Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Anti-Vaxxers' Misperceptions Deny Children's Rights; Expand Sorely Needed Research on Women's Brains, Alzheimer's
Seattle Times: Anti-Vaccine Misinformation Denies Children’s Rights
This spring’s violence in Parkland, Florida, cast a spotlight on the rights of children and adolescents deserving protection. But in recent weeks we have also learned about another major lapse in child protection. Failing to take children’s well-being seriously is causing increases in deaths and serious illnesses from vaccine-preventable diseases.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that at least 97 children in the United States died from influenza during this flu season. Even though the influenza vaccine helps protect children from dying, most deaths this season occurred in unvaccinated children. (Arthur L. Caplan and Peter J. Hotez, 4/18)
The New York Times: The Menopause-Alzheimer’s Connection
In the next three minutes, three people will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Two of them will be women. There are 5.7 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. By 2050, there will probably be as many as 14 million, and twice as many women as men will have the disease. And yet research into “women’s health” remains largely focused on reproductive fitness and breast cancer. We need to be paying much more attention to the most important aspect of any woman’s future: her ability to think, to recall, to imagine — her brain. (Lisa Mosconi, 4/18)
USA Today: Veterans Say Marijuana Eases Their Pain, Why Won't VA & Sessions Help?
The current buffet of federal benefits veterans have earned under federal law is broader than ever, yet many continue to suffer from conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), at times and too often dying tragically from suicide because available medical treatments are ineffective. We must do all we can to make sure our veterans aren't barred from the health care treatments that work for them. The use of medical marijuana has entered the national discussion as a viable treatment option and a growing number of voices are calling for it to become available to veterans for medical use. Some national veterans organizations, such as the American Legion, want the government to allocate money to study its medical efficacy and potential as a life altering benefit to ease the effects of PTSD, chronic pain and other disorders. (Roger Stone and Christopher Neiweem, 4/18)
Seattle Times: Hold The Applause On President Trump’s Promises On Pot
President Donald Trump’s vow that he will not interfere with Colorado’s pot industry is welcome news for all states that have legalized marijuana, including Washington. Yet state officials are wise to view this new development with caution. Sadly, it’s too soon to tell what Trump’s pledge really means. Will he stay the course in reversing the stricter approach to pot enforcement that Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in January? (4/18)
The Hill: Sanders's Proposed Opioid Legislation Is Too Focused On The Past
This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released proposed legislation that would restrict the activities of companies that manufacture and distribute opioid pain medications. While these commonsense measures would have some impact, they respond to a problem that is largely in the past. And by themselves, they profoundly fail to address the current opioid epidemic and meaningfully curtail its impact. (Lawrence Greenblatt, 4/18)
Stat: Falsehoods And Facts About Drugs And The People Who Use Them
A new survey of Americans shows that many regard addiction as a behavioral failing, and most would not welcome those suffering from addiction into their neighborhoods, workplaces, or families. Such attitudes toward addiction, which mirror those in many other countries, perpetuate the abundant false narratives about drugs the world over. Misrepresentations about drugs fuel stigma and discrimination towards the people who use them. I see this all the time in my work as a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. This hinders effective reform and undermines human dignity and the rule of law. (Jose Ramos-Horta, 4/19)
The Hill: Achieving Health Care’s Best Future Means Getting Fundamentals Correct Now
George Orwell wrote, “To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” This is health care’s problem.We have spent — and will continue to spend — billions of dollars developing, buying and marketing state-of-the-art technology designed to create care that is transparent, cost-effective and patient-centered. However, in our pursuit of the future, we’re overlooking foundational elements that make the health-care system patients deserve more difficult to achieve. (Russ Thomas, 4/17)
The Hill: Republicans Have A Long Way To Go Toward Fully Repealing ObamaCare
As Republicans careen toward the midterms with tax reform under their belts and not much else, rumor has it that a small group of Republican senators are working with the White House and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) to revive the debate over ObamaCare repeal. Their purpose is laudable. But, privately, conservatives across Capitol Hill are expressing concern that the proposal may not do enough to dismantle ObamaCare’s regulatory structure, reduce its colossal spending, or allow freedom to innovate outside the law’s stifling framework. (Rachel Bovard, 4/18)
Stat: Artificial Intelligence Will Put Premium On Physicians' Knowledge, Judgment
The FDA’s announcement last week that it approved artificial intelligence software that can identify diabetic retinopathy, a common eye disease, without the need for an eye specialist likely shook some doctors already concerned about this new technology. I don’t think they have anything to worry about.Artificial intelligence, sometimes called AI, is not a dramatic and revolutionary development in the history of medicine. It’s but the latest in a long line of breakthroughs that have made it possible for caregivers to better diagnose and treat illness. We should be wary of the hype surrounding this advance, which is leading to broad misconceptions that AI will replace doctors. What it will actually do is put a premium on physicians’ knowledge and decision-making skills. (Marschall S. Runge, 4/19)
Detroit News: Flint Raises Stakes In Race For Governor
Two years after Gov. Rick Snyder issued a full-blown apology for presiding over one of the biggest public health disasters in the state, in which roughly 10,000 kids in Flint were exposed to lead in their drinking water for 18 months, the city is still waiting for a clean bill of health. A majority of the lead pipes have not been replaced and the city’s children are still being tested for lead. Even after Snyder vowed a full recovery, the question of reconstruction now falls on to the next governor, which makes Flint an important factor in the 2018 gubernatorial race. (Bankole Thompson, 4/18)
The Wichita Eagle: Welfare Reform Once Again
President Trump last week signed an executive order, the purpose of which is, according to a White House news release, to reduce poverty in America “by promoting opportunity and economic mobility.” ...Conservatives like to say they measure success not by how many people receive government assistance, but by how many don’t. It is more than a sound bite. Helping people become independent of government is real compassion. (Cal Thomas, 4/18)
New England Journal of Medicine: Time Out — Charting A Path For Improving Performance Measurement
Performance measurement in the U.S. health care system has expanded dramatically over the past 30 years. The National Quality Measures Clearinghouse now lists more than 2500 performance measures. These measures are used in various quality-reporting, accountability, and payment programs sponsored by commercial payers, government agencies, and independent quality-assessment organizations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to base 90% of Medicare fee-for-service payments to clinicians on “value” by the end of 2018 by using performance scores. (Catherine H. MacLean, Eve A. Kerr and Amir Qaseem, 4/18)
