Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Chatbots Are Dangerous, Especially For Autistic Users; Why Has Euthanasia Skyrocketed In Canada?
The Wall Street Journal: Chatbot Conversations Never End. That’s a Problem for Autistic People.
The very qualities that make chatbots appealing—they always listen, never judge, and tell you what you want to hear—can also make them dangerous. Especially for autistic people. When chatbots say things that aren’t true or reinforce misguided beliefs, they can be harmful to anyone. But autistic people, who often have a black-and-white way of thinking and can fixate on particular topics, are especially vulnerable. Now, Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization, is calling on OpenAI to develop more guardrails not only for the benefit of autistic people, but for anyone who might find themselves going down potentially dangerous chat-rabbit holes. (Julie Jargon, 8/9)
The Atlantic: Canada Gave Citizens The Right To Die. Doctors Are Struggling To Meet Demand.
When Canada’s Parliament in 2016 legalized the practice of euthanasia—Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID, as it’s formally called—it launched an open-ended medical experiment. One day, administering a lethal injection to a patient was against the law; the next, it was as legitimate as a tonsillectomy, but often with less of a wait. MAID now accounts for about one in 20 deaths in Canada—more than Alzheimer’s and diabetes combined—surpassing countries where assisted dying has been legal for far longer. (Elaina Plott Calabro, 8/11)
The New York Times: The Truth About Detransitioning
In its campaign against transgender rights, the Trump administration has been spotlighting stories of people who have regretted transitioning. A recent Federal Trade Commission event, titled “The Dangers of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Minors,” included testimony from six people who had come to believe their gender transition hurt them more than it helped. (Kinnon R. MacKinnon, 8/10)
The Baltimore Sun: Spare Vaccines, Focus On Ultra-Processed Foods.
One of the more notable successes of President Donald Trump’s first term was how the administration was able to develop effective COVID-19 vaccines so quickly. That impressive speed — less than one year compared to the decade or more of research and development that other vaccines have required — likely saved millions of lives worldwide. And what made that Operation Warp Speed feat possible? That would be Messenger RNA or mRNA. In layman’s terms, laboratory-created mRNA vaccines can teach human cells how to make a specific protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. (8/10)
Stat: The Bureaucratic Barriers To Launching A Primary Care Practice
For years, as insurance premiums climbed and Americans worried about medical expenses, economists have pointed to industry concentration as one cause. That policy conversation, however, usually focuses on how today’s competitors exit the market, through hospital mergers or medical practice buyouts. It neglects the other side of the competition question: whether new providers are able to join the fray or bring innovative service models to patients. (Dan O'Neill, 8/11)
Stat: The CDC Shooting And The Rising Threat To Public Health Workers
At approximately 4:50 p.m. on Friday, a gunman opened fire at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. The attack left bullet holes in office windows and claimed the life of DeKalb County police officer David Rose. Authorities believe the shooter, Patrick Joseph White, may have been motivated by anti-vaccine sentiment, blaming the CDC for personal health complications allegedly tied to the Covid-19 vaccine. (Jerome Adams, 8/9)
Stat: Trump Firing Of BLS Chief Threatens Health, Science, And Truth
In early July, I began teaching a summer course: introductory biostatistics for an accelerated master’s of public health program. Most of the students are clinicians, and biostatistics is (understandably) not often the favorite course. On day one, I told them that one measure of the power of statistics is the way unscrupulous leaders attempt to shut them down when they do not like what the data reveal. (Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, 8/9)
