Viewpoints: Congress Should Engage Now In Fighting Opioid Addiction; New HIV Prevention Methods For Women
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Can Fight Opioid Addiction On Its Way Out
Much attention and speculation surrounds the incoming Trump administration and the new Congress, but it’s important to remember that the current Congress still has work to do. Before the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, more than 2,500 people will die from an opioid overdose. More than half of these preventable deaths will be due to prescription opioids such as morphine or oxycodone. Nearly 40,000 others will visit the emergency room due to misusing prescription opioids. (Newt Gingrich and Patrick Kennedy, 12/1)
Stat:
New Methods Needed For HIV Prevention In Women
Leading research and advocacy organizations are sounding alarms on stagnating and even rising infection rates in settings where adolescent girls and young women bear the greatest burden of new infections. But new prevention methods on the horizon, called multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs), offer protection against HIV as well as an opportunity to simultaneously engage in family planning and reduce other sexual and reproductive health risks with discreet tools that are user-controlled. (Bethany Young Holt, 12/1)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Partnerships In Health Care Could Help Heal Rural, Urban Discontent
Deficiencies in affordable housing, education and employment, as well as access to health care and its excessive cost, are critical factors driving unrest, preventable illness and premature death. But partnerships have the potential to coordinate Wisconsin’s intrinsic academic and community resources to address these deficiencies. But promoting health for everyone requires more than sufficient health care resources. (Richard Rieselbach, Byron Crouse, Cynthia Haq, Tom Jackson, Greg Nycz and Patrick Remington, 12/1)
The New England Journal Of Medicine:
Clarifying Stem-Cell Therapy’s Benefits And Risks
The current excitement over the potential for stem-cell therapy to improve patient outcomes or even cure diseases is understandable. We at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share this excitement. However, to ensure that this emerging field fulfills its promise to patients, we must first understand its risks and benefits and develop therapeutic approaches based on sound science. Without a commitment to the principles of adequate evidence generation that have led to so much medical progress, we may never see stem-cell therapy reach its full potential. (Peter W. Marks, Celia M. Witten and Robert M. Califf, 11/30)
The Washington Post:
Feds Pay Steep Price For Long-Term Care Company Errors
John Hancock got it wrong, and now federal employees and retirees are paying the price. A very high price. Their cost for coverage in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) skyrocketed this year by an average of 83 percent, with some taking a 126 percent hit. The reasons for the huge increases? The John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Co. made one error after another in its calculations. (Joe Davidson, 12/1)
The Fiscal Times:
Here Are 3 Things We Need To Do As Another Alzheimer’s Drug Fails
Since the early 2000’s, Alzheimer’s drugs have faced a failure rate of over 99 percent. Even so, Solanezumab demonstrated the best of science, as Lilly’s researchers worked tirelessly for years with the goal of improving patients’ lives and our understanding of dementia’s underlying causes. Alas, failure was the outcome once again, but these ongoing efforts emphasize the need for a breakthrough – despite the odds – to address the severe social and economic consequences of Alzheimer’s. (Michael Hodin, 12/1)
Chicago Tribune:
Group Homes Mess Shows What Happens When Politics Trump People
Finally, the state cracked down on a shoddy group home operator serving adults with disabilities. The Illinois Department of Human Services has yanked the license of Disability Services of Illinois following a Tribune investigation into health and safety violations — some resulting in deaths — at group homes statewide. (12/1)
Los Angeles Times:
End The Outdated, Unscientific Restrictions On Gay Blood Donors
More than 30 years ago, as the AIDS epidemic exploded, the nation’s blood banks banned donations from men who had sex with other men. The logic was sound at the time. Tests of the era couldn’t adequately detect HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. As a result, thousands of people unwittingly contracted HIV from tainted blood during transfusions. Banning donations from gay men was a drastic step, but necessary to protect the nation’s blood supply. (12/1)
Louisville Courier-Journal:
A Case For A Marijuana Middle Ground
As of last week, voters in California and seven other states have passed ballot initiatives to allow for-profit companies to produce, distribute and sell non-medical marijuana. With more than 65 million people living in states that have passed marijuana legalization, and a Gallup poll showing that 60% of the country supports legalizing marijuana use, national legalization may seem inevitable. (Beau Kilmer, 12/1)
