Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Hurricanes Cause Long-Term Health Problems; Why Is The FDA Trying To End Fecal Transplants?
The Boston Globe: Preparing For A New Reality: Hurricanes Threaten Health
From hurricanes Katrina to Sandy to Rita, we now have ample evidence of the longer-term health impacts of severe storms. These range from higher levels of stroke to increased risk of preterm births to elevated levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety in the weeks and months that follow. A new study in Nature reported that more people died between 1930 and 2015 in the United States from hurricanes and tropical storms than from motor vehicle accidents. (Former White House adviser Dr. Ashish K. Jha, 10/28)
Stat: The FDA Must Save The Fecal Transplant
Twenty years ago, a respected colleague asked me to perform a “poop transplant” on a local schoolteacher with multiply recurrent C. difficile infection. I was incredulous and skeptical, but my colleague (a friend but a forceful one) persisted until I ultimately acquiesced. (Neil Stollman, 10/29)
USA Today: I'm A Doctor. Let Me Explain Why Reelecting Trump Threatens Your Health
In early 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I distinctly remember rounding on a patient in my hospital dying from respiratory failure – unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence during that time. What stands out in my mind was that no matter how much oxygen he was hooked up to, my patient never took off his red “Make America Great Again” hat. (Dr. Thomas K. Lew, 10/28)
Stat: Behind The Scenes With The Medicare Director On Drug Price Negotiation
The historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has fundamentally improved the affordability of and access to prescription drugs for millions of people with Medicare. The law laid out aggressive timelines for implementing the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. As the director of Medicare, my team and I worked thoughtfully and diligently to stand up the program — on time and successfully. (Meena Seshamani, 10/29)
The Washington Post: How This Hospital Is Treating Food As Medicine
Clinicians know that their patients’ health is determined not just by the care they receive but also factors outside the confines of medicine — employment, financial stability, safe housing and access to nutritious food, to name a few. That can leave many health-care providers frustrated and disillusioned. (Leana S. Wen, 10/29)
