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 U.S. Judicial Conference announced a policy last week intended to limit "judge shopping" by activists trying to... Read More
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Judicial Conference announced a policy last week intended to limit "judge shopping" by activists trying to win rulings by judges likely to be biased in their favor. Allegations of judge shopping have been lodged most commonly... Read More
Many political disagreements divide neatly along party lines, but the protectionist Jones Act isn’t one of them. In Congress and... Read More
Many political disagreements divide neatly along party lines, but the protectionist Jones Act isn’t one of them. In Congress and state Capitols across America, politicians from the two major political parties can be found arguing for and against the law, which... Read More
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee have introduced the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Optimization Act designed to... Read More
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee have introduced the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Optimization Act designed to accelerate the adoption of geothermal energy nationwide. Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. and Mike... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a rule to prohibit the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a rule to prohibit the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos currently used in or imported into the United States. The ban is the first to... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Monday aimed at advancing the study of... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Monday aimed at advancing the study of women's health in part by strengthening data collection and providing easier and better funding opportunities for biomedical research. Women make... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Monday is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal... Read More