Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: More Reaction To Decision On The Aetna-Humana Merger; A Real War On Women
Bloomberg: Aetna Threatened Obamacare But Didn't Start The Fight
Last year, when Aetna announced that it was withdrawing from the bulk of its Obamacare exchange business, liberals were incandescent with rage. Many, Senator Elizabeth Warren among them, alleged that this was basically a thuggish threat, aimed at an administration that had sued to block the firm’s merger with Humana. ... This week, many of those people are feeling vindicated. ... But the people who think that their prior opinion has been vindicated should actually read the ruling. (Megan McArdle, 1/25)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Humana Ruling A Cloud With Silver Lining
After reading the CJ's on the judge’s decision to block the merger of Humana and Aetna, I wanted to share my view that this is a cloud with a silver lining for the company, its employees and the community. This view is based on personal experiences as the Chief Operating Officer of Humana Health Plans when it was launched in 1984 .... It is also informed by my involvement in the arts as President of the Louisville Orchestra, in helping to arrange the initial grant for the Humana Festival of American Plays and in spearheading corporate employee giving to the Fund for the Arts. (Hank Werronen, 1/25)
The New York Times: President Trump’s War On Women Begins
It followed the weekend’s stunning women’s marches: At least 3.2 million people apparently participated in all 50 states, amounting to 1 percent of the U.S. population. In a slap at all who marched, Trump this week signed an order that will cut off access to contraception to vast numbers of women, particularly in Africa. It will also curb access to cancer screenings and maybe even undermine vaccination campaigns and efforts against H.I.V. and the Zika virus. The upshot: Thousands of impoverished, vulnerable women will die. (Nicholas Kristof, 1/26)
JAMA: Translating Cancer Surveillance Data Into Effective Public Health Interventions
In this issue of JAMA, Mokdad and colleagues report that cancer mortality has markedly decreased in the United States over the past 30 years. Based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and from the US Census, the authors estimate that US cancer mortality decreased approximately 20% during the past 3 decades, from 240.2 per 100 000 population to 192.0 per 100 000 overall between 1980 and 2014. ... However, not everyone has enjoyed the benefit of this work. Despite major advances in science and care delivery related to cancer, the most vulnerable citizens have been left behind. (1/25)
Stat: Health Professionals Must Fight A Trump Administration Expansion Of Torture
It was profoundly distressing to hear Donald Trump on the campaign trail vowing a return to abusing prisoners with “a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.” Those thoughts threaten to reverse the work that I and others have done over the last decade to end torture as an official US government policy and to prevent health professionals’ participation in detainee abuse. As a psychologist, I know the extreme damage that torture — the systematic infliction of severe pain and degradation — does to its victims and to its perpetrators. (Stephen Soldz, 1/25)
