Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Redefining Obesity May Pose Risk To Weight Loss Drug Access; Pharmaceutical Ads Need Reform
The Washington Post: The Perils Of Redefining Obesity
For decades, doctors have used two numbers to determine whether a person has obesity: their weight divided by their height. The calculation, known as body mass index (BMI), has the benefit of simplicity. But that’s also a flaw, because it doesn’t account for all the factors that determine whether someone’s weight is healthy, including their race or ethnicity. (Leana S. Wen, 3/18)
Stat: How To Make Direct-To-Consumer Drug Ads Ethical
As a reformed hypochondriac, I’m extremely vulnerable to the allure of pharmaceutical ads. I self-referred for GLP-1s years ago after seeing advertisements, and even though I am a diabetic, what followed were horrific health outcomes: hospitalizations, extensive procedures, scans, MRIs, pancreatitis, anemia, and thousands in medical expenses. (Hal Rosenbluth, 3/18)
The Boston Globe: We Should Stop Acting As If Big Pharma Is The Big Villain In American Health Care
My wife and I would both be dead, but for what many derisively call “Big Pharma.” (Erick Erickson, 3/17)
Stat: Taxing Employer-Provided Health Care Coverage Would Be Grave Mistake
As the new Congress and administration are settling in, all eyes in Washington are focused on the trillion-dollar question: whether and how to pay for the expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law in President Trump’s first term. Among the various revenue-generating proposals emerging from GOP circles — including some of the president’s most trusted advisers — is one that would increase taxes on American workers with employer-provided health care coverage. (D. Taylor and Katy Johnson, 3/18)
The Boston Globe: Four Concrete Ways Massachusetts Can Lower Health Care Costs
Consider that in 2023, about 4 in 10 Bay Staters reported having trouble affording health care, and nearly 1 in 3 avoided getting needed health care because of cost, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis’s 2025 annual report, released March 12. (3/18)
The CT Mirror: Redesigning Medicaid Is Key To A Healthier CT
Connecticut’s low Medicaid reimbursement rates inhibit access to care, drive up patient costs, and strain healthcare providers. At the same time, residents and communities across the state are struggling to prevent and manage chronic disease and improve health. The Medicaid program, which covers one in four people in Connecticut, can and should work better. (Jennifer Jackson, 3/13)
