Earlier this week, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her State of the State address as the first woman to be elected Governor of New York. That is worth celebrating. But as the Governor herself has said, “I’m not here to make history, I’m here to make a difference.” The State of…

As another year winds down, it is a natural time for reflecting on what was and looking ahead to the possibilities on the horizon. In that spirit, it’s become an annual tradition for me to share a wish list for each year. My 2022 wishes haven’t fully come true, but…

It’s a tough time to be an optimist. The recent election affirms the country’s polarization; war rages abroad; and inflation is high. In health care circles, the COVID-19 pandemic persists and take-up of the latest vaccines is sluggish. Flu and RSV are exacerbating the strain on the health care system…

Chronic disease prevention. Tobacco control. Air and water quality. Maternal and child health. Mental health. Racial health equity. Mitigation of COVID-19, flu, monkeypox, and other communicable diseases. These factors — and more — are key to keeping New Yorkers healthy. It’s a massive undertaking to monitor and address all these…

Millions of students returned to school in communities across New York State this month. …

It’s no secret that New York is an expensive place to live. And New Yorkers have been getting squeezed even more in recent months, with the prices of housing, gas, and groceries soaring. Being able to afford the basics is known in politics as “kitchen table issues.” And now, some…

Family members frequently send me emails with questions or complaints about their experiences with the health care system. Usually, they’re not writing about the care itself they are receiving. What has them totally confused and stressed: the prices of care, and how hard it is to make sense of them…

In the late 1990s, I attended a speech by then-U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. I don’t remember what she spoke about, but I do remember her getting interrupted and heckled by AIDS activists who were angry at the Clinton Administration’s policy on needle exchanges. And they…

Imagine that you’re dealing with cancer and huge medical bills keep piling up. Or that you are recovering from a hospitalization and you’re now being sued for outstanding bills and dodging debt collectors. Or that you were injured in a car accident and ended up in an ambulance that wasn’t…