Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: RFK Jr.'s Poor Sense Of Ethics Fuels The Fire To Reject HHS Confirmation; US Is Losing Its Edge
The Washington Post: More Reason To Oppose RFK Jr.’s HHS Nomination
Kennedy’s recently released ethics agreement, a document that all Cabinet nominees sign, revealed that he intends to retain a financial stake in a lawsuit against Merck, the company that produces the Gardasil vaccine against human papillomavirus, or HPV. (1/28)
East Bay Times: Trump Leaving WHO Puts U.S. At Back Of Line In Global Health
President Donald Trump’s swift move to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization will compromise global health — and is no way to Make America Healthy Again. (Lisa Jarvis, 1/28)
Stat: Not Having To Worry About Polio Is A Fragile, Precious Gift
My son was 5 years old when he climbed out of bed and landed on the floor. He was always a teaser. “C’mon, silly,” I said. “Time to get ready for school.” “Mommy,” Aaron said, very puzzled. “I can’t feel my legs.” (Martha Ann Overland, 1/29)
Stat: My Cancer Research Is In Limbo — And So Is Hope For Many Patients
When I read the recent news that the Trump administration has frozen all federally funded grants and loans to researchers like me, it felt like the ground beneath my feet gave way. My work, which investigates how to support the physical, social, and emotional wellbeing of people affected by cancer, is suddenly in limbo. And I know I’m not alone. Across the country, researchers whose work depends on federal funding are wondering if the projects to which they’ve dedicated their careers will come to an abrupt halt. (David Victorson, 1/28)
The Baltimore Sun: We Need A Health Care System That Works For Everyone
No one asks questions when illness strikes. Everyone’s preoccupation is with treatment and cure. But shock commonly follows in the form of onerous medical debt — sometimes to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hospitals and insurance companies have a profit motive on steroids. (Armstrong Williams, 1/28)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: NIH Freeze Threatens St. Louis' Health Research Excellence
Recent restrictions on National Institutes of Health (NIH) operations imposed by the Trump administration threaten not just abstract scientific progress, but the livelihood of thousands in our St. Louis community. As a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine studying stroke prevention, I've experienced firsthand how funding disruptions can derail critical scientific work. (Jaclyn Schwartz, 1/28)
