Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Is Essential; Why Autism Diagnoses Have Risen
Stat: RFK Jr. Is Wrong About The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In the latest effort to ruin America’s health, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) wants to abolish the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He may have been partly influenced by claims from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the program is broken. That’s simply not true. Eliminating it would harm not just people with valid claims of being harmed by vaccines but also the rest of us, by making vaccines less available. (Dorit R. Reiss and Arthur L. Caplan, 7/31)
The New York Times: Why Rising Rates Of Autism And ADHD Might Be A Good Sign
A global review found no clear evidence for a rise in prevalence between 1990 and 2010. It’s not just that the explosion of autism in recent decades doesn’t look all that mysterious; there is a pretty strong argument that there hasn’t been any big increase at all. (David Wallace-Wells, 7/30)
The New York Times: Donor Organs Are Too Rare. We Need A New Definition Of Death.
A person may serve as an organ donor only after being declared dead. (Until then, transplant surgeons are not allowed even to interact with a dying patient.) This common-sensical rule underpins organ donation in the United States and many other countries. (Sandeep Jauhar, Snehal Patel, Deane Smith, 7/30)
Stat: Vinay Prasad Was Not Good For The FDA. But His Ouster Makes Things Worse
Vinay Prasad’s three-month tenure as one of the top officials at the Food and Drug Administration was bad for medicine. But his forced departure is probably worse. (Matthew Herper, 7/30)
Bloomberg: Trump Attacking Trans Kids Is An Omen For Health Care
In his first six months in office, President Donald Trump has launched a relentless campaign of fear and intimidation aimed at dismantling the network that provides health care to transgender adolescents. (Lisa Jarvis, 7/30)
The CT Mirror: The Quality Of U.S. Healthcare And Governance Are Linked
Primary care medicine should be and is the bedrock of American healthcare. As a family physician and chairman of a department of family medicine at a medical school, I admit to being biased. Nonetheless, I am concerned that we are losing two essential bedrock elements of successful patient care: the biopsychosocial model of effective primary care and the concept of shared decision-making between clinician and patient. (Howard Selinger, MD, 7/30)
Stat: Medical Student Clinical Training Should Prioritize Patient Feedback
“Do a pelvic exam,” the surgeon said casually. The patient lying before me was about to undergo a hysterectomy. Did she know a student would be performing an unnecessary pelvic exam while she was unconscious? (Chad Childers, 7/31)
