Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Breast Cancer Screening Requirements Should Be Personalized; Abortion Is Regular Health Care
Bloomberg: Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Should Evolve With Science
Recommendations for how often to screen have shifted in recent years, but guidelines are still written for women at average risk. Oncologists now have so much more information on who is at risk for more aggressive cancers, or ones that strike at a younger age. So why aren’t women screened based on their individual risk? (Lisa Jarvis, 10/10)
Columbus Dispatch: Ohioans Can Get Treatment For High Blood Pressure. Abortion Should Be No Different
The path to abortion care is different from almost every other type of necessary medical treatment in Ohio. This is, in large part, because public policy has made it that way. (Mikaela Smith, 10/11)
Dallas Morning News: Texas Isn’t Targeting The Vulnerable In Medicaid; It’s Protecting Them
Since April, Texas has removed more than 600,000 people from Medicaid rolls. The way the story goes, the state is deliberately kicking off needy people, depriving them of the health care they desperately need and can’t afford anywhere else. (Victoria Eardley, 10/11)
Stat: How Should State Employee Insurance Handle Wegovy?
It seems these days like everyone is talking about Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs, known formally as GLP-1 medications, are getting a lot of buzz thanks to strong clinical results in reducing obesity. The catch? The annual costs per patient can range from $4,000 to $14,000. That can add up — especially when you’re the comptroller of a state whose insurance covers more than 265,000 people. (Sean Scanlon, 10/10)
