Viewpoints: ACA Should Look To L.A. Care Example; FDA Considering Ban On Herbal Opioid Substitute
Editorial pages delve into these public health topics.
Roll Call:
Now Is The Time To Improve The Affordable Care Act
A public option was included in the original ACA legislation the House passed in 2009 but, sadly, didn’t make it into the final bill. It’s time to bring it back. ... The public option can provide commercial plans with the competition that will ensure affordable premiums, as well as equity in care. ... L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, serving more than 2.4 million members in Los Angeles County, has a unique perspective on how to implement a successful public option. After all, L.A. Care is a real-life example of a public option that has been operating successfully on California’s ACA exchange since 2014, and it remains the only public plan to do so. (John Baackes, 8/12)
Scientific American:
The FDA Shouldn't Support A Ban On Kratom
In ordinary times, there would be no question about whether a drug with opioidlike effects should be proven safe and effective and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it is widely marketed. But these aren’t ordinary times and the herbal supplement kratom is not a typical drug. In fact, the issue of whether or not to ban kratom is an excellent litmus test of whether the Biden administration will actually use the philosophy of harm reduction to guide drug policy—or just spout the trendy catchphrase as window dressing to hide ongoing engagement in the war on drugs. (Maia Szalavitz, 8/12)
Modern Healthcare:
Employers, Physicians Must Partner To Meet Nation's Growing Mental Health Needs
Long before the COVID-19 epidemic hit, the nation's behavioral healthcare system was in crisis, with mental health diagnoses on the rise, coupled with a shortage of providers. The pandemic took a system that was already overtaxed and stressed it even further. Cases of depression, anxiety and substance abuse have risen as a result and will only be further exacerbated with the delta variant surge. America's healthcare leaders must make behavioral health reform a top priority. (Dr. Norman Chenven and Michael Thompson, 8/12)
The New York Times:
Who Will Take Care Of America’s Caregivers?
When you are old and gray and full of sleep and nodding by the fire — whom do you expect to help take care of you? Family? Friends? Paid aides? All of the above? The nation’s caregiving work force is fraying. Paid providers are overworked and undervalued, often forced to take on multiple jobs or turn to public assistance just to scrape by. Many family caregivers are struggling as well, sacrificing their own health and well-being to tend to loved ones for years on end. Consistent, skilled, affordable care is in short supply — and getting shorter — and those who provide it are shouldering an increasingly unsustainable burden. (Michelle Cottle, 8/12)
The New England Journal of Medicine:
Holding Open The Door For Others Like Me
In 2020, there were 2014 people who applied to the 1443 Ob/Gyn intern positions offered, of whom 1440 matched. Applicants who matched listed a median of 12 Ob/Gyn programs on their rank list; unmatched applicants listed a median of 6.2 I had interviewed at and ranked 13 programs, which gave me a 95% chance of matching that year. And yet somehow, those odds still weren’t enough for me to match. As of 2018, only 5% of the U.S. physician workforce identified as Black, and only 0.7% of matriculating M.D. students identified as transgender or nonbinary. My inclusion in the medical field — as someone who identifies as Black, queer, and nonbinary — is essential: there is strong evidence that the presence of physicians from underrepresented groups improves health outcomes for patients with historically marginalized identities who can see themselves reflected in their clinicians. (Dr. Laer H. Streeter, 8/12)
