Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: The Elegance Of Practicing Medicine; The Amazon As The 'Pharmacy Of The Future'
JAMA: It’s A Beautiful Thing
The phenomenon of aesthetic expression is not unique to physics. Athletes often describe competitive victories in terms of “pretty” (they won because they performed well) or “ugly” (they won despite not performing well), implying that while “a win is a win,” they prefer the former. Physicians too are filled with a similar pleasure when we practice elegant medicine. For example, patients, their families, and other physicians are always impressed when an internist connects a few seemingly unrelated findings into one unifying diagnosis. Surgeons value grace and finesse in an operation, leading to few wasted knife strokes and shorter procedure times. Discoveries of simple yet elegant solutions to vexing problems, like the finding that Helicobacter pylori causes a significant amount of peptic ulcer disease, are hailed as breakthroughs. (Shaurya Taran and Allan S. Detsky, 6/6)
The Health Care Blog: How Amazon Can Position Itself As The Pharmacy Of The Future
We know Amazon has a knack for disruption—over the years it has upended countless brick and mortar bookstores and other major players in the retail industry. The e-commerce behemoth may be at it again, making headlines for its interest in breaking into the pharmacy market in the United States. But delivery of prescription medications to the home already exists for patients with chronic and even acute conditions, while patient portals already give patients online access to payments and prescription refills. So how might we expect Amazon to set itself apart from the competition and grow in the pharmacy space? If it stays true to the tenets of Disruptive Innovation, expect it to further expand its capabilities around healthcare in the home—just as it has kept book, grocery, and other retail shoppers at home over the years. (Ryan Marling, 6/7)
The Washington Post: The Trump Administration’s Birth Control Overhaul Could Do Serious Harm
One of the most popular — and successful — aspects of the Affordable Care Act has been the access it has given women to no-cost birth control. Not only has it saved women millions of dollars, but also the increased use of birth control has corresponded to significant drops in the rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions. It is troubling, then, that the Trump administration is either so shortsighted or so ideologically driven that it is reportedly considering a rule change that would cause hundreds of thousands of women to lose vital health-care coverage. (6/7)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Gov. Matt Bevin, Let's Talk About An Abortion Game-Changer
Dear Gov. Bevin, Can we talk? You have made no secret of your wish to do away with abortions in Kentucky. While we wage that dispute in the courts, there’s another conversation I’d love to have with you. It’s about a way to prevent the need for abortion. And it can have pretty amazing and far-reaching ramifications for many of your constituents’ personal lives, our communities and Kentucky’s economic health. (Kim Greene, 6/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Celebrating Diversity And Protecting Our Transgender Friends
Recently, lawmakers in Madison introduced the Privacy Protection and Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act, a bill that would update our state law to include comprehensive protections for transgender people from discrimination. Our current law lacks explicit protections for individuals who are transgender or gender nonconforming from being fired from their job, denied a home or refused services at a business simply because of who they are. (Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 6/7)
Louisville Courier-Journal: Organ-Donor Benefits From UPS Logistics
Kathy Anderson’s heart was severely damaged by medicine she was prescribed while pregnant with twin girls. The damage wasn’t evident until after her daughters were born. Within a couple of weeks, she was given only a slim chance of survival. Her doctors knew her only option was a heart transplant. This was in 1987, the 30-year anniversary of the surgery that saved Kathy’s life. (Glen A Franklin, 6/7)
