Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: CVS' Plans To Merge With Aetna Still Promising; Amazon Just Might Tackle Health Policy Problems
Bloomberg: CVS Earnings Make A Case For Pricey Aetna Deal
It's hard to overshadow an industry-defining $67 billion merger of a drug-store mega-chain and large health insurer. But the CVS Health Inc.-Aetna Inc. tie-up is in the shade after last week's announcement of a health partnership between Amazon.com Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. ("ABC" from now on). CVS's already costly deal looks even more expensive after its warning on Thursday of a possible profit decline this year, despite an expected $1.2 billion benefit from tax cuts. CVS shares fell though it reported positive quarterly results. (Max Nisen, 2/8)
The Washington Post: How Three Of America’s Biggest Companies Might Undo Decades Of Conservative Health-Care Policy
Last week, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced they would form an independent health-care company to serve their combined 1.2 million employees. Most commentators focused on the futuristic aspects of the project: “Technology solutions” that might, someday, help control the spiraling health-care costs Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and chief executive Warren Buffett described as “a hungry tapeworm on the American economy.” (Guian McKee, 2/8)
Huffington Post: New Spending Agreement Repeals Obamacare’s Mythical Death Panel
Congressional leaders have agreed on a spending bill to keep the government open, and deep inside that agreement is a provision that helps explain why American health care is so expensive. The spending agreement, which Congress must still approve and President Donald Trump must still sign, actually affects health care in several ways. ... the bill would also repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, which is a commission of experts that the Affordable Care Act created back in 2010. The Affordable Care Act sets a spending target for Medicare, as part of a broader effort by the law’s architects to reduce the cost of medical care. IPAB’s job is to make those targets stick, by recommending cuts if Medicare costs exceed the threshold. (Jonathan Cohn, 2/7)
JAMA: International Medical Graduates—A Critical Component Of The Global Health Workforce
According to the Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates, 12 355 international medical graduates (IMGs) participated in the 2017 US match (7284 [59%] of whom were not US citizens) .... IMGs have faced a challenging year, with some affected by various iterations of a travel ban and further concerns related to H1-B visa restrictions. This is unfortunate, particularly when considering that IMGs provide care in many of the nation’s poorest and most rural communities. (Joseph Nwadiuko, Varshini Varadaraj and Anju Ranjit, 2/8)
San Jose Mercury News: Heart Screening Scan Should Be Available To All
We recently learned some of the details of President Trump’s 2018 physical examination. His exam included a Coronary Artery Calcium CT scan, the same type of scan that Air Force pilots, astronauts and senior military officers have long been given as a tool in determining fitness for duty. ...This early detection allows for the implementation of effective preventive medications and strategies. ... As leaders involved in the California Right Care Initiative public-private partnership that works to speed lifesaving medical advances to benefit the general public, we wonder, why can’t this easy and relatively inexpensive ($150) test that is used by certain members of our society — presidents, pilots and astronauts to name a few — be made available to the general public to better guide their treatment? (David Maron, William Bommer and Stephen Shortell, 2/8)
The New York Times: Marijuana Can Save Lives
There is a relationship between cannabis and opioids, but Mr. Sessions has it backward. Marijuana isn’t a gateway drug to opioid addiction; it’s a safer alternative to pain medicines. Mr. Sessions’s vow to crack down on marijuana will only make the opioid epidemic worse. (Richard A. Friedman, 2/8)
Los Angeles Times: With The Opioid Epidemic Raging, San Francisco Takes A Smart Gamble On Preventing Overdoses
With the opioid epidemic raging and thousands of people dying from overdoses annually, four Democrats in the California Legislature proposed a controversial but potentially effective response: letting a handful of counties experiment with safe injection sites. At these government-sanctioned centers, drug users could bring illicit controlled substances to inject in a clean space with clinical supervision to guard against lethal overdoses. In Canada and Europe, where injection sites have been used for decades, they are credited with saving lives and helping direct addicts into treatment. (2/8)
Arizona Republic: Arizona Abortion Bill's Only Aim Is To Make Women Miserable
SB 1394 would require that doctors ask women their reason for wanting an abortion, with a list of options from which to choose, and then to report those reasons to the state Department of Health Services. If she refuses to answer, her doctor must report that as well, though her name would remain confidential. (Laurie Roberts, 2/8)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Mental Health Support In The Newborn Nursery
A first reflex in taking in a tragedy of the rarity, horror and sadness of the suspected murder-suicide that occurred last week in St. Louis is to sift through the ashes looking for clues to warning signs that might have helped prevent it. Whether any signs are found may depend on whether Mary Jo Trokey — the new mother suspected of killing her family and herself — was ever screened for a perinatal mental health condition; if screened, whether she accessed treatment; and if treated, whether the treatment was optimized to meet the demands of any catastrophic mental health condition. (Cynthia Rogers and John N. Constantino, 2/8)
