Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Biden Brings Back Aspects Of Obamacare; Drug Abuse Treatment More Effective Than Jail
The Washington Post: After Trump Sabotaged Obamacare, Biden Limits Junk Insurance Again
Slowly but surely, President Biden is repairing the U.S. health-care system, reversing Trump-era sabotage and ensuring millions more Americans get access to affordable coverage. (Catherine Rampell, 7/11)
Houston Chronicle: When Justice Means Treatment, Not Jail
An estimated 85 percent of the U.S. prison population either meets the criteria for a substance use disorder or was incarcerated for a drug crime. Without treatment, many of these individuals will continue a cycle of addiction and criminal activity. (Karen Freeman-Wilson, 7/12)
The Washington Post: The AI Revolution In Health Care Is Already Here
To better understand how AI is used in medicine, I spoke with John Halamka, a physician trained in medical informatics who is president of Mayo Clinic Platform. As he explained to me, “AI is just the simulation of human intelligence via machines.” (Leana S. Wen, 7/11)
Stat: Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Cures Need To Be Accessible In Africa
The treatment of sickle cell disease is on the cusp of a historic breakthrough, with makers of two gene-based treatments for the debilitating blood disorder hoping for regulatory approval this year. But for those with sickle cell in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 60% of the 120 million people worldwide live with this disease, there is little cause to celebrate. A potential cure that could save them from severe illness and early death will exist — but its expected multimillion-dollar price tag will be far out of reach. (Jayasree K. Iyer, 7/12)
Stat: Pandemic And All Hazards Preparedness Act Needs Lean Update
In 2006, when many Americans had barely heard the word “coronavirus,” Congress passed the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), a landmark, bipartisan legislative framework that has successfully steered our nation’s biosecurity policy ever since. Before and during the worst of Covid, PAHPA’s authorities and programs served as the backbone of the country’s public health response, enabling the acceleration of medical countermeasure development via public-private partnerships; a swift regulatory process to make tests, treatments, and vaccines available to Americans; and a strategic distribution and deployment of such medical products and supplies based on need. (Richard Burr and Julie L. Gerberding, 7/11)
Stat: The U.S. Needs A New Definition Of Substance Use “Recovery”
“When I use a word,” one of 19th century British author and mathematician Lewis Carroll’s characters once said, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” Though he was a formidable philosopher and logician, Carroll likely would be stymied by the circular logic that justifies the definition of “recovery” currently used to support critical federal substance use disorder programs and activities. For more than a decade, the federal government has been using an imprecise, nebulous, and informally developed “working definition” of “recovery” to support critical federal substance use disorder programs. Ultimately, that imprecise definition may undermine rather than advance important national substance use disorder treatment and policy goals. (Mitchell Berger, 7/11)
Stat: ARPA-H, The Heilmeier Questions, And How To Take Risks Wisely
Despite remarkable progress in health and medicine, biology’s final frontiers remain beyond our reach. Humanity has not yet cured Alzheimer’s or ended cancer, and was unable to prevent Covid-19 from growing into a pandemic. As physicians and scientists, we understand the frustration of patients who still feel left behind despite the marvels of modern medicine. And we wonder: What would it take to cure Alzheimer’s? End cancer? Prevent pandemics? (Janika Schmitt, Jacob Swett and Jassi Pannu, 7/10)
