Viewpoints: Lessons On Developing, Distributing COVID Vaccine; Pros, Cons Of Laissez-Faire Approach To Trials
Opinion writers weigh on these pandemic topics and others.
Bloomberg:
Chinese Vaccine For Covid-19? Trump Should Agree To Test In U.S.
Critics of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China stress that it has led to higher consumer prices, costly bailouts for American farmers and mutual hard feelings. All these points are right as far as they go, but they don’t go far enough. The biggest cost of the trade war — measured in lives lost, lingering business uncertainty and a longer economic downturn — is the lack of cooperation between the U.S. and China on vaccines and other biomedical advances. (Tyler Cowan, 10/25)
Los Angeles Times:
A COVID-19 Vaccine Is Coming. Let's Not Fumble It
Sometime in the next few months we are likely to enter the era of COVID-19 vaccines. With billions of dollars poured into the multiagency federal effort Operation Warp Speed and positive signs coming from clinical trials, the odds seem high that one or more safe and relatively effective vaccines will be ready soon. But getting ready and getting people immunized are two different things. (Bob Kocher and Dana Gold, 10/25)
Stat:
Needed: A National Coalition To Coordinate Covid-19 Clinical Trials
After President Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19, the nation watched intently as he received experimental treatments to combat the virus. Some of these therapies are the result of published clinical trials; others are under so-called compassionate use — as-yet unapproved treatments that are employed when nothing else is available. The time has clearly come for a national coalition to coordinate hypothesis-driven clinical research trials to give the medical community the evidence it needs to safely and effectively treat and prevent Covid-19. (Gianrico Farrugia, Tom Mihaljevic and Andrew D. Badley, 10/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Want Medicaid For The Wealthy
While the coronavirus pandemic has predictably increased Medicaid enrollment, this development is being used to hide how the wealthy can take advantage of the system under Democratic expansion of health care. Many people are losing income or employer-based health coverage due to Covid-related closures, but a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office shows how enrollment will also rise because ineligible individuals remain on Medicaid—a trend Democrats want to perpetuate. A coronavirus relief bill signed by President Trump on March 18 included a 6.2% increase in states’ Medicaid matching rates for the duration of the pandemic. But the additional dollars came with a big catch: States can terminate Medicaid enrollment during the public health emergency only if “the individual requests a voluntary termination of eligibility” or moves out of state. No increase in income or assets, no matter how great, permits a state to disenroll someone from Medicaid. (Chris Jacobs, 10/25)
The Hill:
On Health Care, Voters In 2020 Face An Easy Choice
American voters face a decision this election season between starkly different policies on nearly every issue. But, on one issue in particular, that choice could not be more stark. When it comes to ensuring access to affordable health care, voters are being asked to select between those who wish to protect and expand that access and those who want to dismantle it. (House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, 10/26)
The Hill:
In 2020, The Future Of Health Care Is On Your Ballot
America’s health care system is at the root of every political question — from the coronavirus response and the economy to our national security. Without access to quality and affordable health care, Americans cannot succeed. While then-candidate Donald Trump was mounting his historic presidential campaign in 2016, I was practicing medicine and caring for patients in central Pennsylvania, working in our nation’s broken health care system and fighting every day for my patients. Four years later, much has changed — both in my own life and in our nation; and yet, health care remains the paramount issue in this election. (Rep. John Joyce, 10/26)
Modern Healthcare:
Telehealth Expansion Has Been Transformational; Payment Changes Should Be Made Permanent
Telehealth became an instant necessity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With its newfound prominence, it is catapulting American healthcare forward in ways that make care more accessible, adaptable and affordable— all to the benefit of patients. Yet the federal government’s approval of telehealth use and payment was only made on an emergency basis. It should become permanent, as the benefits of telehealth are profound, far-reaching and transformational. And health systems must make it as easy as possible for patients to utilize. (Marc Harrison, 10/24)
The Hill:
During Pandemic, 'Telehealth' Emerging As Important Lifeline To Connect Patients With Caregivers
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States early this year, it sent shockwaves across our economy and pushed many of the nation’s public health systems to the brink. Frontline health care workers, hospitals and patients suddenly were forced to confront a silent, deadly, fast-moving virus with no known cure and no vaccine. (Sen. Tina Smith, 10/26)
WBUR:
545 Children May Never See Their Parents Again. That Symbolizes Everything Wrong With Our Country
This week, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children held its annual Pediatric Global Health Summit. The keynote speaker, Dr. Pamela McPherson, is a pediatric psychiatrist, mental health expert for the Department of Homeland Security, and renowned whistleblower. In July 2018, amidst the public outcry against the government’s family separation policy, she and colleague Dr. Scott Allen exposed the severe physical and psychological effects that detention was having on immigrant children, effects they knew would be magnified when children were taken from their families. (Katie Peeler, 10/23)
The Hill:
There's No Universal Phone Number For Americans Struggling With Their Mental Health, But There Should Be
In October of 2019, I convened a roundtable of fellow gun violence survivors and members of Congress to discuss our respective experiences and share ideas and resources that could help others struggling with similar tragedies. As a survivor of gun violence myself, having lost my father at the age of 24, I knew firsthand the mental toll and anguish that other survivors were feeling. (Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, 10/26)
