EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Jan-2026 04:11 ET (11-Jan-2026 09:11 GMT/UTC)

New peer-reviewed study reveals severe health and economic consequences of 2025 Medicaid policy changes

Waymark
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research published in JAMA Health Forum projects 13-14 excess deaths and over 800 preventable hospitalizations annually per 100,000 people losing Medicaid coverage

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

Projected health system and economic impacts of 2025 Medicaid policy proposals

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This analysis indicates that proposed Medicaid reforms would have far-reaching consequences beyond federal budget savings, including negative health outcomes, economic losses, and health care system disruptions, with rural and underserved communities disproportionately affected.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

Scholar argues for move away from meritocracy in schools to redefine purpose of education

University of Kansas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Yong Zhao, an education scholar at the University of Kansas, argues in a new paper that it is time for education to move away from meritocracy. The assumptions of meritocracy, that hardwork and ability will reward the hardest working and most gifted students, simply have not proven true and instead have created unhealthy competition, worsened uneven playing fields and left too many students behind, Zhao argues. Instead, schools should use the human interdependence paradigm, which would allow all students to guide their own education and learn to meaningfully solve problems via their strengths.

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

Digital Science to strengthen research integrity in publishing with new Dimensions Author Check API

Digital Science
Business Announcement

Scholarly publishers can now fully integrate research integrity checks into their editorial and submission workflows, thanks to Digital Science’s new Dimensions Author Check API, which launches today.

Brexit: is it farewell to capital? The UK has turned off the tap for EU startups. Europe still invests across the channel

Politecnico di Milano
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After Brexit, London slowed down investments in Europe. While Europe continues to focus on the United Kingdom. A recent study in Research Policy, co-authored by Vincenzo Butticè, Annalisa Croce and Andrea Odille Bosio from the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, and Simone Signore and Andrea Crisanti of the European Investment Fund (EIF) shows these findings.

Journal: Research Policy

Telehealth works but rules need changing

Flinders University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Telehealth keeps Australians healthier and more connected, but outdated rules are keeping it out of reach for those who need it the most, say Flinders University researchers. The first of its kind global systematic review and meta-analysis found the service reduces hospital visits, improves mental health, and helps people feel more connected to their communities. Despite these benefits, the authors note that Medicare still requires most patients to have seen their GP in person within the past 12 months to qualify for telehealth rebates, highlighting that for truly homebound individuals, this is often impossible.

Journal: Health & Social Care in the Community
Funder: Flinders University

Intensity of opioid use appears to be higher in fentanyl era

Carnegie Mellon University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Illegal opioids can create substantial harms, but the extent of those harms depends on multiple factors, including the amount consumed. In a new study, researchers assessed whether opioid consumption intensity varies appreciably over time or context. They found that intensity—as opposed to prevalence—of illegal opioid use varies enormously. These findings have implications for drug treatment and policy.

Journal: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation