Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Lowering Insulin Cost Is Just The Beginning; Here's How To Win The Opioid Battle
Chicago Tribune: We Should Crack Down On Middlemen That Inflate Drug Costs
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock just introduced a bill that would cap Americans’ out-of-pocket spending on insulin at $35 a month. The legislation would be a godsend to patients battling diabetes. ... It’d be political malpractice for my fellow Democrats to not pass this much-needed bill — but it’d also be a huge mistake to stop there. Hundreds of common medicines — not just insulin — are unaffordable for ordinary Americans because middlemen in the drug supply chain inflate patients’ out-of-pocket costs. Shining sunlight on these middlemen’s practices would help all patients, not just those with diabetes. (Howard Dean, 4/18)
Newsweek: We Need An All-Of-The-Above Strategy To Fight The Opioid Crisis
The U.S. remains mired in an opioid crisis, with dangerous synthetic opioids such as fentanyl dominating the illicit drug market and driving steep increases in overdose deaths. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 106,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the last 12 months, another record number and a grim reminder that the decades-long opioid epidemic rages on. Today, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45—more than car accidents, firearms and COVID-19. (Jim Crotty, 4/18)
The Baltimore Sun: Important Unsung Legislative Actions Matter To Your Health
I served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 24 years, from 1995 to 2019. At the end of each General Assembly session, I’d send a letter to my constituents summarizing the bills that passed or failed. The media covered the high profile and controversial issues, so my report included a section of “Unsung Legislative Actions.” These were items that didn’t get headlines but were important. These two bills — both enacted in the 2022 session — initially may seem remote or technical in nature, but they will impact the health and well-being of every Marylander with minimal cost and substantial benefit. You should know about them. (Dan Morhaim, 4/18)
The Colorado Sun: As Pediatricians, We Are Oath-Bound To Give Gender-Affirming Care
As pediatricians in Colorado, we are appalled by the tidal wave of radical and harmful anti-LGBTQ+ – and specifically, anti-trans – policies being implemented around the country. Like all young people, LGBTQ+ youth should be made to feel welcome and supported in their communities, not ostracized. Given our role as health care providers, we feel strongly that all transgender youth deserve access to gender-affirming medical care that is comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, safe, and inclusive. We work closely with individual children and their caregivers to do what is best for each child, and importantly, we do so free of political interference. (Drs. Matt Guerrieri and Lucas Morgan, 4/18)
The Texas Tribune: Analysis: Texas’ New Standard Of Abortions Doesn’t Include Everyone
Texas hasn’t outlawed abortion for everyone — just for those who can’t afford to travel to other states and countries where the decision about whether to have a child is left to the person who’s pregnant. The state’s new restrictions on abortions, effectively outlawing them after about six weeks of pregnancy, have been in effect for almost eight months. A fetus’ initial cardiac activity is detectable at about that time — often before a person knows they’re pregnant. Under current Texas law, abortion is illegal after those pulses can be detected. It’s still legal in other states, however, if a pregnant Texan has the means to get there. (Ross Ramsey, 4/18)
Los Angeles Times: Why I'm Telling My Abortion Story Now
The United States is facing the most consequential year for abortion rights since Roe vs. Wade was decided in 1973. And it isn’t just a matter of the pending Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Mississippi case that is likely to overturn Roe. When the Supreme Court allowed Texas’ SB 8 to remain in effect last year, the floodgates opened at the state level. More than 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced in more than 40 states so far this year. Idaho recently copied Texas’ ban. Arizona followed Mississippi and Florida in passing a 15-week ban. And just last week Kentucky’s Legislature effectively outlawed abortion in the state by setting new regulations but providing no mechanism to fulfill them. (Jodi Hicks, 4/18)
