Viewpoints: Pediatric Cancer Research Should Be Shared; Congress Must Close Hospital Price Transparency Loophole
Editorial writers tackle pediatric cancer, health care price transparency, contraceptives, and more.
Newsweek:
Child Cancer Survivor: Kids Deserve Better Treatments
In December 2017, when I was 11, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. I was one of the lucky ones—the tumor in my right femur had not spread to other parts of my body. My doctor assured me that my treatment would be as straightforward as it could be. (Gillian Bomi Okimoto, 3/12)
Stat:
How To Save Health Care Price Transparency Rules
Consider shopping for cereal in the grocery store. Buyers easily know how many grams of sugar and calories are in a serving, as well as how much the box costs, before they get to the checkout line. Yet in the U.S. health care market, this often isn’t the case. Prices are both high and highly variable as well as difficult to observe. (Benjamin Chartock, 3/13)
The Tennessean:
Contraception Access: Protect Rights And Freedoms Of Tennessee Women
In Tennessee, living under the nation's most extreme abortion ban, it's become clear that protecting the right to contraception is essential. Introducing the Tennessee Contraceptive Freedom Act (Senate Bill 1804/House Bill 1943) is our commitment to ensuring every Tennessean can make decisions about starting a family on their terms, without government interference. (Charlene Oliver and Gloria Johnson, 3/12)
The Star Tribune:
No Waiting Line For Vets' Care
While Congress passed the PACT Act in 2022 to strengthen the care and benefits for affected veterans, even this landmark legislation has room for improvement. Fortunately, the Biden administration identified an important opportunity and acted on it. Late last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is speeding up eligibility for the PACT Act's expanded medical care by eliminating the phased-in implementation called for in the legislation. (3/12)
Scientific American:
Medicaid Expansion Alone Won't Stop The Opioid Overdose Crisis
Drug overdoses have claimed more than one million lives in the U.S. since 1999, most tied to illicit opioids such as heroin and the nonmedical use of fentanyl. Although people from all walks of life die each day from overdoses, poverty stands out as a driver of this staggering toll. The risk of dying from an overdose is 36 percent higher among people living at or below the poverty line, compared with people living at five times that line, a typical middle class income. (Hannah L. F. Cooper et al, 3/12)
