Viewpoints: Fight Against Fake Medical News Shines Important Light On Life-Saving Vaccines; U.S. Lags Behind Other Countries In Providing High-Quality Primary Care
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.
The New York Times:
Terminally Ill At 25 And Fighting Fake News On Vaccines
In 2015, an anti-vaccination campaign in Ireland caused a sudden fall in the number of HPV vaccines administered, given to young girls and boys to prevent cervical cancer. Dr. Grimes tells the story of how, with the help of a remarkable woman named Laura Brennan, they were able to reverse the trend, and what countries like the United States can learn in their fight against medical misinformation. (David Robert Grimes, 12/11)
The Hill:
Deadly Measles And Ebola Outbreaks Show Why Vaccinations Are So Essential
Vaccines are our greatest public health tool in the war against emerging and re-emerging bacteria and viruses, a war that is being fought and won, or fought and lost, across the globe every day. The war against measles is still ongoing, and we have lost several key recent battles. Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in nature. Keep in mind there is a 90 percent chance of an unvaccinated individual getting infected with measles simply by entering a room where a measles patient had been up to two hours earlier. (Marc Siegel, 12/10)
Stat:
11-Country Survey Of Primary Care Offers Lessons For The U.S.
Primary care is the backbone of any high-performing health care system. It works best when primary care providers sit at the center of a patients’ health care experience and are aware not only of their medical needs but also of their social needs: Do they have food, housing, heat, a way to get to their appointments? Coordinating what can be a complex nexus of specialty care and social services for patients is a challenge that physicians the world over are grappling with. Our survey of more than 13,000 primary care physicians in 11 high-income countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs, shows where the U.S. is falling behind, where we are keeping pace and possible paths to improvement. (Michelle Doty and David Blumenthal, 12/10)
The Washington Post:
A Stunning Indictment Of The U.S. Health-Care System, In One Chart
One quarter of American adults say they or a family member has put off treatment for a serious medical condition because of cost, according to data released this week by Gallup. That number is the highest it’s been in nearly three decades of Gallup polling. An additional 8 percent have made the same choice for less serious ailments, the survey showed. That means a collective 33 percent of those polled have prioritized financial considerations over their health, tying the high set in 2014. (Christopher Ingraham,12/10)
USA Today:
Democratic Plan To Reduce Drug Prices Is No Help To Uninsured
My son Alec had just turned 26 when he died from rationing insulin in 2017. After his birthday, he was no longer eligible to be covered by my health insurance. The pharmacist told him he would have to pay $1,300 for his supplies. Within a month, I got a call that no parent wants to get. I wish everyone had the chance to meet Alec. He was loving, caring, goofy, compassionate, adventurous, generous and persistent. His hugs are one of the things I miss the most. (Smith-Holt, 12/10)
Stat:
Oral Immunotherapy Can Be A Game Changer For Many With Food Allergies
Food allergies upend lives. In children, food allergies can scale back or completely stop participation in birthday parties, organized sports, and summer camps. Parents may need to reduce their work hours and homeschool their children. For adults, grocery shopping or eating out becomes an ordeal. Oral immunotherapy could change that. (Charles Feng, 12/11)
Des Moines Register:
Planned Parenthood Offers Online Tool To Find Abortion Services
A rose to Planned Parenthood for using a new online tool to help Iowa women connect to needed health care. The database, called the “Abortion Care Finder,” locates clinics for people seeking abortion services. It also provides information about options based on state regulations and helps women determine how far along they are in a pregnancy. Such a tool is helpful when anti-choice politicians have made it more and more difficult for women to access a needed surgical or medication abortion. (12/6)
Stat:
Mental Health, Addiction Care Poorly Covered By Insurance Networks
More than 70,000 Americans died of overdoses in 2017, yet insurers spent only 1% of their total health care dollars on treatment for substance use disorders — a decrease from two years earlier. This alarming statistic is just one of many in a new report released by Milliman, an independent actuarial firm. The report confirms that insurers have failed to adequately cover lifesaving care even as U.S. life expectancy declined over the past three years, primarily due to overdoses and suicides. (Patrick Kennedy, 12/10)
Nashville Tennessean:
Median Price Benchmark Is A Free Market Answer To Surprise Billing
The binding arbitration proposal that U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais favors in his Oct. 16 guest column on surprise medical billing does little to protect patients from the impact of surprise medical billing because it is a backend solution that gives patients no knowledge of what they are going to owe when they enter an in-network hospital. The hospital-based physicians treating these patients know full well that patients are going to a hospital that is in their network with little to no knowledge that some of their treating physicians may be out of network, yet they have purposefully chosen to stay out of network. (Patsy Writesman and Gregg Lawrence, 12/10)
The CT Mirror:
Medicare’s New Primary Care Payment Rule Is Good News For Patients
The ongoing relationship between primary care physicians and their patients forms the foundation of good health. Although that relationship has survived over the decades, cracks are appearing in it — the result of decades in which Medicare and other payers have devalued primary care by paying more for tests and procedures than for primary care visits. To make matters worse, Medicare has placed excessive administrative burdens on primary care physicians that hinder the delivery of quality patient care and add to the cost of care. (Robert McLean and Gary Leroy, 12/11)
