Viewpoints: Ebola Errors; McConnell’s Mixed Message; Shifts In Mental Health Care
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
USA Today:
Despite Errors, Ebola Fails To Spread Here: Our View
The battle to contain Ebola has not been pretty. The developed world let the disease fester in West Africa until it became a global threat, and when — inevitably — the first case arrived in the United States, it was greeted with a disturbing mix of incompetence and panic. ... The whole train of events is embarrassing. But there is another way to look at it as well. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong; the virus was given every chance to spread. Yet it has not. (10/30)
USA Today:
Stop Transporting Host And Virus: Opposing View
We've learned from the Ebola outbreak of 2014 that to stop pandemics, we must regulate the transport of host and virus alike. Public transmission and cellular invasion depend on the unimpeded traffic of people across borders and viruses across cell membranes. Barring the traffic of people across the Atlantic from Liberia would certainly have prevented the first three cases of Ebola in the United States. Blocking the traffic of virus in human cells would have prevented thousands of cases worldwide. (Gerald Weissmann, 10/30)
USA Today:
Ebola Nurse Kaci Hickox Isn't Spreading Disease Like You Do
Public fury is building as Maine authorities try to maintain quarantine for an asymptomatic nurse returning from caring for Ebola patients in West Africa. While the nurse, Kaci Hickox, insists she poses no risk to others, since even Ebola-infected persons are not contagious prior to developing symptoms — a position that is supported by the CDC, the NIH, the WHO, and many of the world's leading Ebola experts —others believe that she is expressing willful disregard for the health of the general public. (Elizabeth Oelsner, 10/30)
The New York Times:
The Prospect Of A Republican Senate
In a rare fit of realism on Tuesday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, admitted he would be unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act if Republicans win the Senate next week and he becomes majority leader. That would take 60 votes, he said, and no one thinks Republicans will get that many. But conservatives reacted with anger to what they considered a demonstration of weakness, and on Thursday Mr. McConnell was forced to backtrack. Yes, his spokesman told The Washington Examiner, Mr. McConnell remains “committed to the full repeal of Obamacare” with only a simple majority, through a parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation. (10/30)
The Washington Post:
Do Republicans Have A Plan For The Country? The Answer Is ‘No’.
For the activist far right — already brimming with fear, anxiety and ire to spare — GOP candidates promise to obliterate Obama’s most significant achievement, the Affordable Care Act. This pledge has always been shamefully dishonest. Even if Republicans capture the Senate and manage to pass one of the umpteen House bills repealing all or part of Obamacare, the president will simply veto the measure. ... Republicans talk about “repeal and replace” but feel no obligation to elaborate on the “replace” part. If they were being honest, they would admit that the need to keep the consumer-friendly parts of Obamacare. (Eugene Robinson, 10/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
How The GOP Could Appeal To Women On Contraceptives
The GOP is amending its pro-life policy constructs to ensure that no woman who doesn’t want to be pregnant ends up so–adding practical and empathetic policies likely to reframe women’s views of Republicans in ways that could be consequential next week and in 2016. (Juleanna Glover, 10/31)
Los Angeles Times:
California Should Revive Right-To-Die Legislation
California last considered right-to-die legislation in 2007. But now, the case of Brittany Maynard, a Californian who moved to Oregon so that she could painlessly end her life, may help persuade the Legislature to try again. (10/30)
Los Angeles Times:
A Voter Guide To California's Boring But Important Ballot Propositions
Six state propositions are on the ballot and none are sexy. All are snoozers. But each is significant. Some, in fact, are game-changers. Why else would the medical profession and insurance companies be spending well over $100 million to beat back Propositions 45 and 46? (George Skelton, 10/30)
The Washington Post:
Sending The Mentally Ill From Group Homes To An Uncertain Future
The federal government is pushing two initiatives that will radically change how mental health services are delivered. Both are long overdue. So why, as the father of an adult son with a mental illness, am I skeptical? ... If the Justice Department is going to force states under Olmstead to empty group homes, the federal government must guarantee that suitable housing is available. We should not repeat the debacle of unplanned deinstitutionalization. If the government pushes a shift to private insurance, it must define acceptable community care. (Pete Earley, 10/30)
The New York Times' Opinionator:
Looking A Dangerous Disease In The Mouth
What’s the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States? It’s worth remembering on Halloween that the answer is tooth decay, which is five times more common than asthma and 20 times more common than diabetes. Tooth decay affects children from all backgrounds, but it’s concentrated among low-income and rural populations, who have the most difficulty accessing and affording dental care. (David Bornstein, 10/30)
The New England Journal of Medicine:
Accountable Care Organizations — The Risk Of Failure And The Risks Of Success
Despite rapid growth, the success of the ACO movement is far from certain. The performance of ACOs to date has been promising but not overwhelming. Although some ACOs have gained a substantial return on their investment in improving the health of their patients, many have not. Furthermore, unless and until a high percentage of their patients — including privately insured patients — are covered by ACO contracts, hospitals and physicians will be in the difficult position of dealing with diametrically opposed sets of payment incentives. ... The ACO movement is unlikely to succeed unless health insurance plans dramatically increase their number of ACO contracts and unless CMS modifies specifications for its ACO programs — a course that the agency is considering. (Lawrence P. Casalino, 10/30)
The New England Journal of Medicine:
Innovation In Health Care Leadership
A growing demand for transparency has brought innovation in many areas of health care. In a video roundtable, three expert panels discuss the benefits and the challenges of these innovations, examining transparency in provider-driven quality data, in pricing, and in medical records. (10/30)
