Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Medicaid Work Requirements Will Create Chaos, And Cuts Will Lead To Excess Deaths
The New York Times: We Saw Medicaid Work Requirements Up Close. You Don't Want This Chaos.
Many of the Republicans pushing for Medicaid work requirements — permanent program cuts that will strip up to 14 million people of their health care coverage — likely have no idea what it takes to comply with them. We do. (Kevin De Liban and Trevor Hawkins, 6/8)
The Washington Post: The GOP Bill Cutting Medicaid Could Mean More Than 100,000 Deaths
If enacted, the House-passed reconciliation bill will mean more Americans will die — at 100,000 more over the course of the next decade. (Natasha Sarin, 6/9)
Modern Healthcare: Firearm Violence Should Be Treated Like A Public Health Emergency
As places of healing, our nation’s hospitals are built on a promise to do no harm. We implement systems to prevent “never events” — serious incidents that should never occur when proper procedures and safeguards are in place. When failures do happen, we study them closely and make changes to prevent them from recurring. (Marty Bonick, 6/5)
Stat: The Stress Of Improvising Hospital-Level Child Care At Home
As a researcher and medical device designer, I’ve spent years immersed in pediatric hospitals and homes, observing and listening. One moment from my recent research still keeps me up at night. A mother described how her toddler stopped breathing one afternoon at home. Instead of calling 911, she grabbed a faulty suction machine, the only one Medicaid had provided and prayed it would keep working long enough to clear her son’s airway. The hospital-grade unit she needed exists, but her Medicaid plan wouldn’t cover it. Thankfully, it worked — this time. (Jules Sherman, 6/9)
Chicago Tribune: What My Wife's Experience With Alzheimer's Has Taught Me
After several unexplained memory slips, there came a day when my wife, Geri, didn’t recognize her own face in the mirror. That’s when we knew it was time for her to get checked out. It was 2012, and Alzheimer’s was a feared diagnosis. At the time, billions of dollars of investments into research and development had failed to produce treatments that could prevent, slow or cure the disease. Getting a definitive diagnosis would be extremely difficult, but the alternative was living with years of uncertainty. (Jim Taylor, 6/8)
