Longer Looks: Insurance Mergers, Breakfast and Organ Donations
Each week, KHN's Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Vox:
Will Massive Mergers Make Health Insurance As Bad As Cable?
The health insurance industry is consolidating — and fast. Anthem struck a deal Friday to acquire Cigna, creating the country's largest health insurance plan. And less than a month ago Aetna announced plans to acquire Humana. If the Department of Justice approves the mergers, the big five health insurers in the United States would shrink to just three. Taken together, these three companies will cover around 132 million Americans — about half the population under 65. (Sarah Kliff, 7/24)
The Atlantic:
Breakfast With Zeke
It's not every morning a renowned bioethicist asks you if you’d prefer to sit indoors or out, or freshens your water glass. But that’s what happens when Zeke Emanuel decides to cook breakfast at a pop-up restaurant in Washington D.C. for four days over two weekends. (Corby Kummer, 7/26)
The New York Times:
10 Things I'd Tell My Former Medicated Self
Tell everyone close to you that you’re tapering off your meds. Tell them that if they think you seem down, they should speak up; you won’t get defensive. Yes, you’ve been defensive in the past. You used to think depression meant you were weak, or at least, you interpreted expressions of concern as accusations of weakness. But it’s time to change. (Diana Spechler, 7/27)
The Atlantic:
One Head, Two Brains
In 1939, a group of 10 people between the ages of 10 and 43, all with epilepsy, traveled to the University of Rochester Medical Center, where they would become the first people to undergo a radical new surgery. The patients were there because they all struggled with violent and uncontrollable seizures. The procedure they were about to have was untested on humans, but they were desperate—none of the standard drug therapies for seizures had worked. (Emily Esfahani Smith, 7/27)
Vox:
How Anti-Vaxxers Have Scared The Media Away From Covering Vaccine Side Effects
Vaccines are one of the single greatest contributors to public health of the past century. And in recent years, whenever anti-vaccine groups or cranks have tried to cast doubt on this fact, the country's best health journalists have sprung into to action, working to present the facts and essentially debunk anti-vaccine pseudoscience. Vaccines, after all, are overwhelmingly safe. And people should know that. But what happens when credible scientists discover real drawbacks to certain vaccines? How do we report on that responsibly — without giving ammunition to deniers? (Julia Belluz, 7/27)
Pacific Standard:
Why We Should Think Twice About Giving Genetic Tests To Our Kids
Should you have your kids genetically tested? This is not a question that most parents consider—yet. However, as genetic testing becomes more common, due to the development of genetically guided, personalized health care and the growing popularity of inexpensive direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, we're nearing a point when nearly everyone will take a genetic test at some time in their lives. (Michael White, 7/23)
Aeon:
Dead Enough
A massive stroke from a ruptured artery in his brain and fallen into a persistent, then permanent, coma. Now imagine that before the stroke our hypothetical patient had expressed a wish to donate his organs after his death. If neurologists could determine that the patient had no chance of recovery, then would that patient really be harmed if transplant surgeons removed life-support, such as ventilators and feeding tubes, and took his organs, instead of waiting for death by natural means? (Walter Glannon, 7/27)
St. Louis Public Radio:
Caring About Health In Face Of Toxic Stress
There are a few things we know about health care that are true for everyone. For one thing, it's expensive. It's a nearly $3 trillion industry in the U.S. Also, it's not easy to do well. Mortality rates and hospital admission rates for preventable diseases are higher in the U.S. than other Western countries. So, given that treating people is already a challenging task, imagine the extra challenge that comes from treating people who are experience toxic stress — the stress that comes from constant exposure to poor housing conditions, lack of quality food or exposure to violence. (Neuman, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
On The Record: Special Agent Glenn Ferry Fights Medicare Fraud
Glenn Ferry has busted pastors, organized crime figures and fake nurses in nearly three decades fighting Medicare fraud. He's special agent in charge of the Los Angeles regional office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general. His territory spans Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. (Chad Terhune, 7/23)
