Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: It's Time For The MCAT To Go; Innovative Approaches To Pain Management May Replace Opioids
Newsweek: Removing The MCAT Could Improve Diversity In Medicine
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) should follow the lead of the ABA for medical school admissions by removing the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) as a requirement. (Tyler Harvey, 1/24)
Los Angeles Times: Does Physical Therapy Work For Severe Pain?
Chronic pain affects 1 in 6 people in the United States and around the world, and is the most common cause of disability. Yet medicine’s desperate attempts to treat chronic pain sparked the opioid epidemic. And while many promising non-opioid therapies exist, some of them newly developed, patients face innumerable barriers in accessing them. To overcome the opioid epidemic, it is not enough to just reduce how many opioids physicians prescribe. We need to be able to offer patients evidence-based alternatives. Yet for that to happen, we must also better understand the fundamental nature of chronic pain, which is as much an emotion we feel in our minds as it is a physical sensation experienced by our body. (Haider Warraich, 1/24)
The Star Tribune: Bodily Autonomy Should Apply At Life's End, Too
The right to make decisions about your own health care seems like it would be a foundation of our society. Unfortunately, patient autonomy is too often infringed upon from the church to the courtroom to the emergency room. (Tara Guy, 1/24)
Dallas Morning News: How To Expand Access To Mental Health Care In Texas Without Spending Tax Dollars
Texas ranked last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in access to mental health services, according to a recent study by Mental Health America.With such a shoddy record, the recently convened Texas Legislature will inevitably debate whether to increase mental health funding. But simply pouring more money into the system isn’t necessarily the best way to boost outcomes. (Jeffrey A. Singer, 1/25)
The CT Mirror: The Impact Of Rising Healthcare Costs On Low-Income Families
Take a quick look at the medical section of GoFundMe or other crowdfunding websites in Connecticut and it paints a harrowing picture of what is wrong with our healthcare system. Why are so many Connecticut residents relying on the generosity of strangers for their medical expenses? (Lavinia Labrias, 1/24)
The CT Mirror: CT Students Of Color Need More Mental Health Support
Remember the time Ariana Grande gave her fans $5 million of free therapy? It felt like a fevered dream. A Grammy-winning artist was offering free and accessible mental health support before my school and healthcare provider. (Mukund Desibhatla, 1/25)
Stat: Reinventing Health Care In 2023
After a year defined by record inflation and double-digit health care premium increases, I hope that a few years down the road we can eventually look back at 2023 as the year that ignited change in U.S. health care and led to a new system that future generations are proud of. I’ll be doing everything I can to make that happen. (Michael Waterbury, 1/25)
