Viewpoints: Rural States Turn To Religion For Health Care; It’s Impossible To Be A PCP Today
Editorial writers delve into religious health care, physician burnout, Medicare, and more.
The Atlantic:
God's Doctors
Nearly 20 million people gained health-insurance coverage between 2010 and 2016 under the Affordable Care Act. But about half of insured adults worry about affording their monthly premiums, while roughly the same number worry about affording their deductibles. (Matt Eich and Bryce Covert, 5/18)
The Boston Globe:
We Ask Too Much Of Primary Care Doctors. 26.7 Hours A Day, To Be Exact.
If you’ve recently tried to find a new primary care doctor (spoiler: it isn’t easy), the fact that primary care is in crisis is no surprise. Data released Thursday by the Center for Health Information and Analysis and Massachusetts Health Quality Partners show how bad the situation has gotten. (5/20)
The Boston Globe:
Medicare Has Enough Money For Now — But Not For Long
Medicare recently announced it has enough money to pay for hospital care for five more years than thought — a recent report says it will be able to pay full benefits until 2036. However, the federal health care program as a whole is growing so fast because of the aging population that it’s only a matter of time before the United States is in a serious financial mess trying to pay for it. (Elsa Pearson Sites, 5/20)
Stat:
Deliver Public Health Messages At The Right Time
I was 31 years old when my mother was dying of breast cancer. One day, while sitting with her in the hospital, her oncologist asked me a question no one had ever asked me before: “Have you had a mammogram yet?” (Hilary Hatch, 5/20)
Stat:
HHS's Proposed Rule Does Nothing To Address The Climate Crisis
In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the world’s most powerful health care agency — responsible for overseeing the largest industry in the world’s largest economy — offered a pretend proposal for regulating health care’s massive carbon footprint of 550 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e), or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (David Introcaso, 5/20)
