Viewpoints: Deregulation Of Health Care Sends Costs Soaring; Puerto Rico’s Death Toll Shames Nation

The New York Times: Reagan, Deregulation And America’s Exceptional Rise In Health Care Costs
Why did American health care costs start skyrocketing compared with those of other advanced nations starting in the early 1980s? At the same time this was happening, American longevity gains were failing to keep up with peer countries. In addressing these twin mysteries in a recent article, experts suggested two main reasons: The United States didn’t impose the same types of government cost controls on health care that other nations did, and we invested less in social programs that also promote health. (Austin Frakt, 6/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Puerto Rico’s Shocking Death Toll Shames The Entire Nation 
According to a new Harvard University study out this week, 4,645 people are dead as a result of the hurricane and its aftermath. ...If the study is correct, it means Hurricane Maria is the most deadly natural disaster in modern U.S. history. It’s hard to overstate the abysmal moral failure contained in that revised number. (6/1)

The New York Times: The Shame In Puerto Rico
It is eight months now since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, leveling 70,000 homes and leaving 3.3 million people without power or water and the health care system in tatters. By any measure, the catastrophe was on a level with Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, two other storms that devastated large regions of America. But the response, as demonstrated most recently by a report that estimates the death toll as more than 70 times larger than the official one, has been slow and inadequate. There are various reasons for that, including Puerto Rico’s distance from the United States mainland and local mismanagement, the latter exemplified by an infamous repair contract inexplicably granted soon after the hurricane to a Montana firm with two employees. ...But the chief reason has been the perception in Washington, and especially in the White House, of Puerto Rico as a second-class United States territory where poverty, hardship and shoddy government are accepted as the norm. (6/3)

The Hill: Cutting Title X Funding Promotes Unethical Medical Practices
Ever since the seminal 1957 decision of Salgo v. Stanford, U.S. courts and the health profession have recognized that there is a duty for providers to disclose not only the risks of treatments, but also their alternatives. This is essential to respecting dignity, autonomy and freedom of choice for patients. The Trump-Pence administration rejects these quintessentially American values and is substituting instead a regime that actively hides information from patients and silences their nurses and physicians. (R. Atla Charo, 6/1)

Charlotte Observer: The Profound Link Between Poverty And Health
Addressing issues related to poverty, an underlying and arguably the most important risk factor for disease, can make a difference. High-quality early childhood programs that support parenting lead to increased educational achievement, higher incomes and better health. One study showed that increasing the minimum wage was associated with a decrease in low birth weight babies and infant mortality. Another study showed that raising the minimum wage in New York in 2008 would have prevented thousands of deaths over the next 5 years. (Jessica Schorr Saxe, 6/1)

The New York Times: The Californization Of America
Across the country, Democrats are winning primaries by promoting policies like universal health insurance and guaranteed income — ideas once laughed off as things that work only on the “Left Coast. ”At the same time, national politicians from both sides are finally putting front and center issues that California has been grappling with for years: immigration, clean energy, police reform, suburban sprawl. And the state is home to a crop of politicians to watch, from Kevin McCarthy on the right to Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris on the left, part of a wave that is likely to dominate American politics for the next generation. California, which holds its primaries on Tuesday, has long set the national agenda on the economy, culture and technology. (Steve Kettmann, 6/2)

Bloomberg: Consider This A Warning On Cancer-Drug Combos 
The pharmaceutical industry believes that the lucrative future of cancer treatment lies in combining immune-boosting medicines with other drugs to boost their effectiveness. But that future is still a ways off, and the present is pretty ugly. It’s something to keep in mind as one of the year’s biggest cancer conferences gets underway in Chicago. (Max Nisen, 6/1)

Boston Globe: Fighting The Uphill Battle Against Alzheimer’s 
As the International Bio Conference opens here in Boston, I’ve been thinking a lot about the impossible. The annual convention of biopharma leaders celebrates innovation — and there’s a lot to toast this year. Cancer patients can now be treated with custom-built therapies that rewire immune cells to attack their tumors. Children on the brink of losing their vision can get a gene therapy to treat a genetic form of blindness. Just this month, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first preventive treatment for migraines. These accomplishments are inspiring. But my particular field — neurodegenerative diseases — has had little cause to celebrate. To some, it’s starting to feel like an impossible quest. I disagree. (Adam Rosenberg, 6/4)

Stat: Boston: The Best City In The World To Fail In Biotech
Boston’s rise as the biotech capital of the world has been well-chronicled. Many factors make the city — in fact, the entire region around Boston — attractive to those seeking to create the next pharmaceutical breakthroughs. The area is home to some of the finest academic institutions, hospitals, and venture capital firms; has a highly educated and diverse workforce; and its location provides relatively easy access to Europe and the world beyond. (Bill Sibold, 6/3)

The Washington Post: Diet Sodas Cut Out The Sugar But What Do They Do To The Body?
Artificial sweeteners are everywhere, but the jury is still out on whether these chemicals are harmless. Also called nonnutritive sweeteners, these can be synthetic, such as saccharin and aspartame, or naturally derived, such as stevia. To date, the Food and Drug Administration has approved six types of artificial and two types of natural nonnutritive sweeteners for use in food. That’s been great news for those working hard to curb their sugar consumption. Aspartame, for example, is found in more than 6,000 foods worldwide, and about 5,000 to 5,500 tons are consumed every year in the United States alone. (Eunice Zhang, 6/3)

The Hill: Don't Fall For The False Claims — US Sunscreens Sufficiently Protect Your Skin
Dermatologists in a recent Bloomberg article have recently claimed that Americans are using inferior sunscreens compared to the ones available in Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada. However, that is a gross misrepresentation of the true situation. While it is true that new and innovative sunscreen ingredients are available for consumer use in these countries; and while it is also true that the U.S. has been slow to adopt these sunscreen ingredients; it is objectively false to claim that U.S. sunscreens are outdated and needlessly expose you to cancer risk. (Janet Hill Prystowsky, 6/2)

USA Today: Assisted Suicide Is A Tragedy. Don't Let Doctors Help Kill Patients.
Assisted suicide is becoming more popular throughout the developed world. The New Zealand Parliament is currently debating its legalization. A legalization proposal in Guernsey in the United Kingdom was recently voted down, but in nearby Jersey a majority of politicians up for election support legalization. Assisted suicide and in some cases outright euthanasia are legal in a number of Western European countries: Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands. In America, meanwhile, assisted suicide is legal in several states and the District of Columbia. (Daniel Payne, 6/1)

The New York Times: The Crazy Talk About Bringing Back Asylums
When President Trump mused that the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in February might have been prevented if the United States had more mental institutions, he revived a not-quite-dormant debate: Should the country bring back asylums?Psychiatric facilities are unlikely to prevent crimes similar to the Parkland shooting because people are typically not committed until after a serious incident. Still, a string of news articles, editorials and policy forums have noted that plenty of mental health experts agree with the president’s broader point. (6/2)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Costs Related To Chronic Diseases Threaten Our Health Benefits And Insurance 
In conclusion, most agree that the "transition" to value-based payment needs to accelerate dramatically, as Secretary Azar stated in the same March speech. Once just a small number of the long-term payers successfully implement recurring provider payments for chronically ill patient outcomes, they will set off a private market firestorm and get this done. (Alain C. Enthoven, Russell J. Mueller and Charles Weller, 6/3)

Kansas City Star: Kevin Yoder Held A Meeting On Gun Violence. Was Anything Accomplished?
We have argued that any approach to reducing gun violence involves an increased focus on mental health counseling. Mental health issues were discussed in the Yoder meeting, including so-called “red flag” laws that allow judges to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the mentally ill. (6/1)

San Antonio Press-Express: Wait List For State Mental Hospital Beds Troubling 
The newly appointed Judicial Commission on Mental Health has its work cut out. There are simply not enough beds at the state hospital level to accommodate all the people who need that level of service. The state is working to address the problem by adding more beds, but its pace is not fast enough to meet the demand. (6/2)

Columbus Dispatch: Patients Suffer As Medical Pot Relief Lags Behind
There’s a good chance medical marijuana won’t be available to those who need it by the Sept. 8 deadline, and that’s not OK. Ohio became the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana in 2016 and set the deadline for when patients 21 or older suffering from 21 severe medical conditions — including cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s — can purchase and possess up to a 90-day supply with authorization of a certified doctor. (6/2)

Lexington Herald Tribune: Even In Kentucky's Leading Hospitals, Infection Rates Are Alarming, Which Makes It Even Harder For Patients To Be Smart Consumers
At some point, almost all of us will seek treatment at a hospital. And it is hard to decide which one to choose. Do not expect an unbiased opinion from your health-care provider, since most are now employees of the facility. To find the best care, you must shop for both quality and price. If your hospital admission is planned, it is best to negotiate payment on the front end. Do not expect accrediting agencies to assure hospital quality. Currently, the U.S. Congress is holding hearings because 39 percent of hospital accreditation surveys did not detect serious problems. Thus, you need to do your own research. (Kevin Kavanagh, 6/1)