Viewpoints: Did Justice Scalia Tip His Hand?; Treat Obesity Like Tobacco; Getting Better Data
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Bloomberg:
What The Abercrombie Bias Case Might Mean For Obamacare
In an 8 to 1 ruling, the high court used a suit by a young woman in a Muslim headscarf to remind businesses they have to take the initiative to avoid religious discrimination. Apart from the immediate result—a victory for employees who favor devotional garb—the most interesting passage in Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion teed up the central issue in a ruling on the fate of Obamacare expected by the end of June. ... Abercrombie had urged the justices to adopt a lower-court ruling that plaintiffs in religious-bias suits must show they alerted a potential employer to their religious needs. ... “The problem with this approach is the one that inheres in most incorrect interpretations of statutes: It asks us to add words to the law to produce what is thought to be a desirable result [Scalia wrote.] That is Congress’s province." ... The latest conservative attack on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could turn on whether five words in that statute, enacted in 2010, are read literally—as Justice Scalia urged in the Abercrombie case—or with some contextual finesse. (Paul Barrett, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
King V. Burwell And Media Coverage
The Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell ruling will make headlines whenever it arrives. It will also be genuine news to much of the country. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Health Policy News Index, which tracks how closely the public follows health stories in the news, found that 59% of Americans have not been paying much or any attention to news stories about the case, and only 16% have been following very closely. That means that when the verdict comes the media’s first job will be to explain what the case was about. (Drew Altman, 6/2)
The [Chattanooga] Times Free Press:
Insurance Rate Increase? Look Beyond BlueCross
If BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee enrollees are surprised that their insurer wants to raise premiums next year by an average of more than 36 percent, they haven't been paying attention. The nonprofit insurer lost $141 million on its health exchange plans sold under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, and its tax bill -- largely due to new taxes levied under provisions of the ACA -- increased 72 percent to a record $463 million. (6/1)
Alaska Dispatch News:
Alaskans Want And Need Public Investment In Education And Health
As a physician fortunate enough to practice in Alaska since 1965, I want to share a long-term perspective about health care reform. Beginning in our shared distant past, we who make Alaska home have inherited and so far failed to solve the riddle of economic inequity. It has always been a fact that the poor do not get equal access or services in health care. ... My goal now is to convince our legislators that Medicaid expansion is a real investment in private system health care that will boost Alaska's economy in a time of budget crisis while improving individual and public health for all. (George W. Brown, 6/1)
Bloomberg View:
Give Obesity The Tobacco Treatment
Americans are fat because we eat large portions, and because we eat foods that are high in sugar and fat. Perhaps it’s time for the surgeon general to put scary warning labels on sugary and fatty foods. And perhaps it’s time for Hollywood studios to consciously focus on depicting characters eating small portions and healthy meals. Behavioral economics cut smoking, and Americans are healthier, happier people because of it. We should try the same tactics against unhealthy eating. (Noah Smith, 6/2)
Bloomberg View:
Where the Government Can Get Better Data
As the world grows ever better at gathering and making use of data, the question arises: Might the measurements and statistics that private businesses accumulate be used to help government statistical agencies that are under increasing budget pressure? Two recent studies suggest they can. One of these, from Express Scripts, an online pharmacy, examined patients with extremely high prescription drug costs. .... In 2014, the top 5 percent of patients ranked by drug costs accounted for more than 60 percent of total drug spending, the Express Scripts analysis found. ... The other study, from the health analytics and technology company Inovalon, examined how quality ratings within Medicare Advantage (the private insurance component of Medicare) differed between those beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and those eligible only for Medicare. Plans serving the dual eligibles rank lower in quality than other plans in the program do. (Peter R. Orszag, 6/1)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
A Rational Approach To Health Care Delivery -- Let The Best Providers Prevail
Today, most hospitals try to deliver every sophisticated medical service and procedure they can. In Philadelphia, we have at least seven hospitals that do heart transplants and many more doing liver, kidney and bone marrow transplants. That’s a lot of redundancy. ... Why do we need more than one heart transplant program in a city like Philadelphia? Why shouldn’t one hospital be the designated center for each high-tech service? How many stroke centers do we need? The care of patients with complex conditions requires an extensive infrastructure with 24 hour access to skilled health care providers, technicians, imaging, laboratory and other services. Why should we allow some hospitals to dabble as dilettantes in the care of these patients when we can coordinate care in just a few major centers? (Paula L. Stillman, 6/1)
JAMA Pediatrics:
Evidence, Politics, And The Future Of The Children’s Health Insurance Program
Since the creation of the program, states have implemented a diverse array of policy options under CHIP to serve children and have dramatically improved access to and continuity of insurance coverage for children in low-income families. In the short term, funding for CHIP is likely to be temporarily extended by Congress. In the long term, the future of CHIP should be part of a serious and bipartisan discussion among policy makers about how to best ensure access to health insurance for children in low-income families and develop a comprehensive health policy approach for children and families. (Marian Jarlenski, 6/1)
