Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Dish Up Science Instead Of Online Nutrition Myths; 'Disastrous' Global Gag Rule Is Harming Women Worldwide
The Washington Post: These Skeptics Are Using Science To Fight A Wave Of Bad Nutrition Advice On The Internet
Finding health information online is easy. Cutting through the clutter and getting facts is very difficult. There’s a cacophony of voices, each saying something different. The confusion worsens when charlatans provide false hope and bad advice. But there is a glimmer of hope. Scientists and researchers are working to debunk the most egregious health myths and educate Americans with evidence-based, factual information. Let’s call them skeptics, myth-busters or debunkers. In any case, this group is collectively using science to fight back against the pseudoscience (like fad diets and quack cancer cures). What advice do they offer so we find better information online? I spoke to four myth-busters to find out. (Cara Rosenbloom, 2/6)
Time: Global Gag Rule: Impact Of Donald Trump Abortion Funding Ban
It has now been a little more than a year since President Donald Trump, on his first full day in office, reinstated the Mexico City Policy, also known as the “Global Gag Rule,” and a picture of its impact is beginning to emerge. The law prohibits allocation of U.S. funding to foreign non-governmental organizations that offer abortion services or information about the procedure. While the measure has been on and off the books for decades, typically enacted by Republican administrations and repealed by Democrats, its scope has expanded under Trump, which healthcare workers say has had a big impact on communities and care providers around the world. In just one year, health care workers say the policy has had disastrous effect; as expected, clinics are shutting down, unsafe abortions are predicted to rise sharply and families are losing critical services across the globe. (Casey Quackenbush, 2/4)
The Baltimore Sun: Hogan's Right To Focus On Addiction In Prison, But He Can Do More
The centerpiece of Gov. Larry Hogan’s new plan to combat opioid addiction and Maryland’s epidemic of overdoses is a recognition that treatment for those who are incarcerated is one of the crucial missing links in the state’s efforts. ..But the specific step the administration is taking, commissioning a study of the feasibility of creating a new treatment facility on the site of the now shuttered Baltimore City Detention Center, is drawing some questions from treatment advocates. They ask whether the money to build a new facility could better be spent on programs to keep addicts out of jail in the first place, and whether the corrections system could take other, more immediate steps to provide treatment not just for those awaiting trial or serving short sentences in the city jail but throughout the prison system more broadly. (2/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: SB562 Puts Newly Expanded Health Care In California At Risk
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, California has cut its uninsured rate by more than half. We have helped real patients receive quality, consistent health care and literally saved thousands of lives in the process. Lawmakers in California now have a tremendous responsibility before them: to figure out how to provide care for low-income people, and to keep medical care affordable for millions of middle-class families.The gains of the last several years are under attack, threatened by efforts in Washington, D.C., to repeal the Affordable Care Act and by those in Sacramento who are pushing SB562, a version of single-payer health care that is simply not practical and puts the health of millions of Californians at risk. (Theresa Ullrich, 2/5)
Lexington Herald Tribune: Aid Foster Children, Workers And Family Who Care For Them
The well-being of children in our state is of paramount importance to me. As I have said since my husband and I were first entrusted to serve the commonwealth, our hearts are with Kentucky families. That’s why I am so passionate about my initiatives to improve conditions for children in foster care and to make the adoption process easier and more affordable. (Glenna Bevin, 2/6)
