Different Takes: Taxpayers Must Foot The Bill For Florida’s Secret Covid Data
Opinion writers weigh in on covid, nutrition, abortion, and other topics.
Miami Herald:
It Shouldn’t Take A Lawsuit To Get Florida COVID Data
A settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Florida Center for Government Accountability ... means the state will have to let the public see the records it tried so hard to keep hidden as the Delta variant tore through the state. ... The settlement also means the state will have to pay $152,250 in attorneys fees to those who filed the suit. Is Gov. Ron DeSantis paying that money? No, of course not. We are. This settlement never should have been necessary. If the state had been transparent, instead of attempting to circumvent state public-records laws, we would have known all along just how bad the outbreaks were. We also would have $152,000 to spend on some other need in the state. (10/10)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Nutrition Can Be A Prescription For Healthcare
Using food as healthcare is happening nationwide. Impressive studies are showing results for patients and health systems. Only Washington remains behind the curve. The good news is that there are three things Congress can do today to jumpstart Food Is Medicine policies. (Shelby Luce and Kim Corbin, 10/10)
New Jersey Globe:
If You Think Abortion Isn’t On The Ballot This November In New Jersey, Think Again
Our record on abortion stands in stark contrast to states across the country. Florida, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, etc., have all taken steps to restrict abortion rights. We have done the opposite. But all of our successes could be overturned if Democrats lose our majority this November. Currently, there are nearly a dozen bills introduced by extreme Republican legislators in Trenton that would turn back the clock on a woman’s freedom to choose, including bans on abortion like we see in other states. (Democratic New Jersey State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, 10/11)
Salt Lake Tribune:
Will Utah Leaders Actually Care For Kids?
Utah is home to the most children per capita of any state. We have a cultural ethos that purports to value children and families. Yet, the state invests nearly nothing in the care and education of young children. We offer little support to young families struggling with unaffordable housing, high food and gas prices and, of course, ballooning child care costs. Most young families in Utah need every available adult in their household working to meet their basic needs. (Brigette Weier, 10/11)
The CT Mirror:
Yale New Haven, Stop Extra Out-Of-Pocket Medical Fees
As a physician of over 40 years and a patient advocate who has spent many years working with the legislature to improve patient safety and fairness in insurance reimbursement, I am disgusted by a recent trend in health care billing that I believe the citizens and legislators of Connecticut should be made aware of. (Elwin G. Schwartz, MD, 10/12)
Stat:
How Good Are AI Health Technologies? We Have No Idea
Artificial intelligence has the ability to revolutionize human health. It is used to detect potentially cancerous lesions in medical images, to screen for eye disease, and to predict whether a patient in the intensive care unit could have a brain-damaging seizure. Even your smartwatch has AI built into it; it can estimate your heart rate and detect whether you have atrial fibrillation. But how good are these algorithms generally? The truth is, we just don’t know. (Cynthia Rudin, Zhicheng Guo, Cheng Ding and XiaoHu, 10/11)
