Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: FDA Must Approve Under-5 Vaccine; Here's How To Manage Covid And Kids Going Forward
The New York Times: Did Faulty Assumptions Dash Parents’ Hope For An Under-5 Vaccine?
Seventeen months after a Covid vaccine was first authorized for American adults, parents are still waiting for the government to authorize one for children under 5. Some frustrations and setbacks may have been unavoidable, but some seems due to officials making unjustified assumptions about the public and relying on overly narrow and even outdated measures of vaccine benefits. (Zeynep Tufekci, 4/27)
Chicago Tribune: The Next Phase Of Addressing COVID-19 In Children? Accepting It As Part Of Life
Whether it is attending school, being vaccinated or transmitting the virus at family gatherings, the role of children in the COVID-19 pandemic has been contentious and widely debated, not just in the United States but across the world. Two years in, what have we learned and what can we apply to the future concerning children and COVID-19? (Mary Hall and Cory Franklin, 4/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Blew Covid’s Politics
From the day Joe Biden entered office, the Democrats have displayed a misreading of how the Covid-19 pandemic had altered the country’s normal political and social alignments. Obvious to everyone now, the pandemic forced millions to rethink everything in their lives—their jobs, children, schools, where they lived, care for elderly relatives, the routines of daily life. This was a complex political and cultural event to which the Democratic response was Pavlovian: Throw money and expect gratitude. (Daniel Henninger, 4/27)
Also —
Bloomberg: How To Avoid Going Broke From Surprise Medical Bills
There have been a few times in my life when I’ve had a concerning health issue but skipped visiting the doctor. Even when intense stomach cramps left me doubled over for hours, or a shooting pain in my foot felt like a stress fracture, I decided to wait and see if things would get better rather than risk a potentially costly hospital visit. (Fortunately, I healed at home.) I’m not the only one who’s made this choice. In 2020, a survey of more than 2,500 American adults found that 32% of respondents avoided seeking medical care because of cost. (Erin Lowry, 4/27)
Newsweek: It's Not Just Student Loans. Americans Are Drowning In Medical Debt. Biden Must Help
There has been a lot of talk recently about student loan forgiveness—and rightfully so. It's become a rallying cry across the country, and this week, President Biden signaled to lawmakers that he was open to considering federal loan forgiveness. But there's another form of debt that the White House should stay focused on, one that's devastating families across the nation: medical debt. (Emily Stewart, 4/27)
Modern Healthcare: The Quest For Long Life: A Distraction We Can't Afford
A poll fielded several years ago by the Stanford Center on Longevity found that more than 3 out of 4 Americans aspired to be centenarians. Unfortunately, as research suggests, they are likely to spend two of those 10 decades unhealthy: in and out of hospitals, battling chronic conditions, racking up crippling medical bills. Knowing that, would they have chosen differently? (Dr. Stephen Ezeji-Okoye and Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, 4/27)
