Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: It’s Time To Start Mpox Vaccine Booster Trials; GOP's Cuts Will Create Substantial Coverage Losses
Stat: Mpox Vaccine Booster Trials Are Necessary Now
Mpox cases in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles are once again on the rise. Although case counts remain far below their level during the emergency of 2022, public health teams in Los Angeles recently identified three cases of mpox clade I, a strain of the virus that is currently spreading in Central Africa. These three cases appear linked not to travel but to local community spread within Los Angeles county, sparking worry of another large outbreak. (Joseph Osmundson and Miguel I. Paredes, 12/11)
Bloomberg: Mapping The Political Fallout Of GOP Health-Care Cuts
In a vote scheduled for Thursday, Senate Republicans are virtually certain to block the extension of the enhanced subsidies that former President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats passed to lower the cost of purchasing private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. (Ronald Brownstein, 12/10)
Modern Healthcare: The Healthcare Partnerships The Sector Needs Right Now
The healthcare industry faces dynamic policy changes that likely will reduce coverage for millions of Americans, weaken public health protections and disrupt access to care for some of our most vulnerable patients — creating greater strain on the healthcare ecosystem. Preparing for this environment requires renewed commitments toward shared population-based strategies across public and private healthcare sectors to protect our most vulnerable patients. (Dr. Garth Walker, Jonathan Blum, and Dr. Omar Lateef, 12/9)
Bloomberg: Big Pharma’s Patent Cliff Puts China Front And Center
For pharmaceutical firms, watching the lucrative patents on their top-selling drugs expire has long been part of the business cycle. There’s enormous pressure to find ways of covering the shortfall. For the first time, China has something to offer. (Juliana Liu, 12/9)
Stat: How My Friends’ Deaths Changed The Way I Think About Medicine
I sat at the bedside of a friend who drifted in and out of consciousness as I held his hand. As a critical care physician, I’m trained to steady myself in the face of trauma, from motor vehicle crash injuries to infections causing organ failure. But nothing in my professional life prepared me for the helplessness of watching him and another close friend — both doctors themselves — succumb to diseases that couldn’t be treated. (Venktesh Ramnath, 12/11)
