Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: RFK Jr. Is Dragging Public Health Backward; HHS Overhaul Would Make Health Care Affordable
Bloomberg: RFK Jr.’s Measles Strategy Is Leading US Down A Dark Path
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is steering public health far off course. This diversion becomes more dangerous and difficult to correct each passing week. (Lisa Jarvis, 5/6)
Stat: How To Kick Special Interests Out Of U.S. Health Care
In “We’ve Got You Covered,” Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein describe America’s existing patchwork of health care payment arrangements as a “teardown.” I agree. I support downsizing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), eliminating many programs, rolling back regulations, and creating a new system modeled on Social Security that will be simpler, less administratively burdensome, more affordable, and more effective at improving Americans’ health. (Charles M. Silver, 5/6)
Stat: Regulatory Barriers Are Forcing Drug Discovery To Move To China
Five years ago, U.S. pharmaceutical companies didn’t license any new drugs from China. By 2024, one-third of their new compounds were coming from Chinese biotechnology firms. Why are U.S. drugmakers sending their business to China? As in many other industries, it’s so much cheaper to synthesize new compounds inside Chinese biotechnology firms once a novel biological target has been discovered in American laboratories. (Scott Gottlieb, 5/6)
East Bay Times: Why Don't We See Older Adults With Autism? It's History, Not Mystery
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently claimed he doesn’t see older adults with what he calls “full-blown autism” — and that this somehow supports his long-debunked theory about vaccines. As two Bay Area moms raising autistic children, we’ve heard this line before. It’s not just wrong. It’s dangerous. (Kelley Jensen and Julianna Scott, 5/4)
Stat: Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Calls For Policy Certainty In U.S.
Having grown up in rural Arkansas, I have an acute awareness of the challenges many in our country face when it comes to health care. Quality care wasn’t always accessible, and the decision of whether to pay medical or utility bills was a real dilemma for my family and others in our community. (Christopher Boerner, 5/5)
