How to Sell the Coronavirus Vaccines to a Divided, Uneasy America

California class-action lawsuits against corporations are pushing the envelope on accountability for human trafficking and slavery in supply chains. The keyword is transparency: If companies are forced to disclose on labels when labor abuses are involved in making a product, they may be more likely to vigorously police their suppliers.

Molecular biologists and neuroscientists are tweeting with the hashtag #ASAPbio in protest of a system that keeps research from being shared with the public, typically for more than six months.

Earlier this month, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed new rules to regulate payday lending – the business of offering high-cost short-term loans to Americans on terms that many consumer advocates consider predatory.

Available statistics on hospital safety don’t tell the public what they need to know to make informed decisions. A dose of data to increase transparency and accountability could be the answer.

Adolescent smoking remains a challenging health problem because of the allure of cigarette branding. Australia is piloting the transformation of cigarette packaging with a generic look that reduces the appeal of smoking. In Florida, the Truth campaign has exposed that cigarette companies targeted teenage consumers and, in response, created a set of new advertisements that presented the cigarette industry with transparency.

The media could help countries still affected by Ebola by focusing on Nigeria, where they defeated the virus through effective public institutions that protected the public interest, such as rejecting cash but accepting much needed health workers.

The U.S. federal government rarely requires manufacturers to list the chemicals in consumer goods outside of food. Various states are starting to enact legislation requiring greater transparency.

An investigation reveals a startling percentage of medical procedures provided in the United States are unnecessary or inappropriate - harming patients physically as well as financially. This "profit-maximizing medical culture" can be countered by incentivizing health care facilities to eliminate needless procedures, federal crackdowns, and increasing access to information for patients.

With more and more Americans having to pay medical costs out of pocket, a small company out of Philadelphia called ELAP is on the front lines of the war against escalating charges. By helping overwhelmed patients to de-mystify and negotiate medical bills, they are ensuring patients get the best value and avoid egregious financial distress.

In many rural communities, access to specialty care represents the biggest health challenge. Since 2003, a groundbreaking initiative called Project Echo at the University of New Mexico has confronted that gap — with promising results in small towns across New Mexico and, now, around the world.