Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Could Our Fitness Trackers Have The Opposite Effect?; Future Of Mifepristone In Jeopardy
The Washington Post: Will An Apple Watch Or Fitbit Make You Lose Weight? Don’t Count On It
When I wore my first Apple Watch in 2015, I was smitten with the idea that quantifying my activity might empower me to get moving and lose weight like my doctor ordered. After now tracking 25 million steps, my weight is about the same. Did closing all those rings actually do anything Researchers have been asking the same question for nearly a decade now. What they tell me: Buying a fitness tracker or smartwatch isn’t going to help you lose weight. In fact — yikes — wearing a gadget could even undermine your efforts. (Geoffrey A. Fowler, 2/7)
Los Angeles Times: Bad News: A Texas Judge Holds The Future Of Medication Abortion In His Very Conservative Hands
Could a federal judge really declare that an abortion drug used safely by millions of American women over more than two decades did not receive proper vetting and force it off the market? (Robin Abcarian, 2/8)
The Washington Post: The State Of The Union Could Be A Lot Worse
As President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, the country’s condition could fairly be described this way: Considering all the recent upheaval, it could be a lot worse. Yet it remains deeply divided, and that is itself a long-term threat to U.S. prosperity. (2/7)
Newsweek: Building Equity In Health Care For Black Veterans
Advocates and researchers even believe that legal access to medical cannabis could potentially alleviate the opioid addiction crisis reported among veterans by providing them a safer, alternative treatment for chronic pain—a crisis which, again, significantly affects Black Americans more than their white counterparts. (Jeremy Butler, 2/7)
Chicago Tribune: Suppressing Debate On COVID-19 Policies Leads To Mistrust In Public Health
Big Pharma has interests worth billions of dollars in the COVID-19 discussion, including vaccine development, emergency use authorization of drugs and future drug development. Questions that might adversely affect the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry concerning any of these subjects are not especially welcome — but are necessary. (Cory Franklin, 2/7)
