Perspectives: Finally, Nationwide Hospital Data; Relief Or No Relief?; What’s A Restaurant To Do?

Stat: New Data, Dashboard Provide Information On Covid-19 Hospital Capacity
The surge in Covid-19 cases that began in early November has raised questions about how hospital systems nationwide are handling the pandemic and whether there are enough beds and staff to take care of hospitalized patients. A big concern is whether hospitals in nonmetropolitan areas will be able to keep up. (Pinar Karaca-Mandic, 12/10)

The Hill: Members Of Congress Should Force Leadership To Hold A COVID-19 Relief Bill Vote
With COVID-19 spreading exponentially and troubling new data suggesting the labor market and the economy could be backsliding, it may time for rank-and-file members to force the hand of congressional leadership and force a vote on a bill the public desperately wants and needs. House and Senate members have real leverage if they are willing to use it in the form of a somewhat obscure — but powerful — procedural tool. (Former Reps. Tom Davis and Martin Frost, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Schumer’s Unemployment Flip-Flop 
Democrats are outraged this week that the White House rejected their demand for four more months of $300 in weekly enhanced jobless payments in Covid relief talks. “That is unacceptable,” thundered Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Would he say the same about legislation he introduced in July with Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden? (12/9)

New York Post: Why Won't NY's Leaders Share The Data On Restaurants And COVID?
If you’ve dined indoors at a New York City restaurant over the past few months, you know the routine: You must fill in contact information on a form. That way, if someone tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracers can identify others who’ve eaten at the same restaurants and alert them that they may have been exposed. Supposedly. Surely the tracers must know which restaurants, if any, have had many of its patrons infected. So why is Gov. Cuomo now threatening to ban all indoor dining, and put in other new restrictions, as COVID infections and hospitalizations rise, rather than focus only on eateries with a bad record? (David Marcus, 12/8)

Los Angeles Times: Judge Who Ruled On L.A. County Outdoor Dining Was Wrong
The tentative ruling Tuesday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to enjoin a ban on outdoor dining in Los Angeles County ignores a fundamental constitutional principle: Government regulation of business is allowed as long as it is reasonable. The government does not need to prove that an action is necessary, or even that it will work. Unless the government’s action is irrational or serves no conceivable legitimate purpose, it must be upheld. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Italians Will Be Frozen In Place This Christmas
The government fears that Christmas festivities will spread the virus, so it is imposing severe travel restrictions. Residents already aren’t free to move through the national territory, a constitutional right in Italy as in any liberal democracy. They may travel only within their regions—Italy has 20 of them—or between regions that are classified as having a similar risk status. On Dec. 25 and 26 and Jan. 1, all Italians will be confined to their municipalities. The rationale for the new measures lies in the fear that people may move out of the larger cities to join their relatives and have large gatherings, therefore causing a new infection spike. (Alberto Mingardi, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Xavier Becerra Is The Right HHS Director. Here’s Why Republicans Are Attacking Him. 
In 2016, when I was putting together a podcast on debt, I put out a call for stories about medical billing disputes. That was when I first heard about Sutter Health, the largest health-care provider in Northern California. An employer lawsuit was alleging that Sutter used its dominant market power to drain the financial blood of its unfortunate patients. In 2018, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued them, too. Among the allegations: that Sutter’s market power, enhanced by a string of acquisitions, drove up health-care costs to the point where people in Northern California paid more than double what those in Southern California were charged for inpatient hospital procedures. Sutter quickly caved and agreed last year to a $575 million settlement — as well as to a host of other conditions including limiting the amounts they can charge out-of-network patients in surprise medical bills. Is it Medicare-for-all? No. But Becerra’s efforts most certainly improved the lives of California residents who need medical attention. (Helaine Olen, 12/9)