Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: More Midwives Can Help US Birth Equity; Ozempic Use Has Direct Effect On Junk Food Purchases
USA Today: Black Pregnant Women Are More Likely To Die. More Midwives Can Help
I became a midwife after working as a doula for 10 years. I came into the work with the knowledge and concern for the lack of safety that is espoused to Black women and birthing people that I witnessed while attending births within institutions that have and continue to perpetuate harm in birthing spaces. (Jeanine Valrie Logan, 10/30)
Chicago Tribune: More Americans Are Using Ozempic And Buying Less Junk Food
Can Ozempic save us from the perils of obesity? It turns out that the drug, first developed to treat diabetes, has become a high-profile appetite killer. Ozempic and similar drugs are skyrocketing in popularity, thanks to their ability to help take off those dreaded pounds. (Laura Washington, 10/30)
USA Today: My Mom Died By Suicide. The System Is Failing Women Like Her
The lasting impacts of homelessness and housing instability are devastating and cruel. Not only does homelessness impact people’s health and wellness – drastically increasing their stress, exposure to communicable diseases and violence, and further exacerbating chronic health conditions – but suicide rates among people experiencing homelessness have been estimated to be at least nine times higher. (Laura Feldman Hay, 10/30)
The Tennessean: Seniors, Beware: Medicare Open Enrollment Feels Like 'Open Season' On Older Americans
Open enrollment goes through Dec. 7. My mailbox is already filling with official-looking letters from commercial insurance companies posing as Medicare. They tout the advantages of their particular plan while conveniently withholding information that we seniors need and deserve in order to make a truly informed decision about our choice of health insurance. (Carol Paris, 10/30)
Miami Herald: Academic Medicine Fighting Chronic Disease Can Fix Healthcare In Florida And The World
Nearly three years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, preparedness has emerged as the top public health priority for 2024 and beyond. The backdrop for this focus is compelling: The next pandemic is already here. We face an ongoing crisis of chronic disease that not only generates huge economic and societal costs, but also increases the risk from emerging infectious diseases and seasonal viruses. (Julio Frenk, 10/27)
The Atlantic: What Financial Engineering Does To Hospitals
We are longtime financial journalists. In our new book, The Big Fail, we wrote about how the pandemic both exposed and exacerbated preexisting problems in America. One such problem is how financial engineering has helped hollow out our health-care system. (Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean, 10/28)
Stat: Testing For Cancer Recurrence Creates A New Limbo For Patients
My husband’s cancer came back this summer after not being evident for almost two years. With advances in cancer surveillance, we now speak of cancer survivors being cancer-free far less frequently. If you are among the luckiest unlucky who survive treatment for metastatic cancer and receive clear scans, you simply have “no evidence of disease.” (Mara Buchbinder, 10/29)
