| | | | |  | | By Ruth Reader, Erin Schumaker and Daniel Payne | | | | | | | 
Exoskeletons can prevent workplace injuries. | AP | Wearable technology could reduce workplace injuries that disable thousands of Americans every year. That’s according to a new report from the watchdog arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office. How’s that? Full-body exoskeletons could support workers’ spines and joints when they carry heavy loads. Wearables that measure vital signs could monitor workers for signs of stress. Headsets could advise workers each morning on how to prepare for a safe workday. Why it matters: More than 700,000 workers on construction sites, in warehouses and in manufacturing facilities were injured in 2022, according to the GAO report. Even so: Though some workplaces are using them, the technologies haven't yet been widely adopted. As a result, data on their efficacy is limited. The technology is also expensive. Exoskeletons can sometimes cost more than $100,000 per suit. Additionally, workers are concerned about the data the wearables collect and their potential for getting hacked, according to the GAO report. What’s next? The GAO is looking into whether additional studies are needed to understand wearables and whether policymakers could have a role in encouraging or monitoring their use.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access: Dialysis patients and their families are being harmed. Employer group health plans can discriminate against patients with kidney failure, disrupting coverage for the patient and their family. A new bipartisan bill will restore essential protections as Congress intended – for these patients and their families. Congress: pass H.R. 6860, the bipartisan Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. Protect patients and their families. Learn more. | | | | | | | 
Washington, D.C. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Be wary of turning to AI to help write your research grant application. It could get you accused of plagiarism, or reveal your data to other researchers. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access:   | | | | | | |  Murphy wants to help you make friends. | Getty Images | Sen. Chris Murphy, who’s made combating loneliness a personal cause, said he’s reaching across the aisle to make some headway. How so? Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said during a discussion at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health this week that he’s met with Sen. Pete Ricketts to try to advance the cause. Ricketts also cares about the problem, having proposed last year a Senate companion bill to one introduced by a fellow Nebraska Republican in the House, Rep. Mike Flood, that would direct HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to create a working group to recommend standards for defining, measuring and collecting data on loneliness and isolation. Murphy said he’s also had conversations with “pretty conservative Republicans” who aren’t yet sure what to do about loneliness but know the issue is important and want to be a part of the effort. “This is a conversation that is maturing in real time,” Murphy said, adding, “I hope that it is one that can break through the partisan frame that layers on everything in Washington.” Areas of agreement? Social media regulation for children might prove common ground. Government promotion of organizations that alleviate social isolation could also win wide support. “We’re not really talking about standing up a new massive government infrastructure to build social connection. We’re talking about empowering private life, empowering civil society,” he said. Murphy’s plan: Last year, he introduced the National Strategy for Social Connection Act to create an office of social connection in the White House and a national strategy using public health, technology and social infrastructure policies to bring people together. Why it matters: Loneliness and social isolation are growing public health concerns. An advisory report by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year cited research linking loneliness to cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression and anxiety.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access: A recent Supreme Court ruling now allows employer group health plans to discriminate against patients with kidney failure and disrupt coverage for the entire family – spouse and kids.
The Bipartisan Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act reverses the negative, unintended consequences of the Supreme Court’s ruling by simply restoring long-standing protections put in place by Congress for patients and their families.
Congress: restore what’s right. Pass H.R. 6860, the Bipartisan Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. Learn more. | | | | | | | JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | |  Suicide rates are highest among elderly men. | Getty Images | The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are among those 75 and older — and that rate is on the rise, according to a new report in Health Affairs. That’s especially true among men, who, on average, have lower rates of reported mental illness but higher suicide rates, according to the report. White men are particularly susceptible. The problem threatens to continue growing partly because the number of older adults is growing at nearly five times the rate of the overall population. What’s going on? The authors, from the Center on Health Policy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, argue for a holistic approach extending beyond the bounds of clinical care to address the stressors affecting older Americans. Social isolation, physical impairment, neglect and economic pressures can all contribute to the suicide rate, their analysis suggests. “Compared to younger populations, older adults are more likely to experience passive suicidal thoughts and have more varied risk factors,” the authors write. A role for policy: Government can make a difference, the authors say. Screening for suicide risk in community settings like libraries or churches, for example, could make a difference, as could meal delivery, outreach by phone and expanded access to hearing aids and transportation services.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The stakes are high as America's health care community strives to meet the evolving needs of patients and practitioners, adopt new technologies and navigate skeptical public attitudes toward science. Join POLITICO’s annual Health Care Summit on March 13 where we will discuss the future of medicine, including the latest in health tech, new drugs and brain treatments, diagnostics, health equity, workforce strains and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
