Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Thumbs Down On GOP Health Care Replacement Plan; Independence Day For The FDA?
USA Today: Yet Another Failed Republican Health Care Plan
About seven years after the Republicans promised to “Repeal and Replace” the Affordable Care Act, we have their "replacement" plan. It is not a coherent policy alternative but a mishmash of recycled ideas. It increases costs for Americans with pre-existing conditions, increases costs for the middle-class, and guts the Medicaid and Medicare program. Consider core elements of the plan. The Republican plan strips away important consumer protections and standards for health insurance. (Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Topher Spiro, 7/4)
Stat: Independence Would Be Good For The FDA And The Public
In a moment remarkable for its symbolism, six former Food and Drug Administration commissioners last month sat together on a stage and argued that their former agency needs more autonomy from Washington bureaucracy. The solution: make the FDA independent and maybe give it a cabinet seat at the White House, too. ... Yet the panel discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival has refocused attention on the notion that the FDA — and by extension, the American public — would be better off if the agency’s status was elevated. And the suggestion carried still more weight since the former commissioners worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations. (Ed Silverman, 7/5)
The Washington Post: HHS Wins One Obamacare Case And Loses Another
Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit released two opinions in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) cases. In one case, the federal government prevailed. In the other, it did not. Both opinions were unanimous and (in my opinion) likely correct. The two cases are also further confirmation that Obamacare litigation is far from over. To the contrary, for reasons I explained here, the PPACA created a perfect storm for ongoing litigation. (Jonathan H. Adler, 7/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Government Hospitals Are Failing Native Americans
Needless patient suffering, fatal delays in medical treatment and retaliation against whistleblowers. These are among the well-publicized failures investigators found at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Yet they are also the shameful hallmarks of another federal health-care system: the Indian Health Service. Part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service is required by treaty to deliver health care to Native Americans around the country, with more than two million depending on this federal agency. (Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. John Thune, 7/1)
The Washington Post: A Declaration Against The War On Drugs
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one part of the American people to affirm the political bands which connect them to the other parts, and to assume within the nation, the connected and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of their fellow citizens requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to affirm their connection. (Danielle Allen, 7/3)
The New York Times: Home Care Workers Can Finally Claim Victory
The Supreme Court ensured that millions of working people would get fairer treatment when it decided last week not to consider Home Care Association of America v. Weil. That case was the last attempt by home care employers (mostly for-profit agencies) to avoid paying home care workers (mainly women of color) the minimum wage and overtime pay. By declining to hear the case, the court has confirmed that there is no legal rationale for denying basic labor protections to home care workers, who care for the elderly and disabled in the clients’ homes. The court’s action also marks the end of a long and shameful era in labor law. (7/2)
The Hill: A Turning Point For Patients With Mental Illness
When it comes to providing care for individuals living with serious mental illnesses, we are caught in a vicious cycle. Extreme events bring about calls for change, but enthusiasm and accountability quickly wane. Initiatives begin, but rarely succeed. As a report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness noted, funding for mental illness increased after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, but funding decreased in many states the following year. We can and should do better. (Andrew Sperling, 7/1)
Bloomberg: How Zika Can Save The Olympics
The Zika virus may be deadly serious, but is it really a potent enough reason to explain the withdrawal of Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and many other star golfers from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro? There's a more likely explanation: The Olympics simply are not a priority for them. Which is why golfers, along with stars from other already enriched sports, have no place in the Olympics. (David Kahn, 7/4)
The Des Moines Register: Why Are Jails Mental Health Treatment Centers Of Last Resort?
The state of mental health services in Iowa, especially as it relates to jails and prisons, has been in the news recently. There is no question the current mental health system needs improvement. We want Iowans to know there are many of us working hard, collectively and independently, to make that happen. (Craig Matzke, Teresa Bomhoff and Jessica Peckover 7/3)
The Columbus Dispatch: Doctors Should Push Cancer Fix
The HPV vaccine should be called a miracle drug. It can prevent half a dozen of the most common cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, including cervical, vaginal, anal, vulvar, throat and penile cancers. If administered before children become sexually active, preferably when a child is 11 or 12, it could prevent tens of thousands of cases of cancer decades later, averting untold suffering. (7/5)
Chicago Tribune: HPV Vaccine: A 'Tragically Underused' Weapon In The Cancer Fight
What if there were a vaccine for young people that could help avert thousands of cancer cases, saving untold American lives? Wouldn't you expect to hear a strong recommendation from your pediatrician that your son or daughter take that shot? Of course you would. And of course, there is such a vaccine. (7/4)
The Baltimore Sun: Addressing Gaps In Baltimore's Health Care
The residents of West Baltimore currently spend nearly twice as much on health care as the state average. One reason for the high cost in this area is that there aren't enough local skilled nursing and rehab beds to care for these residents after they are discharged from area hospitals. (Stephen N. Davis, 7/3)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Why Are Service-Injured Veterans Getting The Runaround?
The time has come. The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs must stop dragging their feet. They must own up to the serious chemical and radioactive hazards that U.S. service members were exposed to in the line of duty. It’s not as if the health damage from such exposure expires once the mission is over. As Arla Harrell can attest, a lifetime of suffering can follow an irresponsible sergeant’s or young lieutenant’s order to step forward and serve as a test dummy for a chemical munition. (7/2)
WBUR: My Stupid Thyroid, And My Fraught Decision To Monitor My Cancer Rather Than Cut It Out
Last year my primary care doctor felt a mass in my belly. “It’s probably nothing, but I’m going to send you for a CT scan right now,” she said. I had lymphoma. Part of my workup involved a PET scan, and my thyroid lit up. Lighting up is bad in PET-scan speak, and can indicate a cancer. I was told we would have to revisit this once I was done with the lymphoma treatment. (Debora Ruth Hoffman, 7/1)
