Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Big Beautiful Law Will Be Ugly For Rural Hospitals; Medicaid Recipients Can't Replace Farmworkers
Modern Healthcare: The 'Big, Beautiful' Law And It's Looming Toll On Rural Healthcare
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” is now law. On its surface, the law is framed as a sweeping fiscal package — tax reform, debt ceiling adjustments and regulatory rollbacks. But nestled within its thousands of pages are the most consequential changes to U.S. healthcare in more than a decade. For those of us delivering healthcare in rural America, the effects will be severe and deep. (Dr. Holland Haynie, 7/10)
The Washington Post: Want Medicaid Coverage? Go Pick Some Vegetables.
Medicaid isn’t a welfare program, it’s a health insurance program. The money being spent on Medicaid recipients isn’t money going to dudes loafing on their couches; it’s money going to doctors treating those dudes for medical conditions. (Philip Bump, 7/10)
The Washington Post: Why The U.S. Losing Its Measles Elimination Status Matters
So far this year, 1,288 measles cases have been confirmed. In Texas, the epicenter of the largest outbreak, 753 people have been infected. If cases keep climbing, the U.S. risks forfeiting its measles elimination status. This is consequential for many reasons. (Leana S. Wen, 7/10)
The Boston Globe: Stop Treating Nursing Homes Like Psych Wards
It was a typical afternoon at the nursing home. I had just finished with a patient and was catching up on notes at the nurse’s station when I heard a crash and someone yelling. When I arrived, I found one of my frail, elderly patients on the floor, injured, with a much younger resident nearby, visibly agitated and shouting. Resident-on-resident altercations are not new in long-term care, but they are disturbingly common. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 20 percent of nursing home residents experience some form of mistreatment from other residents. (Asif Merchant, 7/11)
Stat: Doctors Should Create A Psychologically Safe Space For All Patients
Recently, a long-standing patient came in for her routine office follow-up appointment for management of hypertension and arthritis. After a warm greeting, she told me there was a matter she needed to discuss before we began. She said that I did not seem to be listening as attentively as usual during her last visit and explained the specific instance. I said I was grateful for her feedback and, going forward, would be more mindful of things that may sometimes cause distraction. (Jeffrey Millstein, 7/11)
Stat: The New Tax Law Caps Federal Grad PLUS Loans For Future Doctors
I was 5 when I decided I wanted to become an OB-GYN, captivated by shows like “Bringing Home Baby” and “Deliver Me” on the Discovery Health Channel. In my young mind, birth looked beautiful, peaceful, and supported. (Timberly Washington, 7/11)
