Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: There’s Still Hope For PEPFAR; Eliminating The LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Line Is Dangerous
The New York Times: Trump Canceled Their Salaries. These Health Workers In Uganda Showed Up Anyway.
Mr. Rubio has positioned himself as a champion of PEPFAR. And indeed, his waiver, PEPFAR’s operational structure (it has been housed in the State Department and implemented by multiple government agencies since it began) and the work of volunteers like those in Tororo have kept the program operational, even as U.S.A.I.D. formally shut down this month. (Emily Bass, 7/14)
Stat: Ending The Federal LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Line Is A Public Health Failure
Last month, the federal government announced it would eliminate the national suicide prevention hotline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ callers — a decision that pulls vital support away from some of the most at-risk young people in America. The end of the service on July 17 is a crushing moment, but it should also be a wake-up call. This isn’t just a political decision. It’s a public health failure. (Jaymes Black and Christine Yu Moutier, 7/12)
Stat: Some Of The Most Annoying Parts Of A Hospital Visit Can Save Lives
The first things I noticed when I woke up after my recent wrist operation at Mass General Hospital were the “YES” stenciled in purple ink on my right thumb, a marker that had given my surgeon the green light to operate on that hand, and an equally luminous “BLOCK” on the same arm, which was the anesthesiologist’s separate signpost for where to administer a nerve block. (Larry Tye, 7/14)
Stat: The FDA Commissioner Is A Gifted Talker — But The Job Is About More Than That
Marty Makary, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has marked his first 100 days in charge of the agency that regulates a quarter of the U.S. economy with a miniature media tour and a series of bold-sounding announcements. (Matthew Herper, 7/14)
The Washington Post: The GOP Scores A Win In Its Long War On Government Health Care
The One Big Beautiful Bill Trump signed on Independence Day will cut about $1 trillion from Medicaid over a decade — the largest ever pruning of the program — ultimately bumping nearly 12 million needy Americans off health insurance, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. It also reduced subsidies for health plans under the ACA. Sequestration rules will require additional cuts to Medicare, totaling more than $500 billion. (Eduardo Porter, 7/11)
Bloomberg: An AstraZeneca Exit To New York Wouldn't Doom London
AstraZeneca has the largest market value on the London Stock Exchange, exceeding £160 billion ($216 billon). It delivered a British Covid vaccine in partnership with Oxford University and saw off an unwanted US takeover approach in 2014. A listing switch would provide the ultimate pretext for more FTSE-100 members to decamp too. Such a move could drag the headquarters, high-value jobs and tax revenue with it. (Chris Hughes, 7/14)
