Viewpoints: The Politics Of Zika Funding; Statins Through The Lens Of Evidence-Based Medicine
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
The Washington Post:
Anthony Fauci: Forced To Rob Cancer Research To Pay For Zika Vaccine Push
“Hold up. Wait, wait, wait a minute.” That was my response when Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me that the ongoing congressional battle over Zika funding forced the federal government to take money from other diseases to finance the hunt for a vaccine. “First, we took money from other infections. We borrowed money from ourselves from malaria and TB,” Fauci told me in the sixth episode of “Cape Up.” (Jonathan Capehart, 9/20)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Time For Sen. Blunt To Stop Playing Politics With Zika
The United States is in the middle of a public health crisis brought on by the spread of the Zika virus. Yet Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., continues to look out for his own political interests instead of standing up for Missouri families. Now that Congress is in session, it is time to put aside partisan games and get things done for the American people. (Alison Dreith, 9/21)
Treasure Coast:
Naled Used Here, But Sparingly
[H]undreds have protested Miami-Dade's aerial spraying of naled in an attempt to control spread of the Zika virus. Activists note the pesticide is blamed for the death of millions of honeybees in South Carolina last month. Miami-Dade officials claim aerial spraying is helping to eradicate Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads the virus. But some residents are complaining that they weren't notified when naled was being sprayed near their homes; and the New York Times reported that activists are "collecting accounts from residents who say the pesticide has caused rashes, headaches and nausea." (Gil Smart, 9/20)
The Health Care Blog:
Statin Wars: Less-Is-More Versus Unlimited Medicine
The latest fight between orthodoxy and free inquiry is about the benefits and harms of statins for primary prevention. A review, and an editorial, in the Lancet said the benefits of statins are real, the harms are exaggerated, and skepticism of benefits of statins should be censored because doubt can harm the public who may not take their statins and thus die prematurely. Stated differently, skepticism kills. The lead author of the review once asked the BMJ to retract a study which he felt overplayed the harms and denied the benefits of statins. ... The BMJ, at the crossfire of this inquisition, responded to Lancet’s accusation in kind. (Dr. Sarah Jha, 9/20)
Bloomberg:
Community Health May Go Under The Knife
It wasn't a good sign for Community Health Systems back in 2013 when analysts were telling the hospital operator's desperate acquisition target to "take the money and run." Community Health's $7.5 billion deal for Health Management Associates, completed early the following year, was effectively a take-under for some of HMA's shareholders and yet their best option at the time -- a "godsend" is how one analyst put it. For Community Health, it's been a case of "bad-dealitis". History is repeating itself: Now Community Health is the one left exploring a sale to become someone else's problem. (Tara Lachapelle, 9/19)
San Antonio Press Express:
Health Care Inefficient Because It Can Be
The Affordable Care Act has ushered in rapid change to our country’s health care system. Here are tangibles that come to mind: a plethora of new terminology (accountable care organizations, exchanges, population health, etc.), individuals dropped from their health plans, exchange plans that few providers accept, stratospheric premium increases, and insurance companies bailing from state exchanges, just to name a few. Sadly, what is missing is the creation of real value or increase in the quality of health care. (Michael Zucker, 9/20)
The Star Tribune:
Here's How We Can End Extortionate Drug Price Increases
We all agree that medications are an important social good, and that a healthily functioning pharmaceutical market is good for everyone. Drug companies should get fair payment so they can continue to thrive and innovate. Everyone should be able to benefit from what they provide, at a cost they can afford. But none of this can happen if extortionate drug-price hikes continue unchecked. (Thomas Kottke and Charlie Fazio, 9/20)
Miami Herald:
Community Awareness Needed For Painful Sickle Cell Disease
Is your child susceptible to infections or suffering from pain? Does your child tire easily? Does he or she have learning problems? While it’s not likely, your child may have sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD is the most common genetic condition in the world and the most common condition identified by newborn screening in the United States. There are roughly 40 to 50 children born with SCD in Miami every year. (Ofelia Alvarez, 9/20)
Lexington Herald Leader:
UK Center In Hot Pursuit Of Alzheimer’s Cure
While there is no cure yet for this devastating illness, the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is working furiously to change that. And we have already achieved international recognition: the center was a pioneer in the discovery that a healthy lifestyle can help prevent dementia. (Linda Van Eldik, 9/20)
The Charlotte Observer:
We Can’t Arrest Our Way Out Of Growing Opioid And Heroin Epidemic
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in the Charlotte area alone there have been 148 heroin overdose-related deaths in 2016, an 80 percent increase compared to the same time period last year. In 10 of the overdose deaths, Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain killer which is 80 times more potent than morphine, was listed as a contributor. Mexican drug trafficking organizations, which supply the bulk of heroin to the United States, have used Fentanyl as an additive to expand the volume of heroin. Heroin addicts, unaware of this deadly additive, are overdosing at alarming rates. (Jill Westmoreland Rose, 9/20)
Miami Herald:
Fund Drug Court — It’s Saving Addicts’ Lives
On Thursday, I will go before Miami-Dade County commissioners to ask them to fund case managers for the Adult Criminal Drug Court, where I have presided as the “Drug Court Judge” for the past four years. Drug courts save lives and save the community money. That’s why the federal government stepped up to the plate last year and allocated more than $100 million for drug courts nationwide. The county must do its part, as well. (Jeri Beth Cohen, 9/19)
Los Angeles Times:
What Your Kids Need To Know About Marijuana, Legalized Or Not
"Cannabis Curious?” That’s the billboard my children and I see every day on our after-school drive on Ventura Boulevard. The questions from my kids, who are 11 and 13, have come spilling out: “What is cannabis? What's curious about it? Why does it have different names? What does it look like? Why do people use it?” (Elizabeth J. D'Amico, 9/21)
