Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Medical Debt Is A Full-On Health Emergency; Ultraprocessed Foods Have Sickened Americans
The CT Mirror: The Hidden Health Crisis: Medical Debt
When we talk about the U.S. healthcare crisis, the conversations often turn to buzzwords: skyrocketing premiums, pharmaceutical greed, hospital consolidations. However, the real emergency isn’t just what’s happening inside hospitals or insurance plans. Instead, it’s what’s happening to millions of Americans: crushing medical debt. (Brandon M. Macsata, Guy Anthony and Jonathan Sosa, 9/10)
The New York Times: It’s Not You, It’s The Food
Such advice has won the backing of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who makes valid critiques of the state of America’s health while also promoting wearable health devices to help people “take responsibility,” and promising to free Americans from the Food and Drug Administration’s “aggressive suppression” of vitamin supplements, which he views as a key part of a healthy lifestyle. (Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, 9/10)
Bloomberg: Gen Z Is Bucking A Terrible Mortality Trend
Young adults in the US are dying at a slower pace. The 2024 mortality numbers collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics won’t be officially finalized for a while yet, but I’ve been checking the provisional updates every week, and the totals have stopped changing, so I think its safe to say that last year’s US death rate for ages 25 through 34 was the lowest since 2015. (Justin Fox, 9/9)
Stat: AI Is Helping My Doctors Treat My Cancer
When I turned 60, I knew something wasn’t right. I lost weight. I felt drained. I had no appetite. I had a gut feeling — literally, abdominal discomfort — and a sense that something serious was going on beneath the surface. So I asked my doctors to test everything. (Steve Brown, 9/10)
The Colorado Sun: As Health Care Costs Rise, Coloradans Battling Cancer Will Endure Even More Financial Hardships
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Colorado, with 44,527 dying from cancer in 2024; and nearly 26,000 new cancer diagnoses last year. People who live in areas with low household incomes — be it urban, suburban or rural — are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage disease, require more aggressive treatments, and have a poorer health outlook. However, with rising costs of new cancer drugs, unaffordable treatments will not be confined to those without insurance or access to care. The ability to be treated may soon be out of reach for many patients and families. (Cathy J. Bradley, 9/9)
Stat: My Mother And I Were Both Misdiagnosed. I Lived. She Died
In 2009, what began as a swollen ankle ended with a terminal cancer diagnosis. Driving home from Florida, I could barely walk when I pulled off I-95. A Virginia ER dismissed me as constipated. But back in New Jersey, CT scans revealed a 28-centimeter uterine mass and multiple lung metastases. A lung biopsy confirmed stage IV uterine leiomyosarcoma. (Michelle Patroni, 9/10)
