Zeke Emanuel, MD, PhD

04/02/2026

Between 2019 and 2024, Medicare spending on skin substitute bandages rose from $256 million to more than $10 billion. Not because of an epidemic, but because of a documented billing scandal.

CMS fixed the problem for 2026, projecting nearly $20 billion in savings. That should have been the end of the story. It wasn't.

In Health Affairs with Thomas Kornfield and Daniel Shenfeld, I write how that fraudulent spending spike is now being embedded into Medicare Advantage payment rates for 2027, shifting nearly $3 billion toward skin diagnoses while plans serving patients with heart disease, lung disease, and kidney disease lose out.

CMS needs to fix this before the 2027 rules are finalized, and modernize a risk adjustment framework that's decades overdue for an overhaul.

CMS should ensure that temporary spending shocks—such as the recent spike in skin substitute costs—are not mechanically carried forward into future MA payments for 2027 and beyond. But CMS should also move beyond the decades-old HCC framework and modernize its risk adjustment approach.

04/01/2026

Tanning beds are dreadful, and RFK Jr.’s recent move allows children to use them.

Last week, the FDA withdrew a proposed rule that would have banned minors from tanning beds. We don't let kids smoke. We don't let them drink. Tanning beds are just as toxic, with no upside benefits whatsoever.

This is about protecting kids from a preventable cancer risk. As I write in “Eat Your Ice Cream,” tanning beds are one of the schmuck-iest things you can do. Good health decisions are simple ones. This was a simple one. More on this in Jonathan Cohn’s The Bulwark piece.

The HHS secretary has crispy, orange-toned skin in the game.

03/30/2026

Matzah really is the bread of affliction — for your digestion, at least.

Here are my tips for this Passover: eat your fruits and veggies, dried fruits and horseradish, and drink plenty of water.

As I write in "Eat Your Ice Cream," small habits like these can keep you feeling good — and a seder is great for your health! It's good to have a big meal with a lot of people!

03/27/2026

Making simple, small changes to your sleep, diet, and exercise can help you live longer. A new study of over 53,000 people found that these small improvements decreased the risk of major cardiovascular events by 10%.

As I write in "Eat Your Ice Cream," you don't need drastic lifestyle changes to be healthy and happy. Small, sustainable habits are what actually work.

03/25/2026

Pursuing a healthy, happy life is a lot easier than you think.

In my new book, “Eat Your Ice Cream,” I describe six simple steps to living a healthy life. Don’t be a schmuck. Talk to people. Expand your mind. Eat your ice cream. Move it. Sleep like a baby.

03/24/2026

The American health care system is failing. Everyone agrees on that. What we don't have is a coherent strategy to fix it.

One step on the path to improving health care is site-neutral payments. Surgeries and treatment should cost the same regardless of where they’re performed. It should not matter if your hip is being replaced in a hospital or an ambulatory surgery center; the price should remain the same

Great to discuss ways we can reform health care with The Wharton School and reflect on my piece in STAT with Merjan Ozisik last month.

Zeke Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives at the Wharton School, analyzes CMS reforms, Medicare Advantage oversight, and payment changes shaping federal health spending.…Read More

03/23/2026

Do vibration plates actually work? They help with muscle tone, bone density, and balance, but only if you're mostly sedentary. If you're already exercising regularly, they don't add much.

As I write in "Eat Your Ice Cream," you’re better off with exercises that actually work: hiking, biking, or a good walk — even better with a friend.

03/20/2026

Can taking multivitamins slow down aging?

A new study shows that daily multivitamin use slowed the aging process in people whose biological age was ahead of their chronological age.

As I write in "Eat Your Ice Cream," stick with proven, science-backed methods for your wellbeing. Multivitamins are inexpensive, have no real downside. At the same time, we still do not know whether they will help clinically reduce health ailments that might develop as you age.

03/19/2026

My book “Eat Your Ice Cream”, The New York Times Best Seller, is now available as an audiobook, narrated by yours truly.

With all the nonsense and lies of the wellness industry, I offer straightforward advice backed by real science. No gimmicks, no expensive gadgets, no guilt.

Whether you're commuting, cooking, or getting in a walk (Rule 5: Move It!), this is 6 hours and 50 minutes well spent.

🎧 Available now on Audible, Amazon, Google Play, and everywhere audiobooks are sold at the link in the comments.

03/18/2026

The University of Pennsylvania Quakers are in the March Madness Men's Basketball Tournament!

Can March Madness be good for your health? Science says that when we gather, cheer, and connect to root for our team, it’s actually good for our health as it increases social connection. As I wrote in “Eat Your Ice Cream,” social connection is one of the most powerful predictors of a long and healthy life.

Hurrah, hurrah, Pennsylvania!

The Ivy League Penn Athletics Fighting Illini Men's Basketball

03/17/2026

Doctors need to take on less patients.

To reinvent health care in America, we need to decrease the patient load on primary care doctors, cut administrative costs, and focus on addressing patients before they become unwell. The issue is not money (we spend more than any other country on health care), but rather a structural misalignment with patient needs.

Great to chat with Lucy Martin McBride, MD about “Eat Your Ice Cream” and her upcoming book “Beyond the Prescription,” my bullish take on AI, and the dangers of social isolation. Hear more at the link in comments.

03/16/2026

In a topsy-turvy world, when people feel they can't control their external environment, they look inward and find wellness as something they can control.

The wellness industrial complex exploits that anxiety with expensive supplements and extreme routines. Evidence-based habits are what actually work.

I joined Rob Lott on Health Affairs' Health Podyssey to discuss "Eat Your Ice Cream" and what's wrong with today's wellness industry.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hp20260305.21582/full/

Health Affairs' Rob Lott interviews Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel about his new book, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life. He explains why he wrote a wellness guide for the general public, what frustrates him about today’s “wellness industrial complex,” and why evidence‑ba...