Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Insurance Shouldn't Decide What's An Emergency; Vaccines Never Used To Be Political
Stat: Who Judges What's 'Necessary' When It Comes To Emergency Care?
Last month, I rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency care after experiencing pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding. Because I had a history of complications from ovarian cysts, my physician recommended I go straight to the emergency department. While waiting to be seen, I read a news report that my insurance provider, UnitedHealthcare, was considering a new policy that would deny payment for emergency department visits that it retrospectively deemed “unnecessary.” (Laura Specker Sullivan, 8/5)
The Baltimore Sun: Nearly 80 Years Worth Of Vaccines And All Were Apolitical — Until Now. A Personal History
In the late 1980s, on a school day in early March at Pikesville High School in Baltimore County, classes were suspended for a day. The entire student body was sent to the gymnasium and lined up. A student at the school had recently returned from a trip abroad and had come down with the measles. The health department acted quickly to stave off an epidemic by deciding on a mass vaccination of the entire student body. I was a math teacher at Pikesville at the time, and I was stationed in the gym to help keep the lines moving and facilitate the process. The health professionals set up a series of vaccination tables, and, without incident, the approximately 1,000 students were quickly and efficiently vaccinated. All of this was done with a minimum of political turmoil. (Iver Mindel, 8/4)
Los Angeles Times: State Lawmakers Are Fumbling The Chance To Improve Patient Safety
The lobbying group for state physicians is having its way with the state Legislature this year, neutering two bills aimed at improving patient safety. Unless lawmakers suddenly reverse course, they’re poised to punt on the chance to upgrade the state board that disciplines bad doctors, and they’ll defang a proposal to require doctors to reveal potential conflicts of interest to the people they treat. At issue are a Senate bill (SB 806) to reauthorize the Medical Board of California, the agency in charge of licensing physicians, and an Assembly bill (AB 1278) to require doctors to disclose directly to patients what they’re being paid by drug and medical device companies. (8/4)
Modern Healthcare: The Transformative Power Of Public-Private Partnerships
When we look back on 2020, undoubtedly a definitive period in our history, perhaps one of our greatest lessons will be the near-miraculous power of partnerships and collaboration. When we harnessed the greatest scientific minds of the world from both academia and companies and paired them with the financial backing and influence of the most powerful governments, we advanced light-years ahead in vaccine research, viral treatments and diagnostics. (Dr. Bill Frist, 8/2)
Bloomberg: Vaccine Giant Sanofi Bets On MRNA With Translate Bio Purchase
Sanofi is one of the world's largest vaccine makers, with billions in reliable annual sales coming from the business. With its $3.2 billion purchase of Translate Bio Inc., announced Tuesday, the company is coopting a possible disruptor. Translate focuses on messenger RNA, the promising new approach behind the wildly successful Covid vaccines from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. Sanofi first partnered with Translate to explore mRNA vaccines in 2018, then expanded the partnership last year to work on a Covid vaccine. Now it’s making a bigger bet on the biotech startup. It's yet another validation of the potential of mRNA vaccines, and even though uncertainty remains, this deal helps Sanofi prepare for the future at a reasonable price. (Max Nisen, 8/3)
The New York Times: It’s Hard Enough To Have A Child With Cancer. It Shouldn’t Crush Families Financially
My infant daughter was diagnosed with a brain cancer nearly a year ago. She endured several surgeries and horrific side effects from her chemotherapy, which ultimately took her life on Christmas Eve. And yet, my family was one of the lucky ones. We had ample savings and excellent health insurance. Our employers mostly continued to pay us. Though the total tab for her four-month battle came to a staggering $1.8 million, insurance covered most of our hospital bills. (Andrew Kaczynski, 8/5)
Modern Healthcare: Keeping The Healthcare Industry Connected
Over the past 45 years, Modern Healthcare has witnessed this dynamic industry transform itself. First, leaders responded to the driving forces around consumerism and cost. Then last year, the industry morphed again in reaction to a global crisis. In 1976, Modern Hospitals became Modern Healthcare: the go-to for timely, comprehensive, unbiased industry news. Our newsroom has reported on vital healthcare milestones. Our reporters analyzed how policies like the Affordable Care Act changed your operations or how emerging trends like digital health pushed care outside of the hospital. (Fawn Lopez, 8/2)
