What We've Been Reading This Week:
America's Kids Are Healthier, But Racial Divides Persist
Fewer children are dying in infancy and before adulthood and abusing drugs, and more have health insurance, according to an annual report on children and teens, published Tuesday. But poverty may be holding back some minority kids. Side Effects' Andrea Muraskin takes a look.
A Bucket of Unknowns to Shape 2016 Insurance Rates
Insurer Anthem says it reached a deal to buy Cigna this morning. Marketplace reports experts are at odds over whether mergers like this one will bring costs for consumers up or down. And earlier this week, the Obama administration called on states to negotiate lower rates for plans on the exchanges, as Kaiser Health News reported. Feeling powerless? Check out Side Effects reporter Michelle Faust's recent article explaining how you may be able to influence rates in your state.
Apps in Development Could Change Lives for People with Disabilities
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, anda group of developers is working to develop customized technologies, like a camera that describes the person in front of you, as KERA reports. Our personal favorite? A device that allows you to use your tongue as a mouse.
A First: Drone Delivers Medicine To Rural Virginia Clinic
This happened last Friday but we found out about it Monday when the L.A. Times reported it, and it's just too cool not to share. An unmanned drone delivered 24 packages of medicine and supplies to a remote airport in western Virginia's Appalachian mountain region. Developers are looking forward to applying the technology in humanitarian crises.
