Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Online Privacy Takes A Huge Hit; Pros, Cons Of Latest Relief Bill
Stat: Online Privacy Loss: Another Covid-19 Aftershock
Since the coronavirus pandemic first emerged in the United States, millions of Americans have gone online to search for information related to the virus or Covid-19, the disease it causes. Most had no idea they were revealing information about themselves — not just to the government agencies, hospital systems, or media outlets whose websites they visited, but to third-party companies that surreptitiously track their activity and invade their online privacy. (Matthew S. McCoy, Timothy Libert and Ari B. Friedman, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Pelosi Tries To Settle For $2.2 Trillion
The art of the deal this isn’t. Amid the talks over another coronavirus relief bill, Republicans in the Senate have supported a $500 billion “skinny” package. The White House signaled at one point it might go as high as $1.5 trillion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s new counter offer: $2.2 trillion. Her latest plan, unveiled on Monday, would restore the full $600-a-week federal supplement to unemployment benefits, which was a disincentive to work before it expired in July. The proposal would send Americans a fresh round of checks, $1,200 per person and $500 per dependent. (9/29)
Bloomberg: Coronavirus Relief: Mnuchin And Pelosi Must End Stimulus Stalemate
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin finally got around to talking about a new round of coronavirus aid, and yesterday the Democrats released a new plan. Not before time. The prolonged failure to extend fiscal relief poses a grave threat to the economy. Differences remain between the two sides, but these disagreements cannot justify doing nothing at all — which, even now, remains a distinct possibility. A compromise should be struck without further delay. Undoubtedly, Republicans bear most of the blame for the impasse. To replace the expiring provisions of the previous fiscal package, they proposed roughly $650 billion of additional spending. That’s far too little. (9/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Your Covid Cribsheet, Updated
Since we reviewed the key knowables and predictables about Covid-19 in April, new points have emerged. Sewage studies and patient samples seem to show the virus was circulating in Europe and South America before an outbreak was officially recognized in Wuhan. Lockdowns might or might not have been important contributors to suppressing eruptions that overwhelmed hospitals in the Chinese city, in New York, in Northern Italy. These episodes are not well understood. The hospitals themselves may have been a progenitor of local spikes. The mandatory closing of local businesses is hard to disentangle from the steps people were already taking to protect themselves. (Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., 9/29)
Bloomberg: Coronavirus: Why People Have Had Enough Of Lockdown Rules
The history of epidemics is rife with examples of society rebelling against tough public-health edicts, such as the breach of plague quarantine in 18th-century Marseille or protests against face masks during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The grim consequence is a fresh wave of deadly infections. Covid-19’s million deaths may pale in comparison to the estimated 50 million lives lost in 1918, but the cycle risks unfolding again. France, the U.K. and Spain face a triple threat: A jump in cases, a population exhausted by lockdown-induced recession, and rising resistance to tougher measures. Curfews and closures of restaurants and bars have seen business owners literally throw their keys to the ground in present-day Marseille. In Madrid, protesters have bristled at a targeted local lockdown they view as discriminatory. It’s not just conspiracy theorists on the streets in London and Berlin who are angry. (Lionel Laurent, 9/30)
Axios: Drugs Aren't The Reason The U.S. Spends So Much On Health Care
Voters care a lot about drug prices, but they’re not the main reason the U.S. spends so much on health care. The big picture: The U.S. spends twice as much per person as other wealthy nations, according to a new Peterson-Kaiser Tracker analysis — and hospitals and outpatient care are the primary culprits. By the numbers: The U.S. spent $10,637 per capita on health care in 2018. Comparable countries spent $5,527. (Drew Altman, 9/30)
Georgia Health News: It’s Vital To Boost Domestic Drug Production
We are seeing economic loss, strain on our health care systems and an unimaginable loss of life in our country due to the coronavirus pandemic. While we have confronted many challenges in the medical arena in recent months, our health care supply chain – which ensures that lifesaving medications are available to all Americans – requires a sharper focus. (Maria Thacker-Goethe, 9/29)
The Hill: It's Now Up To Health Systems To Solve Our Food Problems
The whole world is getting fat," declared Whole Foods founder, John Mackey, in a recent interview with the New York Times. Because, he continues, "in some sense, we are all food addicts." Mackey explains that he does not think we have a food access problem, but rather a market demand problem. "If people want different foods, the market will provide it." (Dr. Sarah Matathia, 9/29)
Bloomberg: Disney Theme Park Layoffs Show Depth Of Covid Recession
The post-Covid-19 “return to normal” that Americans long for is far enough away that not even a company built on dreams can see it. Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday said it will let go of an astonishing 28,000 employees at its U.S. theme parks, which include Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as the coronavirus continues to prevent those businesses from fully reopening. Disney’s California locations remain closed because of state restrictions, while the Florida parks have been operating with limited capacity and weaker attendance than Disney anticipated. It’s clear that for families weighing the risks of travel and crowds over the reward of getting out of the house, the virus won out. (Tara Lachapelle, 9/29)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Some Welcome News In Ga.’s COVID-19 Struggle
Given Georgia’s long slog to gain ground against the COVID-19 pandemic, good news is more than welcome. So it’s encouraging to see that the state has, at long last, dipped out of the COVID-19 red zone. That means that some key numbers are looking better these days. The latest report by the White House Coronavirus Task Force and obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that “Georgia has seen a decrease in new cases and a decrease in test positivity over the last week. Improvements were seen at university campuses.” (9/30)
