Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: In A Country Where Patients Are Taking Medication Made For Fish Because Of Costs, We Need 'Medicare For All'
Newsweek: It's Time To Fix Our Broken Health Care System With Medicare For All
Even though universal health coverage is the norm in every other developed country on Earth, the idea has long been dismissed as too ambitious for America. But today, a growing Medicare for All movement has propelled the idea into the mainstream; it is now supported by most Democratic presidential candidates, and it enjoyed its first hearing in Congress just two weeks ago. As an ER doctor who supports Medicare for All, I was asked to testify at this historic hearing. While policy experts and economists were present to discuss how we would construct and finance such an ambitious undertaking, I decided to focus on human stories. After all, the specifics of any policy only matter as far as they affect the lives of actual Americans. (Dr. Farzon A. Nahvi, 5/21)
The Hill: Anti-Vaxxers Threaten Adults Too
Measles outbreaks continue, adding to the historically high 880 cases confirmed as of May 17. But measles may have had their proverbial “15 minutes of fame.” Understandable, perhaps, given the news firehose we are drinking from these days. But lamentable, especially since the anti-vaxxers continue to push their dangerous nonsense, with the help of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., no less. Make no mistake: Measles is a dangerous, even deadly, disease, for both children and adults. (Eric R. Terzuolo, 5/22)
Stat: Prejudice And Patient Choice: An Insidious Confluence In Medicine
"I don’t want your kind taking care of me!” To an outsider, it might have resembled a standoff from an old Western. But it was taking place in a most modern hospital: the patient, an older white man hunched over with a snarl distorting his face; the physician, a young woman with a patterned hijab wrapped around her head. (Uchenna Ikediobi, 5/23)
Los Angeles Times: China’s Ban On Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America’s Opioid Crisis
The invention of the hypodermic needle and synthesis of heroin in the 19th century forever changed the opiate landscape. The arrival of cheap, accessible and mass-produced synthetic opioids might do the same. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are driving drug overdose deaths in the United States and it is unlikely this will end soon. But unlike prescription pain relievers, the vast majority of synthetic opioid overdoses involve illicit imports from China and Mexico. (Bryce Pardo and Beau Kilmer, 5/22)
USA Today: My Teens Don't Use Social Media, But Even They Can't Escape The Pressure Of Perfectionism
“I’m doing the best I can.” That has become my mantra lately. I didn’t make it up. I learned it in group therapy. ... For the past several weeks, I’ve been one of many correspondents working on a series of reports airing across all of our NBC News platforms about children and the alarming rise in mental health issues. We’re calling it “Kids Under Pressure.” But what I don’t say out loud very often is that I am not just an outside observer. In my own life, as the parent of two teenagers, some of the very things I’m reporting on are a daily struggle. I know I’m not alone. (Kate Snow, 5/22)
The New York Times: For A Longer, Healthier Life, Share Your Data
I’ve always been very careful about my personal information (some might say paranoid). I ad-block, I cookie-block, and I use a password manager and a ton of disposable email addresses. I don’t use fitness-tracking wearables. I even cover my laptop camera. I don’t like the idea of being profiled or running the chance that a data breach might leave me exposed. If you asked me whether I wanted my data collected, analyzed and shared, I would of course have said no. But then I had a funny experience last year. I make a living by analyzing large data sets, and I was looking into creating an artificial-intelligence app that would tell people whether their symptoms were severe enough to warrant a trip to the doctor or even the emergency room. (Luke Miner, 5/22)
The Hill: Child Sexual Abuse Victims — Mental Health Support Is Critical
Google “child abuse” on any given day and you will find reports from across the nation. This year, there were reports of Baptist church leaders abusing children, some as young as 3 and the Pope’s acknowledgment of nuns being abused by church leaders. In both cases, investigations found the majority of the crimes had been long standing and some even continued for decades, but little is said about support for the victims. This silence is dangerous; without access to health care, belief from loved ones and support from the community, it can lead to serious mental health consequences. (Ashely Garling, 5/22)
The Hill: Gov. Kemp Vetoed School Recess Bill In Georgia — It's Irresponsible And Neglects Children's Needs
The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years should have 60 minutes or more daily of moderate to vigorous physical activity, including muscle- and bone-strengthening activities three days/week. In addition to its substantial physical and mental health benefits, physical activity improves learning and behavior. (Drs. Michael Rosenbaum and William H. Dietz, 5/22)
Los Angeles Times: Of Course Police Should Kill Only When Necessary. California Law Should Reflect That
Police officers should be able to use deadly force only when necessary to prevent death or serious injury to themselves or to others. That standard seems so logical and so based in common sense that it may come as a surprise that it’s not already the law. It ought to be, and a bill currently before California lawmakers would make it so. Assembly Bill 392 is a measured piece of legislation to improve police practices and enhance accountability. It deserves to pass. (5/22)
The New York Times: ‘Feminine Weakness’ Is A Scam
I wrote my first novel at a time when I felt powerless. I was 27 in 2016, and there was a public reckoning happening with women’s bodies, but also a reckoning I was grappling with personally. I had felt so powerless in my body for such a long time that by then there was a comfort to be found in passivity, in going through the motions. I was dimly aware that there was another, stronger me somewhere, but I could barely see or remember her. I felt skinless, afraid. Writing a book laid bare my own reckoning, made me feel worse for a time. But it also opened me to the experience of bridging the gap between powerlessness and power. (Sophie Mackintosh, 5/22)
Modern Healthcare: Holistic Mental Health Treatment Needed For Children, Teens
Just before turning 3, Gavyn Bailey received a kidney transplant. Thereafter, he began to require anti-rejection medications, which create additional health concerns, including thickening of the heart muscle, necrosis of the hip, gastrointestinal issues and bacterial infections. The pain and challenges associated with his chronic condition propelled the now 21-year-old into a deep depression. To cope, Gavyn self-medicated and exhibited other forms of self-injurious behavior.Gavyn's case shows why it's imperative that physical and mental health be integrated. (Kimberly Chavalas Cripe and Christopher DeRosa, 5/21)
