Viewpoints: Health Care System Unprepared For Cyberattacks; How To Fix Medical Schools’ Diversity Problem?
Editorial writers examine hackers in health care, diversity in medical schools, and more.
The Atlantic:
The U.S. Health System’s Single Point Of Failure
When the coronavirus began straining American health care four years ago, hospitals and public officials at least saw the problem coming. Now a different kind of invader—purposeful and malign—has caught the system off guard. Late last month, hackers conducted a massive ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a division of UnitedHealth Group that transmits health providers’ claims to patients’ insurers, and the consequences are rippling outward. (Juliette Kayyem, 3/6)
Stat:
Tuition-Free Medical Schools Alone Won't Fix Diversity Problems
Medical students at Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York City gathered last week to hear a life-changing announcement: Ruth Gottesman revealed she would be donating $1 billion, ensuring no student at Einstein will pay tuition ever again. (Tricia Pendergrast and Jared E. Boyce, 3/7)
Newsweek:
Transgender Vets Deserve Access To Care
The United States military is a fighting force for which this nation owes its freedoms. It is made up of millions of our fellow Americans, who are all volunteers, and whose sacrifices are great. They travel the globe, pick up their families when duty calls, and relocate to wherever their nation needs them. They are deployed at this very moment in combat zones in defense of our country and all that we stand for. And, these brave service members risk their lives day in and day out, and no matter their race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It is our responsibility to care for those who've served our nation just as they have served us. (Kelley Robinson and Allison Jaslow, 3/6)
Miami Herald:
Florida Lawmakers Must Stem Healthcare Worker Shortage
March 2024 marks four years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Thankfully, we’re long past lockdowns, overrun emergency rooms and makeshift morgues. But for the millions who lost loved ones — in Florida about 93,000 people died related to the virus — and many millions more who suffered serious illness and effects, the trauma remains fresh. (Shirley Vyent, 3/6)