Viewpoints: DOGE’s Slash-And-Burn Method Will Only Make Things Worse; Most Americans Want Vaccines
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Musk And DOGE’s Cost Cutting Is Putting America’s Health At Risk
As the Trump administration’s recently launched Department of Government Efficiency continues its largely unchecked expansion into federal agencies, the health of Americans is increasingly at risk. In the name of “efficiency,” President Donald Trump and DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk, have pursued a federal funding freeze that threatens Medicaid insurance for low-income Americans, cuts to biomedical and public health research, and efforts to push out large swaths of the civil service workforce, including nurses who care for veterans. (Victor Roy, 2/17)
The New York Times:
Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Views Don’t Represent America
What has been overlooked in discussions about Mr. Kennedy’s future agenda is one key fact: Vaccines remain enormously popular. Given this broad support, politicians should think twice about targeting something so widely valued. (Caitlin Rivers, 2/16)
The New York Times:
Censored Science Can’t Save Lives
In our careers as pulmonary and critical-care doctors, we have witnessed a revolution in treating asthma, a disease that affects one in 12 Americans. Newer medications make it possible to reverse the course of the disease and bring people with severe asthma into remission. (Jehan Alladina, C. Corey Hardin and Alexander Rabin, 2/18)
Stat:
What My Sister’s Life And Death Taught Me About The NIH
A decade ago this past June, my sister died at the National Institutes of Health. Despite that, the NIH gave my family hope and continues to do so. Human suffering happens without a care for who we are, without regard for our beliefs or stance. Medical research, like that done at the NIH, offers a chance beyond partisan lines to help alleviate some of that suffering and deliver hope, to learn from complications and be better clinicians. Despite my pain, I have faith in that mission. (Ariel Reinish, 2/18)
Stat:
The Travel Industry Offers Hospitals A Warning About MyChart
Despite (or perhaps because of) this trust, Epic’s aggressive push for MyChart adoption has caused concern. Hospitals that resist consolidation face increased fees, reduced support, and deprecated features for pursuing independent strategies. Many worry that their reliance on Epic for EHRs could evolve into dependence on Epic for all consumer-facing tools, leaving them with few options to differentiate or maintain control over patient relationships. (Seth Joseph, 2/17)
