Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report: US Ranks Worst In Health Care Among 10 Developed Nations
NBC News: U.S. Ranks Last In Health Care Compared With Nine Other High-Income Countries, Report Finds
The health system in the U.S. is failing, a startling new report finds. The U.S. ranks as the worst performer among 10 developed nations in critical areas of health care, including preventing deaths, access (mainly because of high cost) and guaranteeing quality treatment for everyone, regardless of gender, income or geographic location, according to the report, published Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group. (Lovelace Jr., 9/19)
Read the full report —
Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Health System
On the leadership of U.S. health care agencies —
The Hill: Robert F. Kennedy Says He's Helping Trump Pick FDA, NIH, CDC Leaders
Former independent presidential candidate and antivaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that former President Trump wants him to choose leaders for key public health agencies if he wins the election in November. Kennedy told conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that under a second Trump term, he would be responsible for eliminating “corrupt influences” from agencies, Mediaite first reported. (Ventura, 9/18)
Stat: Q&A: Francis Collins, Former NIH Director On Science And God
Francis Collins’ reputation precedes him: A scientist’s scientist, he obtained a Ph.D. in physical chemistry before going to medical school and subsequently becoming a molecular biologist. He led the Human Genome Project, then directed the National Institutes of Health for 12 years. When he stepped down in 2021, he became President Biden’s science adviser. But Collins is also one of the most outspoken Christians in modern intellectual circles, having become one at age 27 after a two-year journey through the world’s religions convinced him that it was the only thing that could make sense out of both life’s big questions and the Big Bang. (Trang, 9/19)
