Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Economic Status Is Linked To Chronic Pain In Americans; How Should ADHD Be Classified?
The New York Times: Why Americans Feel More Pain
“I believe pain is the most complex experience a human body can have,” Dr. Haider Warraich told me. Dr. Warraich is a cardiologist who teaches at Harvard Medical School, but his familiarity with pain is personal: While still in medical school, he began to suffer disabling back pain that for many years took over his life. (Nicholas Kristof, 5/3)
The Washington Post: Is ADHD An 'Illness'? Readers React To Kate Woodsome Column
Is ADHD a condition, a disorder, an illness, a neurodivergence, a superpower? Each person with ADHD with whom I talked chose a different word depending on the severity of their symptoms, how it affects their executive functioning and whether they have access to coaching, medicine or a supportive family, and school or work. (Kate Woodsome, 5/4)
The New York Times: Why Does Bad Science On Covid’s Origin Get Hyped?
In mid-March, new analysis of genetic data collected in Wuhan’s Huanan seafood market from January and February of 2020 generated enormous publicity for a scrap of virological news — and probably the most attention that’s ever been given to an obscure, adorable species of mammal known as raccoon dogs. (David Wallace-Wells, 5/3)
Roll Call: Why Congress Should Extend Key COVID-19 Flexibilities On Programs Like Medicaid, CHIP
On March 20, 2020, no one could have predicted how COVID-19 was going to impact our country. But in the ensuing three years, virtually everything about our lives has felt the difference. (John Faso and Stan Soloway, 5/3)
Stat: How Can Medical Chatbots Seem So Empathetic?
An April 28 article in JAMA Internal Medicine, “Comparing Physician and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions Posted to a Public Social Media Forum,” generated a great deal of discussion — much of it horrified. In particular, people are focusing on the study’s conclusions: that “chatbot responses were longer than physician responses, and the study’s health care professional evaluators preferred chatbot-generated responses over physician responses 4 to 1. (Jennifer Lycette, 5/4)
Indianapolis Star: Let's Improve Health Outcomes For All Hoosiers. Here's How We Do It
Indiana consistently ranks near the bottom of multiple national health statistics, including maternal deaths (42nd out of 51 states and Washington D.C.) and mental illness prevalence and access to care (42nd again). Where are we ranked near the top? Cigarette use among adults (11th out of 53 states, D.C. and territories), which is not a rank to be lauded. (Marc Hackett and James Bien, 5/4)
