The U.S., like other countries, continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple fronts. Over 25 million Americans have been infected with the virus, resulting in mild to severe illness, sometimes with lasting health effects. The virus has resulted in the loss of nearly 435,000 lives. The pandemic’s economic toll on jobs continues with 847,000 workers applying for unemployment benefits last week. For many, losing a job also means losing healthcare insurance.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order yesterday for a special enrollment period on healthcare.gov that will start February 15th and run through May 15. This will give Americans who have lost their employer-based health insurance because of the coronavirus pandemic an opportunity to sign up for coverage. The President also signed an Executive Order directing HHS to reexamine policies like Medicaid work requirements that make it more difficult for individuals to access or afford coverage.
For this Weekend Reading Series, explore On the Policy Front, with articles about the President’s recent Executive Orders. Next, check out Of Mice, Men & the Brain for interesting articles about the impact of COVID-19 on the brain. The collection of articles in Every Breath You Take provides current information on lung cancer (non-smokers), smoking trends, vaping and more. Last and by no means least, do not miss Shorts, Weed, Euphoria, & Clean – no hints about these articles!
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. On the Policy Front
- Washington Post: Biden reopens ACA enrollment for three months in opening bid to extend health coverage
- New York Times: Biden’s Obamacare Do-Over: Another Chance to Sign Up, This One More Publicized
- Becker’s Hospital Review: Biden signs healthcare executive actions: 5 things to know
2. Of Mice, Men and the Brain
- WebMD: COVID-19 May Hide in Brains and Cause Relapses
- The Daily Beast: First They Got COVID-19. Then Came the Parkinson’s Symptoms.
- American Heart Association News: How Does COVID-19 Affect the Brain? Researchers Are Starting to Find Answers
3. Every Breath You Take
- Stat: ‘But I never smoked’: A growing share of lung cancer cases is turning up in an unexpected population
- Wall Street Journal: Smoking’s Long Decline Is Over, Slide in cigarette sales stopped last year amid Covid-19 lockdowns and health concerns about e-cigarettes
- WIRED: Vaping Doesn’t Keep Young People From Smoking Cigarettes Later
- Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation: Reminding Smokers of Lifelong Risk of Lung Disease
4. Shorts, Weed, Euphoria, & Clean
- NPR: So What Is Short Selling? An Explainer
- The Conversation: Weed withdrawal: More than half of people using medical cannabis for pain experience withdrawal symptoms
- Smithsonian Magazine: Felines May Use Catnip for More Than Just Euphoria
- New York Times: The Joy of Watching Other People Clean
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
