Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chest Pains, Xanax And Nightmares: How The Election Is Taking A Toll On The Electorate
Los Angeles Times: Feeling Anxious About The Election? Here's How To Cope With Election Stress Disorder
Are you suffering from election stress disorder? It seems like everyone I know has it. Last week my kindergartner woke up at 5 a.m. with nightmares about “two people running for president.” One friend wrote on Facebook that she is barely sleeping at all and now fills the pre-dawn hours canning fruit. I’ve heard reports of chest pains and short-term Xanax prescriptions within my circle as Nov. 8 draws near. (Netburn, 11/4)
Bloomberg: This Election Will End. The Mental Damage May Not
More than half of Americans are experiencing election-related stress comparable to that often attributed to work, money, or the economy, the American Psychological Association has said. And while the good news is the presidential contest will end next week, the bad news is that because of the ferocity of the campaign, the mental damage may linger. And for some groups, it may get even worse—depending on who wins...The hope is that once this election is over, and the constant barrage of negativity via television, radio, and mobile phone ends, things may return to some semblance of normal. But not everyone is so optimistic. (Shanker, 11/4)
In other election news —
Kaiser Health News: Bad Hombres, Russian Hackers And … A Medical Device Tax?
In an election season in which the presidential campaign “issues” have ranged from “hot mics” to emails, some down-ballot campaign ads highlight a wonky, far less racy topic: a tax on medical devices. Really? Why? (Appleby, 11/4)
Denver Post: Amendment 69 In Colorado: How Much Would You Pay Under ColoradoCare?
If Colorado voters pass a first-in-the-nation statewide universal health care proposal this year, a typical elderly couple on Social Security and Medicare would save nearly $2,000 per year, according to the proponents’ campaign. Or they would end up paying nearly $1,800 extra per year, a separate analysis finds. Or perhaps they might pay more than that, opponents of the measure warn. When it comes to Amendment 69, the universal health care measure known as ColoradoCare, the simplest question — How much would I pay? — is fraught with disagreement. That’s because many of the decisions that would determine exactly what ColoradoCare would look like, what it would cover and even how much it would ultimately cost individuals wouldn’t be made until after it is passed — including some decisions that would be made by people not in Colorado. (Ingold, 11/3)
