Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Fentanyl's New Victims; Short-Term Insurance; And The Science Of Drinking
Mother Jones: America’s Fentanyl Problem Is Reaching A Whole New Group Of Users
Alongside deaths involving fentanyl-laced heroin, overdoses involving cocaine and fentanyl—without the heroin—are quietly rising. Many medical examiner’s offices don’t specify the exact drug combinations found in the bodies of overdose victims, but data compiled by Mother Jones found an increase in cocaine-fentanyl deaths in four places that track these specifics: Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York City, and Cuyahoga County in Ohio. (Julia Lurie, 4/23)
The Atlantic: Trump Will Change Obamacare's Short-Term Insurance Rule
In a fact sheet about the forthcoming changes, the administration said it wants to extend access to the plans—which now expire after three months, and offer too few services to qualify for the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits—in order to “provide additional, often much more affordable coverage options, while also ensuring consumers understand the coverage they purchase.” According to that release, the policies are beneficial for unemployed people and for those who can’t afford pricey Obamacare plans. But are they? (Vann Newkirk, 4/25)
Vox: 2018 Midterm Elections: Republicans Should Be Terrified Of Health Care
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act helped sweep the GOP into power eight years ago. But after they spent the last year failing to repeal it while the Trump administration waged a quiet administrative war against the law, Republicans in Congress are facing the very real possibility that health care could animate the backlash that could force them out of power next year. (Dylan Scott, 4/25)
Vox: How Much Alcohol Is Too Much? The Science Is Shifting.
It turns out the story about the health effects of moderate drinking is shifting pretty dramatically. New research on alcohol and mortality, and a growing awareness about the rise in alcohol-related deaths in the US, is causing a reckoning among researchers about even moderate levels of alcohol consumption. (Julia Belluz, 4/24)
The Cut: How I Got This Baby: Mom Who Had An Abortion At 7 Months
Tara’s third pregnancy was a surprise, from its happy start to its unexpected end. She discusses having two uteruses, telling her son she wasn’t going to come home with a baby, the physical reality of having a third-trimester dilation and evacuation, and what she’s grateful for today. (4/19)
The Atlantic: Why Burgers And Fries Symbolize American Nostalgia
It’s no accident that fast foods tap so persistently into the national consciousness; cheap, efficient, and predictable, these foods satisfy deeply ingrained American values. They also speak to a collective memory of the good old days: The rise of the United States on the global stage coincided with the postwar ascendancy of fast-food franchises. (Suzy Swartz, 4/24)
