Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Covid Guidance Is Ready For An Update; Is It Cheaper To Bypass Insurance?
The Washington Post: It’s Time To End The Five-Day Isolation Guidance For Covid
The United States is set to end its public health emergency in May, and the World Health Organization has indicated it will also declare an end to the pandemic soon. But there is one lingering residual: the five-day isolation period following a covid diagnosis. (Shira Doron, Elissa Perkins and Westyn Branch-Elliman, 4/12)
The Washington Post: Health Insurance Makes Many Kinds Of Hospital Care More Expensive
The price that a hospital charges a cash-paying patient for a procedure is often lower than the negotiated price that a commercial insurance plan would pay, a new study in Health Affairs has revealed. This finding, which is based on pricing information that hospitals have been compelled to provide under the national Hospital Price Transparency Rule, contradicts the conventional wisdom that insurers use their bargaining power to drive prices down. (Ge Bai and Cynthia Fisher, 4/11)
Los Angeles Times: Climate Change Will Bring More Fungal Disease. Are We Prepared?
Last month, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change charted global temperatures to be 1.1 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and on a destructive trajectory to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the early 2030s. This intersects surprisingly with another piece of news: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sounding the alarm on a sometimes deadly pathogenic yeast that’s spreading rapidly in healthcare facilities. (Arjun V.K. Sharma, 4/12)
Los Angeles Times: Anti-Vaxx 'Science' Turns Out To Be Misinformation
Back in January, an academic study gave heart to critics of COVID-19 vaccines by estimating the number of U.S. deaths from the vaccines at 278,000. That was a bombshell, if true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited only 19,476 reports of deaths after COVID vaccination in a national database of unverified adverse reactions to the shots. (Michael Hiltzik, 4/11)
Stat: Digital Mental Health Needs A New Federal Regulatory Agency
Prior to the early 20th century, America had no regulation of medications or food additives. Formaldehyde was used to preserve meat, morphine was included in infant “soothing syrups,” and marketing, not science, drove the promotion of tonics and medications. The 1906 Food and Drug Act was the first in a series of consumer protection laws focused on setting standards for safe and effective medications and food additives. (Thomas R. Insel, 4/12)
Miami Herald: Anti-Union Legislation In Florida Will Hurt Health Professionals And Patient Care
I have worked as a registered nurse for almost 24 years. I’m currently in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I’m passionate about my work and take great pride in caring for my patients. I also take great pride in being part of my union, SEIU Local 1991. (Lisa Bush, 4/11)
The CT Mirror: Healthcare Consolidation In CT Is A Cause For Concern
Healthcare consolidation in Connecticut is a cause for concern. In just over 20 years, the number of independent hospitals in the state has shrunk from 23 to six. Yale-New Haven Health, for example, is currently finalizing purchases of Waterbury, Manchester, and Rockville hospitals. Healthcare systems seek mergers for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is seeking economies of scale. For the large, consolidated hospital systems, revenues and profits have spiked. (Tyler Driscoll, 4/11)
