Viewpoints: Gen X And The Future Of Health Care; Facing Down The Opioid Crisis

Stat: Look To Generation X To See The Future Of Health Care
Moviemakers once portrayed Generation X, born between the mid-1960s and 1980, as angst-ridden adolescents in films like “The Breakfast Club.” Today, Generation Xers have teenagers of their own — as well as aging parents to look after. Caught up in careers, teetering on the cusps of menopause and mid-life crises, these former slackers now make millions of high-impact health decisions every day. It’s an interesting generation for many reasons. Gen Xers were the first to grow up in an era of internet-available health information. They also grew up with direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs and consumer activism in health care. They witnessed firsthand the AIDS crisis and the dawn of health advocacy. As a result, they bring a less passive and more discerning attitude towards health than the generations that preceded them. (Lynn O’Connor, 4/3)

The New York Times: Let’s Go For A Win On Opioids
The health care bill failed. The odds of successful tax reform are remote, and in any case an actual proposal is months away. If we lived in a normal country our president would use the current moment to try to get a win — to try to pass something that would help people, demonstrate that Washington can function and rebuild his brand. If we lived in a normal country the Trump White House would launch a major initiative to combat opiate addiction. There are roughly two and a half million Americans addicted to opioids. Between 1999 and 2015, the number of those who died rose from 8,200 annually to 33,000. That means that over two years more Americans died of opiate addiction than died in the entire Vietnam War. (David Brooks, 4/4)

The Columbus Dispatch: Drug Crisis Front And Center
But no governor could have foreseen the stunning breadth and depth of today’s drug crisis in Ohio — the worst in the nation. The drug epidemic is not the result of a failure of political leadership. Year by year, Ohio’s political leaders have recognized the growing problem, and have attempted to respond. Only to lose ground. (4/4)

Stat: Gottlieb As FDA Commissioner Would Be Music To Pharma’s Ears
When President Trump nominated Scott Gottlieb for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, you could almost hear the sigh of relief that rippled through the health care community. (Judith Garber and Shannon Brownlee, 4/4)

The New York Times: Birth Control Causes Depression? Not So Fast
One of the biggest American public health victories of the last decade has been the record low reached in the teenage birthrate. Along with that have been lows in rates for teenage pregnancy and abortion. Most researchers believe that improved access to contraception is a large part of this success. But news continues to focus on the concern that hormone-based contraception — like the pill or the patch — causes depression, and that this should lead us to question its wider use. A more nuanced discussion would consider both the benefits and the harms. (Aaron E. Carroll, 4/3)

The Des Moines Register: In Iowa, Strong Support For Planned Parenthood Is A Republican Value
One of Republicans’ core beliefs is that every person can take part in the economic opportunity of our country. If women don’t have the ability to make decisions about when and whether to have children, they’re not in control of their economic future. If we take away their access to basic reproductive health care like birth control, we’re taking away their ability to chase the American dream. (Alan Zuckert, 4/3)

Stat: How A $37,000-A-Year Medicine Sets A Good Model For Drug Pricing
Shortly before his company won the right last week to sell a new drug for severe eczema, Dr. Len Schleifer made a brash promise. He vowed to price the medicine “responsibly” and avoid the anger that high drug prices have stirred. (Ed Silverman, 4/3)