Health care drama on Capitol Hill

Edition: US - Today's top story: Essential health benefits suddenly at center of health care debate, but what are they? [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 25 March 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note The push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, stirred emotions on all sides before a vote on a replacement bill was withdrawn on Friday. One of the most hotly debated topics was a little-known provision in Obamacare called Essential Health Benefits, which guarantees that core benefits, such as emergency care and maternity benefits, are covered. Simon Haeder, a scholar at West Virginia University who has studied these EHBs, explains what they are, why they’re controversial and why eliminating them “[would prove to be disastrous](.” And, scholars react to the [implosion of Donald Trump](’s first foray into legislating. What’s next for the fragmented GOP? Lynne Anderson Senior Editor, Health & Medicine Top story Lisa Schwetschenau, who has multiple sclerosis, shown in a photo in Omaha, Nebraska on March 16. She worries that she could lose some of her essential health benefits under the new proposed health care law. Nati Harnik/AP [Essential health benefits suddenly at center of health care debate, but what are they?]( Simon Haeder, West Virginia University Essential health benefits under Obamacare are suddenly the center of controversy in the proposed replacement bill. If certain health benefits are so essential, why are they so loathed? Here's a look. Politics + Society - [Republicans fumble ACA repeal: Expert reaction]( Richard Arenberg, Brown University; Christopher Sebastian Parker, University of Washington Trump cuts bait, Ryan loses his nerve – and the Obamacare repeal goes down without a vote. What's next for Congress and the GOP? - [Private prisons, explained]( Brett C. Burkhardt, Oregon State University The White House is pushing for more private prisons. But do the industry's promised benefits hold up to scrutiny? - [Russia, an alleged coup and Montenegro's bid for NATO membership]( Vesko Garcevic, Boston University Russian interference in the U.S. election is part of a bigger pattern, according to a former ambassador from Montenegro to NATO. - [Immigrants deported under Obama share stories of terror and rights violations]( Tanya Golash-Boza, University of California, Merced Three stories show how today's deportations are reminiscent of what immigrants experienced during immigration raids under President Obama. Science + Technology - [Children understand far more about other minds than long believed]( Henrike Moll, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences A revolution in the tools and techniques developmental psychologists use to investigate kids' knowledge and capabilities is rewriting what we know about how and when children understand their world. - [What dung beetles are teaching us about the genetics of sex differences]( Cris Ledón-Rettig, Indiana University, Bloomington How can the same basic genome produce such different forms in the two sexes of a single species? It turns out one gene can encode for various things, depending on the order its instructions are read. - [The age of hacking brings a return to the physical key]( Jungwoo Ryoo, Pennsylvania State University Even as text-message two-factor authentication is just starting to become common, a newer method, a return to the era of the physical key, is nipping at its heels. Economy + Business - [America can't be first without Europe]( Earl Anthony Wayne, Hamilton College; Daniel S. Hamilton, Johns Hopkins University The Treaty of Rome, which eventually led to the European Union, is turning 60 at a time when many inside and outside Europe are questioning the union's value. For the U.S., much is at stake. - [Can Silicon Valley's autocrats save democracy?]( Jerry Davis, University of Michigan While Facebook's Zuckerberg suggested as much recently, companies run like autocracies cannot fulfill technology's promise of reinvigorating the democratic process. Ethics + Religion - [Supreme Court justices in the pews and on the bench – and where Neil Gorsuch fits in]( Steven K. Green, Willamette University Judge Gorsuch was raised Catholic and later became an Episcopalian. An expert on Church-State issues says don't read too much into religion as an indicator of judicial philosophy. - [What's the point of an ethics course?]( Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University Ethical dilemmas arise not because someone did not know the ethical rules. Instead, they arise when individuals are unable to identify the relevant ethical principle at the time of crisis. Environment + Energy - [Does 'green energy' have hidden health and environmental costs?]( Edgar Hertwich, Yale University; Anders Arvesen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Sangwon Suh, University of California, Santa Barbara; Thomas Gibon, Norwegian University of Science and Technology No energy source is perfect, but solar and wind have a much lower health and environmental footprint than fossil fuels, a study finds. Biopower, though, is a mixed bag. - [Reducing and reusing wastewater: Six essential reads for World Water Day]( Jennifer Weeks, The Conversation Developed and developing countries alike struggle with water quality problems. For World Water Day, a look at the challenges – and some potential solutions – to better treating wastewater. Education - [Making poetry their own: The evolution of poetry education]( Laura Apol, Michigan State University Poetry has been a part of teaching and learning for hundreds of years. But how has poetry education changed? And how are young voices using poetry to express themselves today? Arts + Culture - [In today's anti-immigrant rhetoric, echoes of Virgil's 'Aeneid']( Peter E. Knox, Case Western Reserve University As the United States bars its gates to newcomers, the 'Aeneid' – a story of war, exile, racial hatred and irrational fears – is particularly resonant. - [What the Heaven's Gate suicides say about American culture]( Ben Zeller, Lake Forest College Twenty years ago, the paranoia that consumed cults like Heaven's Gate existed on the margins of American society. Now it's moved toward the center of the nation's political life. Health + Medicine - [How a study about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was doctored, adding to pain and stigma]( Steven Lubet, Northwestern University A study that suggested Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was more psychological than physical has been debunked. How did the data get doctored? - [Want to end TB? Diagnose and treat all forms of the disease]( Lauren Carruth, American University School of International Service Tuberculosis transmitted from animals to humans is a growing concern in poor countries. As we observe World Tuberculosis Day, it's worth asking why. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 745 Atlantic Ave. 8th Floor Boston, MA 02111