Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: An Untimely End For NIH's Clinical Research Centers; Rural Hospitals' Rates Draw Insurer Scrutiny
Stat: The NIH Is Abandoning Vital Clinical Research Centers. That's A Mistake
One of the most successful research enterprises funded by the NIH, the Clinical Research Center (CRC) program, is dying, its highly productive life cut short with virtually no discussion in the scientific community. As longtime CRC users and the director (David M. Nathan) of one of them for more than 25 years, we mourn their loss even as we question the decision to abandon them. (David M. Nathan and David G. Nathan, 6/6)
Modern Healthcare: Rural Hospitals Taken Aback By Washington Insurer's Fingerpointing Over Rates
Like a number of other health insurers around the country, Premera Blue Cross is cutting back its participation in the Obamacare exchange market. What's notable is that the Mountlake Terrace, Wash.-based insurer is partly blaming rural healthcare providers' excessive rates for its pullback. At least one hospital leader in a smaller community was surprised by the not-for-profit insurer's position, saying the insurer had never complained to him about his organization's rates. (Harris Meyer, 6/6)
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: The Fundamentally Different Goals Of The Affordable Care Act And Republican ‘Replacement’ Plans
Rep. Pete Sessions and Sen. Bill Cassidy introduced legislation last month calling for replacing elements of the Affordable Care Act. A House task force established by Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to follow with more health-care proposals. These Republican health plans are generally referred to as “replacements” for the ACA–in the spirit of “repeal and replace”–as though they would accomplish the same objectives in ways that conservatives prefer. But the proposals are better understood as alternatives with very different goals, trade-offs, and consequences. Whether they are “better” or “worse” depends on your perspective. (Drew Altman, 6/7)
The Washington Post: Rep. Brooks: House Republicans Have Acted On Zika Virus
There is no doubt about it, we must act now to address the threats that Zika virus poses to our national health. It’s a crisis, similar to the one we experienced two years ago when the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa necessitated an immediate response. In truth, any future biological threat will cause a national health crisis until our national strategy for preparing for and protecting against biological threats is more proactive. We can’t continue to respond from crisis to crisis. Since the 2014 Ebola outbreak, despite steps taken by our hospitals and others to better prepare for biological threats and public health emergencies, our nation remains largely reactionary in its response. (Rep. Susan W. Brooks, 6/6)
The Washington Post: I’m A Stay-At-Home Mom. I’m An Addict.
Since his death, there have been countless articles speculating why a man as rich and famous as Prince would “allow” himself to become addicted to painkillers. But no one plans on becoming an addict. I know this because I, an educated stay-at-home mom, am an addict. Like Prince and the millions of Americans who take prescription painkillers every year, I began taking them for their intended purpose: I was in pain. When I became pregnant at 31, I knew my body would change irrevocably. I thought my red curls might go straight or my green eyes might reject contacts. I thought my feet might grow. I wasn’t prepared for my body chemistry to change. After my first son was born, certain foods tasted strange. I became allergic to alcohol. Muscle relaxants, which had previously helped my intense period cramps, no longer worked. My whole body felt different. Off. Wrong. (Jen Simon, 6/6)
The Washington Post: Don’t Let Polarizing Politics Derail How We Talk About Death
In the end, the personal was political. What brought the 78-year-old California governor and former Jesuit seminarian to sign the law that will allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients was thinking about his own last days. “I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain,” wrote Jerry Brown, breaking a long silence on this issue. “I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn’t deny that right to others.” And so on Thursday, California will become the fifth and largest state to make physician-assisted death legal. (Ellen Goodman, 6/6)
Los Angeles Times: Hospital Says It Will Comply With End-Of-Life Law — For Now
Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena will participate in California’s assisted suicide law when it takes effect Thursday. But that could change down the road. I reported last month that medical leaders at the hospital quietly had voted for the facility's hundreds of doctors and affiliated personnel to opt out of the End of Life Option Act, which allows physicians to prescribe medication to hasten the death of terminally ill adults. The hospital’s board of directors was expected to finalize the opt-out decision at its May 26 meeting. But Huntington’s top brass is proceeding more cautiously now that the controversial matter is public knowledge. (David Lazarus, 6/7)
The Kansas City Star: Make It A Priority To Restore Vital Help For The Mentally Ill In Kansas City Area
The services that the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Kansas City has provided for people and families for 36 years are too vital for it to remain closed for long. Funding and staff problems recently forced the alliance to cease operations. Close to 30 percent of its revenue was from a portion of the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund tax levy. Concerns over a need for the alliance to be reorganized caused it to be dropped from funding. (6/5)
The New York Times' The Upshot: The U.S. Is Failing In Infant Mortality, Starting At One Month Old
Many more babies die in the United States than you might think. In 2014, more than 23,000 infants died in their first year of life, or about six for every 1,000 born. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 other industrialized nations do better than the United States at keeping babies alive. (Aaron E. Carroll, 6/5)
Bloomberg: How To Lose $4.5 Billion Overnight
Forbes made quite a stir last week, by reporting that it had cut the estimated net worth of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes from $4.5 billion to…zero. Since Forbes is widely regarded as the authority on the size of private fortunes, this was a dramatic move. How could so much wealth disappear so fast? (Noah Smith, 6/6)
