Viewpoints: A Government Shutdown Is Needed To Save Insurance Subsidies; Parkinson’s Is Linked To Pollutants
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
Bloomberg:
Shut Down The Government To Save Health Care
Democrats should be willing to risk a government shutdown, which looms at the end of the month, in order to save health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans, which are set to expire at the end of the year. (Matthew Yglesias, 9/7)
The New York Times:
The Clue To Unlocking Parkinson’s May Be All Around Us
As industry has boomed and agricultural and industrial toxins like paraquat have proliferated in the postwar period, so has something else: Parkinson’s disease. Once almost unknown, the ailment was first identified in 1817 when Dr. James Parkinson described a handful of elderly people with what he called “the shaking palsy.” That was in polluted London, and it’s now understood that air pollution is a risk factor for the disease. (Nicholas Kristof, 9/8)
Roll Call:
How The US Can Beat China On Drug Safety And National Security
As Americans debate the rising cost of prescription drugs and the safety of global supply chains, one overlooked threat is quietly gaining ground: China is reshaping the rules of global drug regulation and using them as a tool of influence. (Ted Yoho, 9/5)
Stat:
Don’t Cut The NIH Budget. Reform The Institution Instead
The National Institutes of Health commands nearly $50 billion annually — more than the GDP of many nations — and its importance to biomedical research has historically been prized by both political parties. Since Covid however, the NIH has been criticized for a lack of full transparency and accountability, particularly about the research it was sponsoring in Wuhan, China. (Stuart Buck, 9/8)
The Washington Post:
A Dangerous Farm Bill Loophole Exposes Kids To Marijuana-Like Products
Due to a loophole in federal law, psychoactive and intoxicating products nearly identical to marijuana are easily accessible to minors, including in states that have not legalized recreational marijuana use. Congress is best positioned to rectify this danger to children. (Lindsey Vuolo and Kevin Roy, 9/8)
Stat:
How To Talk To Strangers At A Bar About Covid
For the last few weeks of summer, my mom visited from Florida. The night before her flight, we stopped at one of our local spots, a dive bar/restaurant where we can be super casual and enjoy greasy bar food over drinks. At the table next to us was a group of four men, in their late 60s or thereabouts if I had to estimate. It was clear they’d been there a while, judging from the empty beer glasses scattered across the table (no judgment). They were talking at a high volume, so I couldn’t help but hear when the topic of Covid and vaccines came up. (Jess Steier, 9/6)
The CT Mirror:
Fueling Failure: Students Are Running On Toxic Boosts
Imagine pouring a gallon of milk into a vehicle’s gas tank in the center of a bustling campus. It would be a showstopper. Yet, students, faculty, and staff regularly pass by one another, energy drink in hand, without a second thought. How have we become so callous to consuming things not meant to be in our bodies, basically biological machines? (Rozina Jaser, 9/5)
