Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: End Of Covid Emergency Ends Insurance Coverage For Many; Why Are Inhalers So Expensive?
The Washington Post: Government Incompetence Is Knocking Eligible Americans Off Medicaid
Starting April 1, states around the country began disenrolling people en masse from Medicaid. This is the result of the end of a temporary, covid-era rule that required states to keep existing Medicaid beneficiaries on their books; in 2020, exchange for extra Medicaid funding, states had to err on the side of preserving access to health care during a pandemic. (Catherine Rampell, 6/1)
The Washington Post: How The Makers Of Inhalers Keep Prices So High
Millions of Americans rely on inhalers to help them breathe. These products have existed for more than 65 years, but pharmaceutical manufacturers have used legal and regulatory strategies to keep prices artificially high. (William B. Feldman and Aaron S. Kesselheim, 6/1)
The New York Times: A Major Problem With Compulsory Mental Health Care Is The Medication
Let’s rescue those who, as New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, says, “slip through the cracks” of our mental health care systems; let’s give people “the treatment and care they need.” (Daniel Bergner, 6/2)
Stat: Physician Assistants Need A New Name. Here's What It Should Be
I’m standing over an operating table, excising a skin cancer from the forehead of an elderly gentleman while soft piano music echoes off the floor tiles. I’ve performed this procedure thousands of times, and I always enjoy the placid focus and deep satisfaction performing cutaneous surgery brings me. All I’ve done in adulthood has brought me here: cadaver prosections in anatomy labs, mentorship from dermatologic surgeons, and mastering various knot-tying techniques. (Peter A. Young, 6/2)
The CT Mirror: Opinion: CT Must Extend Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants
Last month, I saw a young woman named Marisol (not her real name, to protect her privacy), who came to my primary care practice suffering from intense pelvic pain. An ultrasound revealed an ovarian cyst nearly the size of a golf ball and as the pain continued to worsen, I was concerned that the ovary may have twisted, blocking all blood flow. Despite this potential surgical emergency, Marisol did not want to go to the hospital because, as an undocumented woman, she did not have health insurance. While she ultimately chose to accept treatment, she is now in thousands of dollars of medical debt. (Edelstein, 6/1)
Stat: Doctors Have An Ethical Obligation To Be Advocates
Last Thursday, after 15 hours of deliberation, the Indiana State Licensing board ruled that our friend and colleague Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN, violated patient privacy laws in discussing the case of a 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio for an abortion. She was given a letter of reprimand and a $3,000 fine. While a relatively minor punishment, this finding should send a chill through the medical community and beyond. (Katie McHugh, Gabriel Bosslet, Caroline Rouse and Tracey Wilkinson, 6/1)
Stat: Telehealth For Opioid Use Disorder Is Lifesaving
The statistics are dismal, though they bear repeating: 81% of overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021 involved an opioid. But as an addiction medicine specialist, there are figures that give me hope: one seminal study showed that 75% of patients who were given the FDA-approved medication buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder daily for 12 months remained in recovery — compared with 0% who did not receive buprenorphine treatment for the entire 12 months. That’s right: 0%. (Danny Nieves-Kim, 6/1)
