Viewpoints: A Formula For Fixing A Public Health System In Crisis; For Many, Vaccine Hesitancy Feels Logical

Stat: How To Respond To Dangerous Changes To U.S. Public Health 
A dangerous idea is on the table: ending universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination in the United States. For many years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that every baby born in this country receive the vaccine, preventing infections and deaths from a disease that causes liver cancer and deadly cirrhosis. (Most other higher-income countries have the same recommendation.) Abandoning this protection would condemn thousands of children every year to lifelong infection. One in four babies infected at birth eventually die from this preventable infection. (Tom Frieden, 9/30)

The New York Times: What Really Drives Vaccine Hesitancy
In the 20 years I’ve spent researching vaccine decisions, I have spoken to plenty of parents who reject shots for their children. Some say vaccines are never safe or necessary or that polio went away on its own and the vaccine wrongly got credit. I’ve heard comparisons of vaccines to snake venom. In reality, however, the number of people who reject all vaccines is quite small — so small that they are unlikely to compromise public health. (Jennifer Reich, 9/30)

Stat: What Are The Ethical Implications Of Saving A Single Child's Life?
He was two months old and already living on borrowed time. The baby, born in El Salvador, had never drawn a breath on his own. His rare congenital condition narrowed the airway deep within his chest. A ventilator kept him alive. A breathing tube threaded down his throat had become his surrogate airway. But that tube, and that machine, were reaching their limits. The baby’s oxygen levels were harder to maintain. Infections loomed. Without surgery to reconstruct his airway, he would not survive another month. (Christopher Hartnick, 9/30)

Kansas City Star: Missouri's Abortion Amendment Language Hides True Intent 
Everything you need to know about the latest effort to ban abortion in Missouri comes down to this: Republicans don’t actually want voters to know they’re going to ban abortion. Again. They’re trying to sneak it past you. (Joel Mathis, 9/29)

Stat: Insurance Companies Are On A New Slippery Slope: Downcoding 
Insurance companies continue to innovate. On Oct. 1, Cigna will roll out a policy that tracks how physicians bill. It will flag those who submit a higher proportion of level four or level five visits — which get reimbursed at a higher rate — than their peers. For doctors placed under this extra scrutiny, certain claims at those higher levels may be adjusted down by one level if the billing details do not appear to justify the service. The affected codes include 99204–99205 (new patient, office/outpatient), 99214–99215 (established patient, office/outpatient), and 99244–99245 (consultations). (Ryan Nadelson, 9/29)