Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Dangers Of Lockdowns, Flying, Classrooms, Post-ACA
The Wall Street Journal: Britain Locks Down, Again
Less than a year ago Boris Johnson won a historic victory, and an 80-seat parliamentary majority, in the U.K.’s last general election. You might have forgotten, because now Mr. Johnson is lurching from one political misstep to another. The new Covid-19 lockdown he announced over the weekend may be the worst. Everything about this second lockdown is going wrong for Mr. Johnson so far. His announcement was botched—pre-empted by leaks to the media from within his own government, which forced him to unveil the measures days earlier than planned. He looks muddled and indecisive because he is imposing a month-long lockdown when only weeks ago he argued a two-week lockdown would be a “disaster.” (11/3)
The Hill: The Real Coronavirus Risk On Airlines
Some American airlines have upped the ante in describing how safe it is to fly during the pandemic. United Airlines declared that the coronavirus risk is “nearly nonexistent” even on its full flights, while Southwest Airlines has proclaimed the risk “virtually nonexistent” on its aircraft. The airlines argue that high efficiency particulate air filters and universal masking have reduced transmission risk essentially to zero. To say the least, however, their assertions are highly exaggerated. (Arnold Barnett, 11/3)
The Detroit News: Overprotecting Kids From COVID-19 In School Has Other Dangers
Healthy kids are relegated to the loneliness of their homes and computer screens because dutiful schools are following state and national protocols that don't seem to be based on much of the scientific research around how this illness spread among young kids, especially when those kids are masked and "socially distanced." (Cynthia M. Allen, 11/3)
The Hill: COVID-19 Could Become A Widespread Pre-Existing Condition In A Post-ACA World
On Nov. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in California v. Texas, a case that asks: When Congress eliminated the penalty for not carrying health insurance, did that make the whole Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional? In the midst of the pandemic, this question takes on urgency for COVID-19 survivors. (Carter C. Price and Raffaele Vardavas, 11/3)
Hartford Courant: We Flattened The Coronavirus Curve In Connecticut Once. We Now Need To Keep Each Other Safe, Again.
That night in March before I headed off to cover my first COVID-19 shift in the hospital, I tucked my kids into bed, lingering there a little longer than usual. I had spent that afternoon making sure our family papers were in order, only to make the rude discovery that my life insurance had somehow lapsed. There was no time to get a new policy. Who would offer coverage to a hospitalist worker now anyway? How could I not have noticed that in the blur that is working life with four kids? (Kirsten Ek, 11/3)
The Oklahoman: Oklahoma Leaders Have Embraced Mental Health As Priority Health Concerns
Oklahoma leaders and policymakers have embraced these diseases as priority health concerns, and even during a difficult economic stretch have been finding ways to invest in targeted initiatives that are gaining traction. In fact, Oklahoma has made vast improvements in its statewide behavioral health system in recent years, and we are beginning to realize what that means for us as a state specifically. (Carrie Slatton-Hodges, 11/4)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Social Security Crisis Gets Little Attention
American voters occupied themselves during the 2020 presidential and congressional campaign cycle, talking about COVID-19, the Amy Coney Barrett nomination to the Supreme Court, national social justice strife, and an uncertain economy. What didn’t get much attention or discussion is the looming national crisis facing the Social Security system or the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance system as it is formally known. For all their flowery talk of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Social Security was not the province of our nation’s founders. (Sid Salter, 11/4)
