Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Obamacare Court Challenges Continue; Examining The GOP Platform
Bloomberg: Obamacare's Other Success, Under Threat
Obamacare has made great strides toward its signature goal: to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance. Unfortunately, another important goal -- ensuring that everyone's insurance policy provides adequate coverage -- remains under siege in the courts and Congress. Before the Affordable Care Act, private health insurers were free to exclude coverage for all sorts of care. In 2011, 62 percent of people who bought their own policies had to pay for maternity care out of pocket; 34 percent had no coverage for substance abuse services; and 18 percent weren't insured for mental health care. One in 10 had no help buying prescription drugs. (7/20)
Los Angeles Times: Forget Melania Trump. The Republican Party Platform Is The Circus We Need To Watch.
Because here’s what the official document — a document that, unlike Melania Trump, addresses numerous important national issues — says the Republican Party aims to do. I want to directly quote the platform’s language without interpretation, so that I can’t be accused of sensationalizing or misstating it. ... On abortion, the platform states: “We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.” This is an argument to amend the constitution in order to make abortion illegal. (Melissa Batchelor Warnke, 7/19)
The Texas Tribune: Protecting Texans From Zika Requires Action, Not Gamesmanship
Last week, the first Zika-related case of microcephaly was reported in Texas. The next day, for the second time, Democrats in the United States Senate filibustered legislation that could have helped stop the spread of the Zika virus in Texas and across the United States. In doing so, they chose partisanship over sound public health policy and empty words over action. ... Fortunately, this isn't catching us by surprise. For months now, experts at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston, the Texas Medical Center in Houston and others in our state have highlighted the need to prepare for the arrival of mosquitos carrying the virus in the United States. (Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, 7/19)
Star Tribune: MNsure Fixes Urgently Needed After Blue Cross Retreat
Just a slender slice of Minnesotans — roughly 5 percent — buy their health insurance on their own instead of getting it through employers or through government programs such as Medicare. Nevertheless, it is a colossal problem when the company getting the bulk of the state’s so-called “individual market” winds up losing money hand over fist. (7/19)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Better Care, Lower Costs For Kentuckians
Good health pays off at WellCare of Kentucky. We are committed to providing access to quality health care for Kentucky’s most vulnerable populations – low-income mothers, children and seniors; and those with developmental and physical disabilities – because we know investing in good health now improves quality of life and reduces costs later. As the largest of five managed care organizations (MCOs) in Kentucky, we work with the state, providers and community organizations to bring together the resources our members need to get and stay healthy. This creates a “win” for everyone – members, providers, taxpayers and government partners. And our results prove it. (Kelly Munson, 7/19)
Boston Globe: It’s High Time To End Pregnancy Discrimination
Alejandra Duarte was 19 weeks pregnant when she lost her baby. At the time, she was working 40 hours a week at a Central Massachusetts laundry facility, packing and pushing around large and heavy carts. When she found out she was pregnant, Duarte asked her supervisor to ease her load at work or move her to lighter duty. But instead, she was given more hours – 50 per week, and she had to take it or leave it. ... It defies belief that pregnant workers need protection in an era when women have made so much progress in the workplace. (7/20)
Modern Healthcare: The Trouble With The Cancer Moonshot
Maybe moonshot wasn't the most apt metaphor to describe the efforts of an entire country to (once again) cure cancer. “I almost wish we hadn't called it the moonshot,” U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, the head of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, said Sunday in Australia, where he was opening a cancer center in Melbourne. “It really is more like the Manhattan Project. It really is about collaboration in a way that hasn't happened before.” (Elizabeth Whitman, 7/19)
Lexington Herald Leader: Kentucky Needs More Needle Exchanges To Stem Spread Of Infectious Disease
A member of the board that oversees his county’s health department, Carter County Judge-Executive Mike Malone had worries when health department officials brought up the idea of giving clean needles to IV drug users. Like many people, especially politicians, he worried that handing out needles might appear to be encouraging illicit drug use. But now he supports the program. “The more you learn about it, the more you’ll understand it’s the right thing to do,” Malone, a Republican, told reporter Bill Estep. (7/19)
Sacramento Bee: Foster Youth Deserve Good Health Care, Wherever They Are
Children enter foster care having already experienced abuse, neglect and other traumas, such as exposure to domestic violence. These accumulated traumas can leave them with extensive behavioral and mental health needs. To heal, these children need regular and quality health care services. (Moira Szilagyi, 7/19)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Vaccines Are A Must For College Bound
As we approach August, students and parents across the commonwealth are beginning to cross more items off their summer to-do lists. Amid the excitement of starting a new school year, updating immunization records is one item that often gets pushed to the bottom of the list, especially once students are preparing to enter college. But while you are out buying books and new dorm supplies, take a few minutes to ensure your future college student is healthy and protected. (Christopher P. Harlow, 7/18)
Tampa Bay Times: Step Forward For USF Medical Education
Given the competition in the market, the University of South Florida has made a practical decision to refashion the use of its much-hyped medical training institute in downtown Tampa. The Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation, heralded at its opening four years ago as a means for marrying entrepreneurship, academics and medical training, will increase its use as a learning center for USF medical students. (7/19)
The Washington Post: The Clearest Proof Yet That Your Job Is Killing You
Recently, economists at Purdue and the University of Copenhagen made a clever attempt to clear up the question. They looked at Danish manufacturing companies where overseas sales increased unexpectedly because of changes in foreign demand or transportation costs between 1996 and 2006. These constituted a set of natural experiments. At firms where exports spiked, there was suddenly a lot more work to do, a lot more things to sell. This put the squeeze on employees, who became measurably more productive — but also started to have more health problems. (Jeff Guo, 7/19)
