Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Reactions To Biden's Speech From The Left, Right
The Baltimore Sun: President Joe Biden Strikes Right Tone In Speech, Reaching Out To Both TV Viewers And Congress
It is hard enough to simultaneously address a TV audience of millions and an in-person group of several hundred and keep both engaged with your speech. It is even more difficult when the in-person group is in a large room like a chamber of Congress built to accommodate as many as 1,400, but only 200 are on hand. But President Joe Biden managed to hit just the right personal tone to do just that Wednesday night in a speech to a joint session of Congress as he outlined his accomplishments in the first 100 days of his administration and delineated an agenda that if realized will put him in league with Lyndon Johnson, if not Franklin Roosevelt. (David Zurawik, 4/28)
The Washington Post: With Masks And Distancing, Biden’s Speech Sent The Wrong Message About The Power Of Our Vaccines
With his speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, President Biden missed his biggest opportunity to reduce vaccine hesitancy.The problem wasn’t the content of his speech — it was the setting. The 200 attendees entered the 1,600-person-capacity House chamber spaced apart and wearing masks. Some appeared to be double-masked. They were asked not to make physical contact, though some still fist-bumped or shook hands. There were markers indicating which seats could be occupied, with numerous empty spaces in between. As the president spoke, the vice president and speaker of the House sat behind him, both clad in masks. (Leana S. Wen, 4/29)
USA Today: Joe Biden's First 100 Days: COVID Vaccination Rate A Heroic Success
Two hundred million shots in President Joe Biden’s first 100 days when only 100 million shots were initially promised. This is the president’s proudest and greatest accomplishment so far. It involves a massive effective co-ordination with the states, the pharmacies, and temporary vaccine centers all across the country. Now, 50% of American adults have received at least one shot of a COVID vaccine, and the death rate from COVID among our seniors (80% have received at least one shot), is down dramatically. This is a heroic accomplishment, which, if it continues, will end the pandemic. Since the rate of vaccination needs to exceed the rate of spread of the more easily transmissible variants which are emerging, especially the B117 from the United Kingdom which has begun to predominate, it is very important that this impressive rate of vaccination (close to 3 million doses per day) continue. (Dr. Marc Siegel, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare: High Drug Costs Are A Threat To Americans' Health
As President Joe Biden approaches his 100th day in office this week, it's clear his administration's main focus is ending the COVID-19 pandemic. But there's another crisis mounting beneath the surface: the persistent unaffordability of prescription drugs. The cost of retail prescription drugs increased by 5.7% in 2019, up from 3.8% in 2018, according to CMS, and costs are projected to increase by 31% between 2020 and 2025—reaching $471 billion. Meanwhile, the prices of highly utilized specialty drugs have been arbitrarily inflated over time by pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the specialty drug pipeline is only growing. (Richard Migliori, 4/28)
The Washington Examiner: Biden Talks Like He's Defeated The Pandemic But Then Tells Us To Keep Wearing Masks And Social Distancing
Every time President Joe Biden crawls out of his tomb in the White House, he has an update on the tremendous progress his administration has had defeating the coronavirus. And yet every time, he tells us that we will still have to keep a mask (preferably two) plastered to our faces and continue avoiding anyone outside our immediate households. He did it again Wednesday during his address to the joint session of Congress. "After just 100 days, I can report to the nation, America is on the move again," he said. Later, he said, "After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready for a takeoff, in my view." (Eddie Scarry, 4/28)
Deseret News: Joe Biden’s Speech: There’s A Focus On Families, But It Comes At A Cost
At least people in Washington are talking about families again. If any part of President Joe Biden’s speech Wednesday night should make Utahns feel good, that’s it. It’s been a long time since family values dominated any party platform in the capital. Of course, the family measures Biden outlined in his American Families Plan would cost $1.8 trillion, added onto his $2.3 trillion “infrastructure” plan, which would be added onto the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill he already got Congress to pass, which was added to earlier stimulus bills, which … you get the idea. (Jay Evensen, 4/28)
