•  26
    Caring for Elder Parents: A Comparative Evaluation of Family Leave Laws
    with Gilbert Gimm
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41 (2): 501-513. 2013.
    The call for family and medical leave reform in the United States was largely the result of sweeping demographic shifts that occurred in the workforce after the 1950s, coupled with an ever-increasing life expectancy and changing social norms concerning the role of women as caretakers. By the early 1990s, the number of women in the workforce had nearly tripled from 1950. During that same period, life expectancy increased by six years for males and seven for females. Meanwhile, the first wave of t…Read more
  •  29
    Caring for Elder Parents: A Comparative Evaluation of Family Leave Laws
    with Gilbert Gimm
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41 (2): 501-513. 2013.
    As the baby boomer generation ages, the need for laws to enhance quality of life for the elderly and meet the increasing demand for family caregivers will continue to grow. This paper reviews the national family leave laws of nine major OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and provides a state-by-state analysis within the U.S. We find that the U.S. has the least generous family leave laws among the nine OECD countries. With t…Read more
  •  27
    From Beginning to End: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking in Vaccination Mandates
    with Daniel G. Orenstein
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 43 (S1): 99-102. 2015.
    Used appropriately, reliance on science distinguishes public health from policymaking driven more by theory and opinion and enhances trust in public health interventions. Evidence-based vaccine policymaking aims to control communicable disease by urging decision makers to base policies on the best available evidence rather than politics or personal views. The results of this approach, such as smallpox eradication, have been dramatic. Historically, mandatory childhood vaccination has been perhaps…Read more
  •  4
    When Adolescents Disagree with Their Vaccine-Hesitant Parents about COVID-19 Vaccination
    with Jana Shaw and Robert S. Olick
    Journal of Clinical Ethics 34 (2): 158-168. 2023.
    As we journey into the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of Americans express relief at a “return to normal,” experience pandemic fatigue, or embrace the idea of living with COVID-19 in much the same way we live with the seasonal flu. But transition to a new phase of life with SARS-CoV-2 does not diminish the importance of vaccination. The US Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recently recommended another round of booster dose for persons age 5 and up…Read more
  •  53
    Palliative care for the terminally ill in America: the consideration of QALYs, costs, and ethical issues
    with Margaret M. Mahon
    Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 15 (4): 411-416. 2012.
    The drive for cost-effective use of medical interventions has advantages, but can also be challenging in the context of end-of-life palliative treatments. A quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) provides a common currency to assess the extent of the benefits gained from a variety of interventions in terms of health-related quality of life and survival for the patient. However, since it is in the nature of end-of-life palliative care that the benefits it brings to its patients are of short duration, …Read more
  •  21
    Obesity and Health System Reform: Private vs. Public Responsibility
    with Len M. Nichols
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 39 (3): 380-386. 2011.
    The obesity epidemic is not only impairing the health of millions of Americans but also giving rise to billions of added dollars in health care spending. Climbing rates of obesity over the past decades are one of the predominant determinants behind the surging progression of health care expenses in the United States. Moreover, the less fit and less productive U.S. workforce has gradually eroded the nation’s industrial competitiveness. Since the early 1970s, adult obesity rates have doubled and c…Read more
  •  55
    Obesity and Health System Reform: Private vs. Public Responsibility
    with Len M. Nichols
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 39 (3): 380-386. 2011.
    Obesity is a particularly vexing public health challenge, since it not only underlies much disease and health spending but also largely stems from repeated personal behavioral choices. The newly enacted comprehensive health reform law contains a number of provisions to address obesity. For example, insurance companies are required to provide coverage for preventive-health services, which include obesity screening and nutritional counseling. In addition, employers will soon be able to offer premi…Read more
  •  30
    Care Coordination and the Expansion of Nursing Scopes of Practice
    with Mark R. Meiners
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 42 (1): 93-103. 2014.
    Nurse practitioners can ease increased pressure on primary care shortage while providing a cost-effective and high-quality alternative to certain physician services. However, scope-of-practice laws are restrictive and their modification remains a source of controversy. Clearly, there is a need for new thinking around the scope of practice debate. This article conducted a review of literature and laws concerning the nursing scope of practice, as well as the outcomes of nurse-led care coordination…Read more
  •  5
    Care Coordination and the Expansion of Nursing Scopes of Practice
    with Mark R. Meiners
    Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 42 (1): 93-103. 2014.
    Recent developments in the health care industry have precipitated a new wave of interest in expanding the scope of practice for nursing. This is because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, broadly designed to increase access to health insurance, will inevitably result in increased demand for primary care providers. And with compensation for primary care physicians already lagging far behind that of specialists, the role of nurse practitioners is once again receiving increased attenti…Read more
  •  35
    Individual health savings accounts are an important part of the current basic medical insurance system for urban workers in China. Since 1998 when the system of personal medical insurance accounts was first implemented, there has been considerable controversy over its function and significance within different social communities. This paper analyzes the main problems in the practical implementation of individual medical insurance accounts and discusses the social and cultural foundations for the…Read more
  •  8
    Ct Chong
    with C. T. Cl-Iong
    In Edward R. Griffor (ed.), Handbook of Computability Theory, Elsevier. pp. 140--298. 1999.