Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: How Do We Help Exhausted Nurses?; Examining California's Universal Health Care Bill
Bloomberg: We Used To Clap For Nurses, Now We Let Them Burn Out And Quit
If mask-wearing is an indicator of pandemic alertness, Europe is in a state of fatigue. YouGov surveys indicate face coverings have dropped across the continent as vaccinations and booster shots pick up. In Paris, where new rules require masks even in the street, noses and mouths are regularly on display as a small act of rebellion. Behind the fading fear of Covid is the sense that omicron is not delta, and that 2022 is not 2020. (Lionel Laurent, 1/12)
The Star Tribune: Health Care Workers Were In Crisis Before COVID
Much has been written about the challenges front-line health care workers have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long hours, excessive death, and fear for one's own safety and the welfare of family and colleagues has been a constant over the past 22 months. Physicians and nurses started out as heroes, but due to strained politics and social media misuse, are now branded by a substantial swath of society as pariahs and purveyors of a medical hoax. (Rick Hilger, 1/11)
Los Angeles Times: California Democrats Are Trying Again For Universal Healthcare. It’s A Debate Well Worth Having
Calling the Democrats’ new universal health care legislation “bold” is an understatement. It would be a life-changer for practically every Californian. It also would require by far the largest state tax increase in history. Some powerful opponents will call it “socialist.” But aren’t Social Security and Medicare socialist? And they’re among the most popular government programs in America. (George Skelton, 1/11)
Stat: Can Telehealth Support Relationships Built On Trust, The Core Of Medicine?
A number of promising new digital health companies have surfaced in the past two years, prompted in part by the demand for telehealth visits that soared in the first wave of Covid-19. These companies have been fueled by a wave of breathless hype and tens of billions of dollars in venture and private equity investment. Far from being a new kind of health system, as feverish boosters suggest, the plethora of virtual-first digital health offerings — in which patients’ initial entry point is with a virtual provider they do not know — are a clumsy power grab intended to detach patients from trusted relationships with established caregivers, using instant access as bait, in order to control their downstream care. (Jeff Goldsmith, 1/12)
Los Angeles Times: Americans Used To Respect Public Health. Then Came COVID
Some of the most alarming government actions since the COVID pandemic began have weakened state authority to safeguard public health. At least 26 states have removed traditional powers from local health departments, the institutions tasked with protecting us. New state laws, for example, take away or limit health officials’ abilities to require masks, promote vaccinations, close restaurants and schools or even impose quarantines. (Judith Walzer Leavitt, 1/12)
USA Today: Nowhere To Turn: Families Are Overwhelmed As Kids' Mental Health Needs Go Unmet
In 2017, I campaigned in every corner of Alabama, listening to people’s hopes, dreams and fears. I heard about jobs, education and college football (I was in Alabama, after all), but I was surprised to hear sobering statistics and heart-breaking stories about the dramatic increase in mental health concerns. Particularly disturbing were reports about the rise in depression, anxiety, loneliness, trauma and suicidal thoughts among our youth. (Doug Jones, 1/11)
Stat: Medicare Shouldn't Cover Annual Liquid Biopsies For Early Cancer Detection
It would be crazy for members of Congress to introduce a bill mandating that Medicare pay for an expensive cancer screening test backed by zero proof that it saves lives. It would be even crazier for the American Cancer Society to argue that mandating coverage for this unproven, expensive test would somehow address health disparities. Crazy, but true. (H. Gilbert Welch and Barnett Kramer, 1/12)
