Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Top Medical Journals Are Not 'Corrupt,' Despite RFK Jr.'s Claims; Unhealthy US Is About To Get Worse
Stat: RFK Jr.’s Misguided Attacks On NEJM, JAMA, And The Lancet
After decades as a physician studying the factors that determine our risks of getting sick and how long we live, I am convinced that the actions of the Trump administration will cost lives. Researchers like me know the data. For years we have warned that Americans have shorter life expectancies and higher disease rates than people in other high-income countries. Now, the poor health of Americans is about to get worse. (Steven H. Woolf, 6/30)
The New York Times: How To Wreck The Nation’s Health, By The Numbers
After decades as a physician studying the factors that determine our risks of getting sick and how long we live, I am convinced that the actions of the Trump administration will cost lives. Researchers like me know the data. For years we have warned that Americans have shorter life expectancies and higher disease rates than people in other high-income countries. Now, the poor health of Americans is about to get worse. (Steven H. Woolf, 6/30)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Medicaid Saved Our Son’s Life. Don't Put The Program At Risk.
We’re not political activists. We’re not wealthy. We’re just parents from Salem, Missouri, who did what anyone would do when their child needed help. Without Medicaid, we would have lost far more than our family farm. (Suzie and Richard Wilson, 6/27)
The Washington Post: I Got An Ambulance Ride, CT Scan And ER Care In Brazil. My Bill: $0.
Even after six years in Brazil as The Washington Post’s Rio de Janeiro bureau chief, I confess one of my first thoughts was stubbornly American. Out of the murkiness, it came with sudden clarity: How much is this going to cost me? Six hours later — after an ambulance ride, CT scan, X-ray cranial imaging and six stitches in my head — I had my answer: $0. (Terrence McCoy, 6/29)
The Washington Post: Rick Perry: I’m Dedicating My Life To Fighting For A Psychedelic Drug
Clinical data shows that ibogaine has the potential to interrupt substance dependence, reduce trauma symptoms and promote neurological repair. I first heard about the drug from Morgan Luttrell, a Navy SEAL and combat veteran who was elected to Congress in 2022. He learned about other SEALs traveling to Mexico to undergo an alternative treatment for trauma and addiction — something called ibogaine. (Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 6/27)
