Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: If Doctors Don't Even Follow Their Own Advice, How Can Patients?; Oncology Care Has Lost Sight Of How Unique Each Patient Is
Stat: Doctors' Information Doesn't Help Them Choose Wisely When Sick
Doctors are full of advice: Eat healthy. Exercise. Don’t miss your medications. Don’t get that unnecessary test. The premise behind this advice is simple: most people have little medical knowledge and doctors, by giving their patients more and better information about their health and available treatments, can help them make better decisions. But health education isn’t just the cornerstone of the patient-doctor relationship, it’s also the backbone of an enormous number of policies designed to improve public health. (Michael D. Frakes, Jonathan Gruber and Anupam B. Jena, 7/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Every Cancer Patient Is One In A Billion
Cancer physicians for more than a century have followed the simple dictum that more is better—more surgery, more radiation, more chemotherapy and, most recently, more immunotherapy. But how much is enough? Do we escalate doses to the point of lethality, as those engaged in bone-marrow transplantation are forced to do regularly? Is this struggle to eliminate every patient’s cancer achievable or even warranted? These questions have taken on a new urgency because oncology has lost sight of a basic principle: Every patient is a uniquely complex person with different medical needs requiring different treatments. (Robert Nagourney, 7/22)
Los Angeles Times: What I Didn't Know About My Transgender Child
Our bungalow was still dark when my cellphone rang at 5 a.m. My husband and I had escaped for a much needed yoga retreat on the remote island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, when I got the phone call no parent ever expects to get — a call that four years of medical school, three years of pediatric residency training and 15 years of practicing pediatrics hadn’t prepared me for. At the sound of the middle school principal’s voice, my heart started racing. “We know you are away and it is early, but we had to call you.” (Hassouri, 7/19)
The New York Times: Depressed? Here’s A Bench. Talk To Me.
What disease in the world today disables the most people? By many measures, it’s depression — and that holds nearly everywhere, whether you live in Zimbabwe or the United States. In poor countries, virtually no one gets treatment. But even rich countries run short. A survey in 2013 and 2014 found that about half a million residents of New York City had depression and that fewer than 40 percent of them got treatment. The city is taking this problem seriously, mainly through the efforts of ThriveNYC, a program founded by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray. (Tina Rosenberg, 7/22)
USA Today: As Medical Marijuana Use Rises, So Should Its Research
Marijuana’s role in the health care universe has grown exponentially over the past few years. Currently, 33 U.S. states have legalized the use of medical marijuana, and more and more states are considering making it legal for recreational purposes as well. As cannabis becomes more accessible, many people are turning to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) products to treat health issues like rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (the aches and pains of arthritis). (Seth Ginsberg, 7/23)
Los Angeles Times: Harvesting More DNA From Low-Level Offenders Could Result In Fewer Crimes Solved
As someone who has devoted his life to law enforcement, it pains me to see that some prominent voices in the law enforcement community are using their platforms to mislead and frighten the public. California, for example, is getting safer, even while a small group of fearmongers continues to insist that the sky is falling. (Downing, 7/22)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Firing Leana Wen A Reminder Of Planned Parenthood’s True Mission
I’m glad that Planned Parenthood made this move, because it underscores something I have always known: that the organization doesn’t actually focus on women’s health. (Christine Flowers, 7/19)
The New York Times: She Didn’t Act Like A Rape Victim
Last month, three judges on an Army appeals court — two women and a man — overturned a 2017 rape conviction at West Point. They did so on the grounds that they did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show that the sex had not been consensual. One key piece of exculpating evidence, the judges found, was that Cadet Jacob D. Whisenhunt had made no effort to avoid being detected, or even to clean up his semen from the sleeping bag of the woman who had accused him of raping her — a sign that he thought he had nothing to hide. But why would he hide? He had nothing to fear. (Ryan Leigh Dostie, 7/22)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's Time To Revisit How We View Age 65
Putting politics aside, there is still a question looming on my mind: Why, if almost three decades of longevity have been tacked on to Americans’ lives since Social Security was implemented, haven’t we changed our ideas about the typical retirement age and what constitutes “old” age? It’s time for everyone to acknowledge that a new stage of life, between working age and being old, exists. And this stage of life can be just as rich as any other stage. (Wes Moss, 7/19)
Austin American-Statesman: The Legislature’s Lack Of Political Courage On Vaccines Should Scare Us All
Texas lawmakers made real progress on big-ticket issues like public school finance. However, on some key issues, like health care, much was left undone or completely ignored. Case in point: The Texas Legislature chose to sit on its hands in the face of a growing measles epidemic. (Rekha Lakshmanan, 7/19)
Dallas Morning News: Here’s One Big Reason To Keep Working: Social Security Pays A Lot More
If older workers stayed on the job longer, they could do a lot for the labor shortage — and improve their financial prospects in the bargain. But 4 in 10 people retire earlier than expected, which often leads to a financial mistake: signing up for Social Security benefits before reaching full retirement age. (Mitchell Schnurman, 7/20)
