Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Conflicting Interests?: Using Smartphone Apps To Trace Outbreaks Could Tread On Privacy
The Associated Press: Here Come COVID-19 Tracing Apps - And Privacy Trade-Offs
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives — are highlighting some uncomfortable trade-offs between protecting privacy and public health. (O'Brien and Larson, 5/5)
Stat: Will Employers Still Pay For Health Tech Benefits In An Unemployment Crisis?
It’s the oldest, most reliable strategy for building a business in health tech: Sell to employers, who will pay to make your products and services available to their workers. Now, as the economy buckles under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, many employers are cutting costs and laying off their employees in droves. The new mood of austerity raises a crucial question for health tech companies: Is targeting the employer market still a viable strategy if a record number of Americans aren’t employed anymore? (Robbins, 5/6)
