Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Medicare Open Enrollment Is Too Confusing; Pro-Vaccine Activists Are Ready For RFK Jr. Challenge
Bloomberg: Still Figuring Out Medicare Open Enrollment? Good Luck
To the stalwart seniors reviewing their Medicare coverage this fall: Godspeed. The open-enrollment process has become so convoluted that almost 70% of beneficiaries don’t bother to compare their options. Many are opting to migrate to Medicare Advantage, a simpler, privately run alternative paid for by the government. By 2034, more than 60% of seniors will be enrolled, up from about half today. (11/22)
Stat: This Is Pro-Vaccine Activists’ Moment To Shine — And We’re Ready
The current forecast for vaccine policy in the United States is, to put it mildly, stormy. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services and a slate of other names — including Mehmet Oz, Jay Bhattacharya, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo — floated as possible appointees, public health advocates are rightly concerned about the future of evidence-based public health policies. (Caitlin Gilmet, 11/22)
The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Aside, What Should We Do To Make America Healthier?
People are justifiably alarmed at the prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being put in charge of American health policy. On the latest episode of “Impromptu,” deputy Opinions editor Charles Lane, pediatrician and columnist Leana S. Wen, and editor Rob Gebelhoff debate how to disentangle the candidate’s sound ideas from his conspiratorial ones — and what we should do to make America healthier. (Charles Lane, Leana S. Wen and Robert Gebelhoff, 11/21)
The Wall Street Journal: Elon Musk And Vivek Ramaswamy: The DOGE Plan To Reform Government
With a decisive electoral mandate and a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, DOGE has a historic opportunity for structural reductions in the federal government. We are prepared for the onslaught from entrenched interests in Washington. We expect to prevail. Now is the moment for decisive action. Our top goal for DOGE is to eliminate the need for its existence by July 4, 2026—the expiration date we have set for our project. There is no better birthday gift to our nation on its 250th anniversary than to deliver a federal government that would make our Founders proud. (Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, 11/20)
Stat: Why This Cancer Advocate Is Leaving X/Twitter
I’ve been living with and communicating about lung cancer for over 13 years. Since 2011, the year I was diagnosed, I’ve been active in one or more online lung cancer patient groups. Since 2012, I’ve been blogging and on social media, connecting with the lung cancer community and learning/sharing developments in cancer research. In 2013, I cofounded #LCSM (lung cancer social media) Chat on Twitter and became a co-moderator of its weekly chats. (Janet Freeman-Daily, 11/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Why Is Everyone ‘Sober-Ish’ All Of A Sudden?
Have you noticed that your friends are a little less fun? That everyone leaves a dinner party earlier? That their stories are less wild or funny or revealing? This may be because so many people have decided to cut down on their drinking after a spate of ominous articles on how alcohol, even in moderate amounts, increases your risk for cancer and other serious health problems. After years of pushing the benign myth that a glass of wine a day is good for the heart, it seems the medical establishment has abandoned hedonists and pleasure seekers. Is there a safe amount of alcohol? It turns out no. For this and other more amorphous reasons, I have noticed increasing numbers of people around me are sober-ish. (Katie Roiphe, 11/21)
