. Inequality plays a significant role in Alzheimer's, with different communities and demographics being impacted differently.
  3. More focus is needed on training caregivers, analyzing data on minority communities, and educating about new drugs to address Alzheimer's inequalities.

BMI Limits - Healthcare Held Hostage For A Weight Loss Ransom - Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 559 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. BMI limits in healthcare deny procedures to individuals based on their weight, attributing higher risks to higher weight individuals.
  2. These BMI limits perpetuate weight stigma by focusing on weight-based denials instead of improving care for higher-weight individuals.
  3. Patients can face denials of needed surgeries until they reach a certain weight, leading to dangerous delays and potentially fatal consequences.

EXCLUSIVE: As private citizen, Dr. Fauci received $15 million taxpayer-funded security detail

OpenTheBooks Substack • 646 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Dr. Fauci received $15 million for a security detail funded by taxpayers after retiring. This included things like a chauffeur and law enforcement support.
  2. The agreement for his security was unusual, raising questions about why a private citizen gets this level of protection when others do not.
  3. Fauci's security costs were justified by him, citing threats he's received, but it highlights how taxpayers are often unaware of where their money is going.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #154

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 167 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Healthcare
  1. The U.S. has launched an AI Action Plan focusing on innovation and building infrastructure to lead in artificial intelligence. This plan aims for faster and more flexible policies to keep up with rapid tech advancements.
  2. Google DeepMind's AI model called Aeneas helps historians understand ancient texts better by predicting missing information and suggesting dates. This tool can reshape how we connect with and interpret our historical past.
  3. A new male birth control pill, YCT-529, shows promise in blocking sperm production safely. This could provide men with more contraceptive options, balancing the responsibilities in family planning.

Providing X-Rays, MRIs and CT Scans to Higher-Weight Patients

Weight and Healthcare • 479 implied HN points • 18 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. Know the weight and size capacities of your equipment and facilities to provide better care to higher-weight patients.
  2. Understand the diverse needs of all patients and create protocols to ensure a positive experience for everyone, including those with disabilities and neurodivergence.
  3. Communicate openly and proactively with patients about accommodations, accessibility, and equipment capabilities to enhance their experience and educate them about available options.

Senators Warren, Grassley and others taking bi-partisan action to address business practices of non-profit hospitals

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 439 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Nonprofit hospitals are supposed to help their communities, but many are not meeting their legal obligations for charity care and community spending. They're holding onto large amounts of cash instead.
  2. A group of senators is raising concerns about how some nonprofit hospitals are abusing their tax-exempt status. They want clearer rules and stronger oversight to ensure hospitals give back to the community.
  3. Some hospitals focus too much on profits and expensive projects instead of helping poor patients. This is causing problems for those who really need care but aren't getting the support they should.

Help the US Preventative Services Task Force Avoid Harming People and Wasting Money

Weight and Healthcare • 359 implied HN points • 24 May 23
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare
  1. The US Preventative Services Task Force's draft research plan on weight loss interventions lacks consideration for the long-term effectiveness of weight loss attempts.
  2. Small amounts of weight loss do not necessarily cause improved health outcomes - factors like behavior changes and access to healthcare may play a bigger role.
  3. Focusing on health-supporting behaviors rather than weight loss interventions could lead to more meaningful and less harmful outcomes for higher-weight individuals.

Elevance and other for-profit insurers find new scrutiny from lawmakers over their denials of care for Medicaid patients

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 419 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare
  1. Elevance and other for-profit insurers are denying many care requests for Medicaid patients. In fact, Elevance has a denial rate over 34%, which is really high.
  2. Lawmakers are starting to investigate these denial practices more closely. Congress is looking into how insurers use 'prior authorization' to say no to needed treatments.
  3. In Ohio, Elevance is having contract disputes with hospitals, impacting Medicaid patients' access to care. This means patients might struggle to find alternative hospitals that will cover their treatments.

$335 million take-home: here are the 7 health insurance CEOs who made it big in 2022

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 559 implied HN points • 01 Jun 23
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare
  1. Seven health insurance CEOs made a whopping $335 million in 2022, which is 18% more than the previous record. Most of their earnings came from big stock buybacks by their companies.
  2. Molina's CEO earned more than half of the total amount, making $181 million, while the smallest companies made most of their money from taxpayer-funded programs like Medicaid.
  3. The increase in CEO pay is concerning, especially since it has happened while many Americans struggle with high medical costs and debts, indicating a focus on profits over patient care.

Weight Loss Surgery and Kids - Part 4

Weight and Healthcare • 339 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. Conflicts of interest exist among authors and funders, and data sources used lack adequate subjects and follow-up time to support recommendations.
  2. Surgery recommendations based on correlation between weight and health issues, rather than exploring confounding variables or comparing surgical interventions to health-supporting behaviors.
  3. Long-term safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery for children and adolescents is not fully supported by the limited data available, raising concerns about the validity of the recommendations.

05/01/30 - FAQ Answered!

Moly’s Substack • 334 implied HN points • 02 May 23
🌍 World Politics Healthcare
  1. China's urban areas vary from fancy to drab, without much in between due to rapid development and lack of government oversight.
  2. Chinese humor leans towards sarcasm and can be hard to translate, often involving puns and cultural references.
  3. Chinese beauty standards emphasize extreme slimness, reflecting societal norms but also influenced by body types.

UnitedHealth Group's Q2 2023 earnings report shows billion dollar gains in pharmacy benefit business, tax-funded programs

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 459 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
💰 Finance Healthcare
  1. UnitedHealth Group reported a big increase in revenue and profits, mainly from its pharmacy benefit business and taxpayer-funded programs. They made over $12 billion more than last year.
  2. The company saw significant growth in its Medicare and Medicaid programs, with enrollment in these government programs increasing faster than in traditional commercial plans.
  3. UnitedHealth's Optum division, which provides healthcare services, is growing rapidly, allowing the company to manage costs better and avoid paying out more in claims.

Episode 120: No Bridge Too Far

Disaffected Newsletter • 579 implied HN points • 14 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. A Texas Democrat courageously switched sides to support a ban on certain medical treatments for children, showing strong conviction on this issue.
  2. In 2023, it seems tough to maintain a morally respectable stance as a progressive liberal Democrat, suggesting a significant shift in political dynamics.
  3. An Australian malpractice insurer is refusing to cover doctors who provide gender transition treatments for minors, highlighting ongoing concerns about such practices.

Ghosts of Diet Culture Past

Weight and Healthcare • 579 implied HN points • 24 Dec 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. Weight is not the direct cause of health issues, and mistaking correlation for causation can lead to harmful cycles in healthcare.
  2. Historically, fat people faced barriers like lack of insurance coverage and delayed care, impacting their health outcomes.
  3. Diet culture's focus on weight loss has often led to harmful practices without long-term benefits, perpetuated by the diet industry and healthcare providers.

Subscriber Bonus - Behind the Scenes at the AMA Ethics Podcast

Weight and Healthcare • 319 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
🎙 Podcasts Healthcare
  1. The post discusses a behind-the-scenes look at the American Medical Association's Ethics Podcast and the conversation around BMI-based healthcare denials and BMI issues.
  2. The speaker was pleasantly surprised to receive questions in advance for the podcast interview, which was noted as a relatively short interview.
  3. Access to the full content of the post requires being a paid subscriber.

How Generative AI is Transforming Healthcare

Gradient Flow • 139 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Healthcare
  1. Generative AI in healthcare can transform patient care by providing personalized treatment suggestions, streamlining documentation, and enhancing communication.
  2. Generative AI enables the development of privacy-assured synthetic medical data for research and prediction of health outcomes through data analysis.
  3. Specialized models tailored to specific tasks through fine-tuning offer more efficient and accurate solutions compared to broader capabilities, highlighting the importance of personalized AI approaches.

The VC Corner 📰 #8

The VC Corner • 179 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24
💼 Business Healthcare
  1. Carta is facing accusations of unethical practices, which could impact its reputation in the industry. It's a reminder that businesses need to act ethically to maintain trust.
  2. To become a sales-focused founder, there are key steps to follow. Focusing on sales can help drive growth and success for startups.
  3. The outlook for healthcare in 2024 is being discussed. Understanding trends in healthcare can help investors and startups prepare for future opportunities.

Amid Congressional PBM scrutiny, CVS/Aetna CFO assures investors of continued profits, even at expense of employers and taxpayers

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 479 implied HN points • 08 Jun 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. CVS's Chief Financial Officer stated that the company will continue to find ways to profit even if regulations change. They seem more focused on profits than helping people with their healthcare needs.
  2. Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) like CVS's Caremark are very profitable, and they control a major part of the market. This has sparked concern among lawmakers about the fairness of their practices.
  3. The current healthcare system allows companies to prioritize profits over patients, leading to higher costs and medical debt for many Americans. Lawmakers need to take action to protect the public.

One Year Anniversary Post!

Weight and Healthcare • 659 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. The author is celebrating the one-year anniversary of their newsletter, Weight and Healthcare, expressing gratitude to their readers.
  2. The author is seeking feedback for the future content of the newsletter, welcoming suggestions on post types and ways to enhance subscriber experience.
  3. The author credits Virginia Sole-Smith and her newsletter, Burnt Toast, for inspiring the creation of their own newsletter and providing essential support and advice.

AI and the privatisation of everything

imperfect offerings • 259 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Healthcare
  1. Generative AI can reshape relationships at personal and societal levels through its integration into everyday life and work.
  2. The use of AI in privatising public goods like healthcare and education raises concerns about data control, accountability, and the concentration of knowledge and power in the hands of few corporations.
  3. AI facilitates the privatisation of public services through the capture of expertise, turning professionals into consumers of recycled expertise and potentially diminishing the role of teachers and healthcare providers in favor of automated systems.

December 17, 2025

Letters from an American • 25 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Republicans are split over extending ACA premium tax credits, with a few vulnerable GOP members joining Democrats to force a vote because letting the credits lapse would sharply raise premiums and cost millions their coverage while leadership backs a cost-cutting alternative.
  2. The administration is politicizing federal programs and science. It admitted withholding grants from Democratic-leaning states and is moving to cut or dismantle climate research at NCAR, raising public-safety and national-security concerns.
  3. Special counsel Jack Smith told Congress he has proof that the former president led a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election, and his subpoenas and closed-door testimony have escalated partisan attacks and deepened congressional fights over the investigations.

Element's Progress At JPM

ASeq Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
💼 Business Healthcare
  1. Revenue grew to $85M in 2025, roughly 40% higher than the prior year. Despite that growth, the company likely still runs large losses and burns over $100M a year.
  2. The install base expanded to 450 systems (up 60%) and consumable shipments doubled, signaling stronger customer adoption. About 35% of new shipments are multi‑omics Aviti24s, so customers are taking the multi‑omics option.
  3. The product roadmap includes an IVD‑certified Aviti, a higher‑throughput benchtop instrument targeting $100 genomes, and multiomic workflows for FFPE and fresh frozen samples. These product moves could broaden the company’s addressable markets from diagnostics to high‑throughput genomics.

AI - An Enablement Shift

Software Snack Bites • 10 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Healthcare
  1. AI is an enablement shift, not a slow paradigm change — it's making people more capable right now because it’s easy to adopt and useful across skill levels.
  2. We’re still very early: most users treat AI as a simple answer engine, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg for self-teaching, new creators, and deeper technical work to come.
  3. Don’t dismiss the momentum — value and spending can grow quickly along an S-curve, and monetization paths like ads, commerce, and healthcare are only beginning to emerge.

Elevance's Q2 profits make Wall Street investors (and company executives) happy and wealthy

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 359 implied HN points • 20 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Elevance's profits for the second quarter were better than expected, making Wall Street investors very happy. The company is on track to earn even more this year than previously thought.
  2. The company spent less on patient care compared to previous years, which boosted their profits. However, this came at the expense of providing necessary care for low-income and vulnerable populations.
  3. Elevance is growing mainly through its Medicare and Medicaid programs, while its private insurance enrollment is declining. The growth in revenue comes from premium increases and government subsidies.

Testing the Edmonton Obesity Staging System

Weight and Healthcare • 259 implied HN points • 30 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare
  1. The Edmonton Obesity Staging System classifies people based on health issues, but fails to prove the necessity or effectiveness of weight loss interventions for higher stages.
  2. The study authors have conflicts of interest in the weight loss industry, promoting a body-size-as-disease paradigm without concrete evidence of its benefits.
  3. Health-supporting behaviors like fruit/vegetable consumption and fitness were shown to be more important than weight management in improving health outcomes.

Evaluating a Sitting Senator's Healthcare Claims

Cremieux Recueil • 392 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Senator Chris Murphy made strong claims about healthcare causing deaths in the U.S. but lacked accurate data to back them up. It's important for public officials to use correct statistics when discussing serious issues.
  2. Many deaths in America are unrelated to insurance denials, especially for people over age 65 who are mostly covered by Medicare. This shows that the healthcare system isn't as profit-driven in these cases as Senator Murphy suggested.
  3. Studies have shown that expanding access to healthcare has only small effects on overall mortality. Claims about thousands of deaths caused by lack of care might be greatly exaggerated.

The story of this election is the story of women’s anger

Men Yell at Me • 462 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare
  1. Women's anger is a big story in this election, especially about issues like abortion rights. Many women are voting based on how these issues affect their lives.
  2. Senior women who previously supported Trump are now favoring Kamala Harris due to frustration over new abortion laws. They remember the struggles before Roe v. Wade.
  3. The right to abortion is not just about healthcare; it's about women's autonomy and equality in society. This anger is pushing women to vote and demand change.