Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: No Surprises Act A Win Against Unexpected Medical Bills; How To Tackle The Physician Shortage
Newsweek: Winning A Victory For Cost Transparency In Health Care
The No Surprises Act, a bipartisan effort to reduce the number of surprise medical bills, went into effect on January 1. As significant as this legislation is—surprise bills are one of the biggest drivers of medical bankruptcy in America—the act is still being overlooked. (Sen. William Cassidy and Jonathan Kaplan, 3/16)
Chicago Tribune: The Private Sector Can Help Solve Our Doctor Shortage
The pandemic has laid bare a crisis we’ve ignored for far too long — our chronic doctor shortage. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States faces a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians over the next decade. This is a supply problem, as the demand for care will only go up. So we must create more doctors — by expanding medical school capacity and increasing the number of residency slots where budding doctors can complete their training. (Sally C. Pipes, 3/15)
Kansas City Star: Missouri Ectopic Pregnancy Abortion Bill Not Misrepresented
When Missouri state Rep. Brian Seitz was running for office two years ago, the Baptist pastor and business manager for Splash Car Wash in Branson spoke out against the “grievous” prospect of a local ordinance that would “restrict individual liberties and freedoms” and “make criminals out of individuals and businesses that refuse to comply.” (Melinda Henneberger, 3/16)
Los Angeles Daily News: Enforcing Abortion Bans Is Much Harder Than Passing Them
When Texas imposed strict limits on abortion last fall, the number of abortions performed by clinics in that state fell by half. But the actual decline in abortions was much smaller because many women traveled to clinics in other states or used readily available drugs to end their pregnancies at home. (Sullum, 3/14)
