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Since the early months of the covid-19 pandemic, it’s been clear that the U.S. public health system needs major improvements. Now, a blue-ribbon commission assembled by the Commonwealth Fund has issued a report with a rather provocative conclusion: The United States needs a national public health system. (Leana S. Wen, 7/5)

The Food and Drug Administration recently proposed lowering the nicotine content in cigarettes to less addictive levels. If adopted, this regulation would finally test one of the tobacco industry’s favorite claims: that smoking is a choice. (Sarah Milov, 7/6)

Attending SXSW in Austin, Texas, this spring felt like it lit up a light bulb inside me. It illuminated the potential answer to a question that I, and most other hospital leaders, have struggled with for decades: How can the American healthcare industry do better at providing high-quality, more accessible care while keeping costs down for the consumer, the payer and the provider? (John Couris, 7/5)

 In a moment where over 28% of Connecticut’s adults report symptoms of anxiety or depression —up from 19% just two years earlier— the country’s largest insurer is threatening to hinder access to much-needed mental health care. (Luis Perez, 7/6)

Pulse oximeters, which measure the level of oxygen in your blood, don’t always work properly on people with darker skin. One study found that Black patients with critically low oxygen levels were three times more likely to have their level overestimated, which can lead to dangerous delays in care. (Simar Bajaj, 7/5)

In a tight health care labor market, health care companies must be creative in attracting and nurturing talented people. Investing in employees’ career education may be one key to unlocking an organization’s full potential. (Heather Brace and Vivek Sharma, 7/6)

“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons,” wrote Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1862.  By that measure, America’s prisons reveal a rather abysmal state of affairs in what is supposed to be a highly advanced society. (Sal Rodriguez, 7/3)