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
HARRISBURG, Penn. -- Pennsylvania lawmakers recently announced plans to expand the Medicaid postpartum coverage period for mothers. The extension will... Read More
HARRISBURG, Penn. -- Pennsylvania lawmakers recently announced plans to expand the Medicaid postpartum coverage period for mothers. The extension will take effect on April 1, 2022. “Pennsylvania has worked to protect and support mothers before, during and after birth for some time, with a myriad of... Read More
Colorado is experiencing a substance abuse disorder crisis, and now city officials are looking to combat the problem with $450... Read More
Colorado is experiencing a substance abuse disorder crisis, and now city officials are looking to combat the problem with $450 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. Fatal drug overdose deaths increased approximately 38% in Colorado from 2019 to 2020, according to preliminary federal... Read More
As the Delta variant continues to spread, COVID cases surge among the unvaccinated, and rates of new vaccinations decline, the... Read More
As the Delta variant continues to spread, COVID cases surge among the unvaccinated, and rates of new vaccinations decline, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is receiving pressure from President Joe Biden to approve a COVID vaccine. Biden recently said during a town hall event that... Read More
A recent initiative from PhRMA, a trade group representing the pharmaceutical industry, aims to combat racial inequities through community-based partnerships,... Read More
A recent initiative from PhRMA, a trade group representing the pharmaceutical industry, aims to combat racial inequities through community-based partnerships, particularly surrounding medication utilization and adherence. “It’s documented what the disparities are with communities of color and access to care, and those issues have been addressed... Read More
Two weeks ago, Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.,Tom Cole, R-Okla., G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., created a new Social... Read More
Two weeks ago, Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.,Tom Cole, R-Okla., G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., created a new Social Determinants Caucus, which will coordinate federal investments in health and social drivers of health such as food, housing and transportation. “The reason you start a caucus... Read More
The California Farm Confinement Proposition, known as Prop 12, is set to become effective next year and could mean that... Read More
The California Farm Confinement Proposition, known as Prop 12, is set to become effective next year and could mean that pork suppliers lose access to California’s large market. The law will implement space requirements for chickens, calves, and hogs, such as retrofitting buildings, and will also... Read More
Over the last decade evidence has shown that whole genome sequencing saves lives, but a new study from researchers in... Read More
Over the last decade evidence has shown that whole genome sequencing saves lives, but a new study from researchers in California shows how genome sequencing for newborns in intensive care units can also save money. “We now know there are more than 6,000 genetic diseases, but... Read More
As COVID-19 lockdown orders have lifted and many individuals are returning to social activities, cosmetic surgeons across the country are... Read More
As COVID-19 lockdown orders have lifted and many individuals are returning to social activities, cosmetic surgeons across the country are seeing an increase in the demand for cosmetic procedures. “I’ve never seen a jump this high, most practices do get busier and it’s pretty predictable, but... Read More
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has struggled for years with patient overcrowding in state mental health... Read More
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has struggled for years with patient overcrowding in state mental health hospitals. Then, on July 9, five out of the eight state psychiatric hospitals were forced to temporarily close to new admissions. “Despite our aggressive recruiting and... Read More
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NEW YORK — One of former President Donald Trump’s closest staff members said during testimony in a New York court... Read More
NEW YORK — One of former President Donald Trump’s closest staff members said during testimony in a New York court Friday that the former president admitted to her that he paid hush money to women with whom he had extramarital... Read More
WASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife were indicted on charges related to allegedly accepting nearly $600,000 in... Read More
WASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife were indicted on charges related to allegedly accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes and laundered funds from an oil company owned by the Azerbaijan government as well as a Mexican bank. The... Read More
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate bill would provide $275 million to advance federal research and enhance medical services for women... Read More
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate bill would provide $275 million to advance federal research and enhance medical services for women experiencing menopause. The bill, the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, was introduced Thursday by Sen. Patty Murray,... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday expanded access to Affordable Care Act coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday expanded access to Affordable Care Act coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. Starting in November, DACA recipients — individuals who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children by a parent... Read More
Approaches to quantifying the value of novel medicines evolved rapidly in the past few decades due to improved methods and... Read More
Approaches to quantifying the value of novel medicines evolved rapidly in the past few decades due to improved methods and available data. But how do we estimate how much a medicine is worth? Strangely enough, that answer depends on where... Read More
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Elissa Slotkin had less than half an hour to reckon with a retirement announcement that would... Read More
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Elissa Slotkin had less than half an hour to reckon with a retirement announcement that would reshape Michigan’s political landscape. The state's senior senator and the third-ranking Democrat in the chamber, Debbie Stabenow, was about to... Read More
