
Alexa Hornbeck
Alexa Hornbeck was a health care reporter for The Well News from March 2021 to August 2022. She has experience covering health and medicine topics. Her reporting focused on stories at the intersection of health, politics, social trends and science. She tracked health policy changes, women’s health and telemedicine news.
Prior to joining the TWN, Hornbeck worked for hyper local publications in San Francisco, California, and New York City. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she received graduate degrees in public health and journalism. Her undergraduate degree was completed in literary studies at The New School in New York City.
Recent Work
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the roughly $740 billion tax, climate and health care package known as the Inflation Reduction... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the roughly $740 billion tax, climate and health care package known as the Inflation Reduction Act on Aug. 7, by a vote of 51-50. The massive package includes provisions to reduce drug costs for patients and providers by letting Medicare negotiate... Read More
Less than a month after the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorization, demand has dwindled. The Food and... Read More
Less than a month after the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorization, demand has dwindled. The Food and Drug Administration on July 13 authorized the vaccine for use in people aged 18 and older. As of Tuesday, the shares of Novavax fell about 30%... Read More
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic children across the U.S. experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. A report released on... Read More
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic children across the U.S. experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. A report released on Aug. 8 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation highlights the issue. According to the report, the number of children across the country aged 3-17 who experienced... Read More
The World Health Organization has been studying the gap in patient care exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A report published Aug. 5... Read More
The World Health Organization has been studying the gap in patient care exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A report published Aug. 5 highlights patient safety issues across all sectors of the health care system. According to the report, an estimated 134 million adverse events occurred annually due to... Read More
The World Health Organization is exploring ways to quantify the burden associated with brain diseases. In a position paper published Aug. 9, the... Read More
The World Health Organization is exploring ways to quantify the burden associated with brain diseases. In a position paper published Aug. 9, the organization shows how brain health can be optimized throughout life to reduce the prevalence and burden of neurological disorders. According to the WHO, there are many... Read More
New research shows that when adults enroll in Medicaid they are also likely to enroll their eligible children. The additional... Read More
New research shows that when adults enroll in Medicaid they are also likely to enroll their eligible children. The additional enrollment, known as the “woodwork effect,” was shown in a paper published Aug. 9 in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The study used data from the Oregon... Read More
A recent survey led by researchers from Embark, a dog DNA company, examined where in the United States dogs are the healthiest. ... Read More
A recent survey led by researchers from Embark, a dog DNA company, examined where in the United States dogs are the healthiest. The survey found that the top three states with the highest overall score for dog health were Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. The states with the... Read More
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to increase awareness about blood and plasma donations after the... Read More
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to increase awareness about blood and plasma donations after the supply dropped to historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department launched a campaign on Aug. 4 to address the shortage. According to HHS, every two seconds someone... Read More
WASHINGTON — For 36 years, the United Network for Organ Sharing has provided a system for sick patients to get... Read More
WASHINGTON — For 36 years, the United Network for Organ Sharing has provided a system for sick patients to get donated vital organs but members from the Senate Committee on Finance are finding continued issues with the technology, and the government has little authority to change... Read More
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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to cut back on the authority of federal agencies to enforce their... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to cut back on the authority of federal agencies to enforce their regulations through fines or seizures of property. Questions from the conservative majority of justices during a hearing focused on whether... Read More
WASHINGTON — A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday became the latest venue for Capitol Hill dysfunction as Democrats on... Read More
WASHINGTON — A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday became the latest venue for Capitol Hill dysfunction as Democrats on the panel approved issuing subpoenas to billionaire Harlan Crow and influential conservative Leonard Leo as part of an ongoing investigation... Read More
WASHINGTON — Democrats hoping to draw lessons from this year’s off-years to apply in 2024 would do well to try... Read More
WASHINGTON — Democrats hoping to draw lessons from this year’s off-years to apply in 2024 would do well to try to localize the president’s national platform while also continuing to embrace the abortion issue, which still appears to be working... Read More
At this moment of chaos at the federal level, state and local leaders continue to step up to the plate... Read More
At this moment of chaos at the federal level, state and local leaders continue to step up to the plate to develop and implement bold, effective policy ideas. Whether it’s programs utilizing historic investments to boost economic development, supporting our... Read More
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court panel on Thursday reinstated a pair of gag orders issued in Donald... Read More
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court panel on Thursday reinstated a pair of gag orders issued in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial that barred the former president from speaking publicly about the judge’s court staff. The two-page decision... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical adviser, is expected to testify before Congress early next year... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical adviser, is expected to testify before Congress early next year as part of Republicans' yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease. Fauci, who... Read More