Contemplating The Ups And Downs Of The NIH Budget; The Link Between Politics And The Measles
News outlets take on a range of public health topics.
Stat:
Taking A Ride On The NIH Budget Rollercoaster
The possible ups and downs of the National Institutes of Health budget over the past few months have been enough to cause whiplash among NIH watchers. The passage last December of the 21st Century Cures Act had researchers celebrating a several-billion-dollar addition to the NIH budget. A few months later, after President Trump proposed decreasing the NIH budget by $1.2 billion — which came on the heels of a proposal to cut it by $5.8 billion for fiscal year 2018 — many researchers began worrying about the future of their work. You could almost hear the sigh of relief among scientists after Congress included a $2 billion increase in funding under a bipartisan spending deal reached late Sunday night. That deal, though, does not address funding for 2018. (Harlan M. Krumholz and Gregg Gonsalves, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Populism, Politics And Measles
One of the tragedies of these post-truth times is that the lies, conspiracy theories and illusions spread by social media and populist politicians can be downright dangerous. The denial of human responsibility for climate change is one obvious example; another is opposition to vaccination. A serious outbreak of measles in Italy and in some other European countries could well be the result of a drop-off in vaccinations caused by utterly misguided and discredited claims about their dangers. (5/2)
The Health Care Blog:
The Doctor Will Connect With You Now
One of my advisors has a great perspective on healthcare delivery from the large system perspective. He served as the chief of staff to our last CEO. Recently, he posed an incisive question to me.: “Joe, when are we going to take all of these digital health concepts from the 30,000 foot level and get them into that 10 minute window that the doctor has with the patient?” It is not hyperbole to say that this put the last 20+ years of my career in a whole different perspective. (Joseph Kvedar, 5/1)
The New York Times:
For Bad Backs, It May Be Time To Rethink Biases About Chiropractors
About two of every three people will probably experience significant low back pain at some point. A physician like me might suggest any number of potential treatments and therapies. But one I never considered was a referral for spinal manipulation. It appears I may have been mistaken. For initial treatment of lower back pain, it may be time for me (and other physicians) to rethink our biases. (Aaron E. Carroll, 5/1)
Boston Globe:
Trump’s Early And Devastating Impact On Latino Community
Our access to health care has been under threat as well. The Trump administration’s spectacular failure to garner congressional support for a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act is likely only a temporary reprieve from this administration’s determination to kick 24 million Americans off of health insurance. Once again, this policy would have a disproportionate impact on Latinos. Thanks to that law, 4.2 million Latinos gained health coverage, cutting our uninsured rate nearly in half, from 30.7 percent to 16.2 percent. Even without repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration has been able to make administrative changes to chip away at access to health services and signed a law that would let states take away women’s reproductive health services and cancer screenings. (Hector Sanchez Barba, 5/1)
Chicago Tribune:
Where Teenagers Are Hiding Their Drugs, According To The DEA
Dooes your teen spend a lot of time with his graphing calculator? That could be a sign of a drug problem, according to the DEA. On April 20, the Drug Enforcement Administration tweeted out a link with a simple imperative: Find out where kids hide drugs. The link takes you to a page entitled "Hiding Places" at getsmartaboutdrugs.gov, "a DEA resource for parents, educators and caregivers." (Christopher Ingraham, 5/1)
