Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: The Current State Of The World Is Wearing Down Our Health; Coal's Real Comeback? Black Lung Disease
The New York Times: I’m Exhausted. You’re Demoralized. We Weren’t Built For A World Like This.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released in early September found that in 2024, 71.5 percent of adults reported that at least some of the time in the past three months they felt fatigued, defined as “physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest.” (Bill McKibben, 9/29)
Bloomberg: Black Lung Disease Is The Only True Comeback For Coal
President Donald Trump has vowed to return America’s declining coal industry to its glory days. But the only real revival of trying to put this polluting fuel back at its peak is its ability to destroy the health of its miners. (Mark Gongloff, 9/29)
Stat: 4 Ways To Secure America’s Biotech Lead
Last week, President Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington for the first time in a decade. Tariffs, Iran, and rare earth minerals were among the issues that dominated their summit. But another arena of competition deserves Washington’s attention: biotechnology. (Gary Locke and Patrick McHenry, 9/30)
Stat: Giving Mice Half-Human Brains Is An Ethical Minefield
What would happen if you generated a new type of lab mouse whose brain was substantially human? Would they be really smart or somehow have a different consciousness? (Paul Knoepfler, 9/30)
Bloomberg: Medicare For All Is A Flawed Healthcare Pitch
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan, has a simple pitch to voters. Imagine, he says, a health-insurance plan with “no premium, no copay, no deductible — just healthcare when you need it.” El-Sayed and other proponents call the idea Medicare for All. (9/29)
