Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: An Insider's View On How Health Insurance Went Astray; Abortion Rights Wins Are Not Enough
The New York Times: I Was A Health Insurance Executive. What I Saw Made Me Quit.
I left my job as a health insurance executive at Cigna after a crisis of conscience. It began in 2005, during a meeting convened by the chief executive to brief department heads on the company’s latest strategy: “consumerism.” (Wendell Potter, 12/18)
The Washington Post: Abortion Rights Advocates See A Few Wins — And More Tragedies
American voters saw fit in November to elect a president who crowed about stacking the Supreme Court with justices determined to reverse Roe v. Wade, opening the door to a flurry of state abortion bans that have wreaked havoc on the medical system, resulted in women’s health emergencies and deaths, and increased infant mortality rates. However, in the very same election, seven of 10 measures protecting abortion rights on state ballots passed. (Jennifer Rubin, 12/17)
Chicago Tribune: Journalists Failed To Ask Dr. Anthony Fauci Hard Questions
In the midst of a flurry of presidential pardons and commutations by President Joe Biden, there is talk in the White House of preemptive pardons for people who could be at risk of prosecution by the next administration. One of the top names reportedly mentioned is former chief medical adviser to Biden during COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci’s “crime,” if there is one, was his disingenuous testimony before Congress on gain-of-function research. It might not technically be perjury, but it may have created enough legal exposure for Fauci to consider retaining one of those notoriously high-priced D.C. criminal lawyers. Much of this might have been avoided, but for a worse crime, one that no presidential pardon can fix: the abject failure of America’s science journalists to do their jobs and ask questions. (Cory Franklin, 12/18)
Stat: How To Fix Health Insurance Premiums, Copays, And Deductibles
Online vitriol isn’t pretty. But the mass schadenfreude that greeted the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, while cruel and inappropriate, did succeed in drawing attention to growing rage over the nation’s private health insurance system. (Merrill Goozner, 12/18)
The CT Mirror: Drug Discount Program Remains Vital To Support Healthcare Services
Connecticut hospitals provide care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, and invest millions in addressing community health needs. Despite facing negative operating margins —spending more on providing care than the collective reimbursement from government programs and health insurance companies—exacerbated by rising costs, including drug expenses, Connecticut hospitals continue to offer essential services and community benefits. (Paul Kidwell, 12/18)
