Author

Rebecca Friedman

Rebecca Friedman graduated from Harvard Law School in 2019. Prior to becoming a Student Fellow, she participated in the Health Law and Policy Clinic with HLS’ Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. At the time she completed her Fellowship, Rebecca planned to work at Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in Charlotte, North Carolina as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton LLP. There, Rebecca will provide direct representation to Medicaid beneficiaries experiencing legal challenges as North Carolina transforms its Medicaid system to managed care, and will work to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries facing legal issues as a result of social determinants of health receive appropriate support. As a Petrie Flom Center Student Fellow, Rebecca studied the potential for Medicaid to cover doula services and analyzed how racial and socioeconomic disparities in prenatal care and childbirth could be mitigated as a result. The current title of Rebecca’s paper is “The Feasibility and Potential Impact of Broader Medicaid Coverage of Doula Services on Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Birth Outcomes.”
  • Public Health

    The Need to Improve Housing to Improve Health

    Many changes are needed to improve accessibility to housing and opportunities for health, made all the more urgent by troubling racial disparities in both the health and housing spheres.

    The Need to Improve Housing to Improve Health

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    Image of a hand holding up a cutout of a small house to a sunset, with light streaming through the house and creating a shadow.
  • Health Law Policy

    Social Media’s Anti-Anti-Vaxxer Fight Ramps Up

    Social media may play an outsize role in the evolution of the anti-vaxxer movement. But now the platforms are trying to wrest control over the spread of misinformation.

    Social Media’s Anti-Anti-Vaxxer Fight Ramps Up

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    Image of a child in a blue dress with pigtails receiving a vaccination injection.
  • Health Law Policy

    Report: Maternal Mental Health Must be a Top Priority

    The focus on maternal health from a diverse range of policymakers and advocates is promising. However, it is critical to bring mental health to the fore in conversations surrounding maternal health. The recent USPSTF recommendations…

    Report: Maternal Mental Health Must be a Top Priority

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    Image of the head of a baby on a lap
  • Affordable Care Act

    Shutdown Fever: How Washington’s Standstill Impacts Health

    While Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage will continue for federal employees during the shutdown, there are plenty of healthcare related complications that may arise.

    Shutdown Fever: How Washington’s Standstill Impacts Health

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    President Trump speaks to reporters in the rose garden
  • Health Information Technology

    The Troubling Prevalence of Medical Record Errors

    By Rebecca Friedman With plenty of potential healthcare concerns and complications arising out of medical diagnoses and treatments themselves, errors in medical records present an unfortunate additional opportunity for improper treatment. A recent article from…

    The Troubling Prevalence of Medical Record Errors

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    A row of colored medical records folders
  • Health Law Policy

    Literally Sick (and Tired) of Daylight Saving Time

    By Rebecca Friedman Healthcare was at the top of many voters’ minds in last week’s election, with a range of health-related issues appearing on ballots across the country. Among other health-related measures, three states voted to expand Medicaid, Massachusetts…

    Literally Sick (and Tired) of Daylight Saving Time

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    silhouette of a pair of hands around the sun setting at a distance
  • Doctor-Patient Relationship

    The Millennial Need for Speed in Healthcare

    By Rebecca Friedman According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll, shockingly large swaths of Americans have reported that they don’t have a primary care provider. The July 2018 report found that 45 percent of…

    The Millennial Need for Speed in Healthcare

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    millennial man at home sick with scarf and thermometer talking on the phone
  • Health Law Policy

    Mary Mayhew: The New Anti-Medicaid Head of Medicaid

    By Rebecca Friedman Mary Mayhew, a fierce opponent of Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act, was announced on October 15 as the new Deputy Administrator and Director of the U.S. Center for Medicaid and CHIP…

    Mary Mayhew: The New Anti-Medicaid Head of Medicaid

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

  • Affordable Care Act

    Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance Can Now Be Less Short-Term

    Short-term, limited-duration insurance was designed as a temporary gap-filler while a person transitions from one kind of health insurance to a different plan or coverage. In 2016, recognizing its serious limitations, an Obama Administration rule mandated…

    Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance Can Now Be Less Short-Term

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    image of a doctor neck-down holding a piggy-bank
  • Health Law Policy

    In a Shift, Healthcare Dominates Midterm Election Campaign Ads

    As the November midterm elections approach, healthcare is a top focus in campaign advertising. According to a study by the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks television advertisements for House and Senate races by state and…

    In a Shift, Healthcare Dominates Midterm Election Campaign Ads

    By

    Rebecca Friedman

    REmote control in front of multiple screens