Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The Hill: How America’s Health Care System Fails Women In Pain
Women bear a disproportionate amount of pain over the course of their lives. Hundreds of studies have shown that they’re more sensitive to pain than men. They report feeling pain more often and more intensely. They’re also more likely to seek help for their pain than men are. And yet: Far from healing pain’s gender gap, the health care system appears to be making it worse. (Neklason, 9/23)
The Atlantic: The Logical Extreme Of Anti-Aging
Like normal Botox, baby Botox involves injections of a muscle paralytic. The difference is that baby Botox is proactive versus reactive: If first administered in youth and repeated every few months for the rest of your life, baby Botox can prevent wrinkles from ever forming. (Tayag, 9/25)
The Washington Post: Travel Can Slow The Aging Process, New Study Says
The positive experiences associated with trips — the social interactions, mental stimulation, physical activity and healthy cuisines — can delay the aging process, scientists say. (Sachs, 9/20)
The New York Times: Restaurant Portions Are About To Get Smaller. Are Americans Ready?
Americans are not likely to break up with endless pasta bowls and half-pound burgers overnight. But the relationship has shifted significantly. More than 75 percent of customers say they want smaller portions for less money, according to the 2024 National Restaurant Association report on the industry. Restaurants sinking under rising food costs are trying to figure out how to sell smaller servings without upsetting value-minded customers. (Severson, 9/24)
The Washington Post: How A Maryland Town’s Grocery Store Fight Fractured Along Racial Lines
All residents of tiny Snow Hill, Md., wanted was a better grocery store. The fight to get one reopened generational wounds. (Carman, 9/21)
Stat: How Special Olympics Kickstarted The Push For Better Disability Data
Healthy Athletes kick-started an ongoing effort in the United States to provide health care to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thirty years later, health data on this oft-ignored population remains scant or conflicting. (Broderick, 9/25)
Stat: The Little-Known Chinese Biotech Whose Cancer Drug Beat Keytruda Has Global Ambitions
Recent headlines about a potent new immunotherapy have mostly focused on the U.S. company helping to develop it. Less attention has been paid to Akeso, a Chinese biotech that had kept a low profile until its drug bested Merck’s mega-blockbuster Keytruda in a late-stage lung cancer trial. Now, Akeso’s leaders want you to know that its recent success isn’t a one-off. (Wosen, 9/25)
