Viewpoints: Heat Waves Are Wreaking Havoc On Human Health; Long Covid Patients Feel Forgotten
Editorial writers discuss heat waves, long covid, superbugs and more.
The Washington Post:
Extreme Heat Is Threatening Virtually Every Aspect Of Human Health
Extreme heat has blanketed much of the world this summer. The World Meteorological Organization reports that July has been the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. The frequency of heat waves has been steadily increasing in the United States, from an average of two per year in the 1960s to six today. (Leana S. Wen, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Long COVID Is Debilitating To Me And 65 Million Other People. Where Is The Urgency To Treat It?
In a world where most pandemic safety protocols have evaporated, where is the sense of urgency to treat, or at the very least support, people with long COVID? (Julia Moore Vogel, 7/31)
Houston Chronicle:
Superbugs Are Here. We're Not Ready
More than 80 Americans across 18 states, including Texas, have been struck with a serious bacterial infection thanks to contaminated eye drops. Several have suffered permanent vision loss or had surgical eyeball removal. Four have died. (Rachael Lee, 7/29)
USA Today:
As America Goes Back To School, Help Reverse The Decline Of Our Children's Physical Health
As we know from previous studies, physical inactivity and sedentary habits are among the major risk factors for decreased mental well-being. Since its formation in 2010, GENYOUth has aggressively responded to health and wellness issues facing our youth. (Roger Goodell and Ann Marie Krautheim, 8/1)
The Star Tribune:
'Boarding' Of Patients Needs To End
"Boarding" patients in ERs and other hospital spaces because of a lack of available nursing home and mental health care beds has long been a problem in Minnesota and one that intensified during and after the pandemic. (7/30)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Medical Debt Is A Bigger Problem Than Student Debt. Where's That Relief?
It’s unfathomable that following a multiyear pandemic that killed more than a million Americans and left millions more with long-term disability (long COVID), the issue of medical debt wouldn’t be a major topic of discourse, especially among politicians running in 2024. It is not. (Victoria A. Brownworth, 7/28)
Also —
The Washington Post:
Medicaid Coverage Losses Due To Paperwork Show Cruelty Of Health Care
Two months ago, Avery was kicked off Medicaid. She’s supposed to still be eligible, but Arkansas’s Department of Human Services terminated her coverage anyway, saying she hadn’t completed all the necessary paperwork. To be fair, paperwork is not exactly Avery’s forte. Because she’s 15 months old. (Catherine Rampell, 8/1)
Dallas Morning News:
Medicare Bill Can Help Physicians And Patients
As physicians, we’re problem-solvers, diagnosing our patients’ ailments and finding remedies. We establish a treatment plan. Imagine if your problem persisted for 20 years with no solution; you might seek another doctor. Yet every year, that’s the scenario physicians and patients face with the failing Medicare physician payment system: For more than two decades, Congress has not passed a comprehensive, stable fix so doctors can continue caring for the nation’s older adults and those with disabilities. (Rick W. Snyder II, 7/31)
