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New drugs transform weight loss industry

May 9, 2024
Weight Watchers holds its annual shareholder meeting today, which includes a presentation by departing board member Oprah Winfrey.
Since weight loss drugs like Wegovy have come onto the scene, the weight loss industry has grown from $76 billion a year to nearly $90 billion in 2023.
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Abortion included among pregnancy-related conditions covered under new EEOC guidelines

Apr 18, 2024
Guidelines for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act detail the accommodations pregnant workers can seek under the law, including unpaid leave.
Above, an exam room at an Illinois abortion clinic.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Women pay more than men for health care. That's leading some of them to declare bankruptcy.

Apr 8, 2024
Even when pregnancy-related costs are stripped out, women still pay more than men.
Female employees spend about $266 a year more out-of-pocket for health care than their male colleagues, a Deloitte study finds.
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The hidden costs of wildfires go beyond putting them out

Jun 9, 2023
Where there’s smoke, there’s a massive increase in costs for health care, commerce, and productivity.
People wear face masks as they arrive to Newark Liberty International Airport amid hazy conditions due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

More wildfires mean worsening air quality. How do we adapt?

Jun 8, 2023
Some pandemic-related tools get a second life, while investors look at more high-tech solutions.
A person wears a face mask as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets Manhattan on June 7, 2023 in New York City.
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Texas may be the next state to end the sales tax on period products

Apr 27, 2023
Texas is poised to be the next state to eliminate the sales tax on tampons, pads and liners. It's currently the most populous state taxing these products.
Nitya Pakala, a Houston-area high school student, hosts a period packing party at her parent's house to supply local schools with free pads and tampons.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

Everyone's got an opinion on proposed USDA nutrition standards for schools — especially the students

Apr 7, 2023
The USDA says kids' health is at stake with the proposed nutrition standards. But some manufacturers say making food with less salt and sugar will cost more, while nutrition directors are worried students won’t eat the meals.
The USDA is currently accepting comments on proposed changes to the nutritional standards of school meals.
Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

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Health and civil rights: an iconic family counts the costs

Apr 4, 2023
Lee Hawkins, host of an upcoming podcast from APM Studios, talks about how racism can affect victims' health outcomes.
Children of Martin Luther King Jr. with their mother Coretta Scott King in February 1964. A new APM Studios podcast delves the health toll the fight against racism took on Dr. King's family even after his assassination.
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Loneliness is an epidemic — social media may not always help

Mar 2, 2023
Social media platforms that bring people together IRL can help. Those that privilege one-way communication from influencers to followers may make matters worse.
Social media can be a tool for human connection, but some experts say some follower-type platforms can instead exacerbate loneliness.
Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images

The cost of loneliness: Social isolation holds back workers and costs employers billions

Mar 1, 2023
An 'epidemic of loneliness' in recent decades causes stress-related absenteeism, job turnover, and lost productivity.
In addition to affecting employees' mental health, researchers at Cigna found that employers could be losing up to $154 billion a year because of loneliness.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images