Viewpoints: Treating HIV; The Need For Calif.’s Vaccination Bill; Bogus Chocolate Study
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
The New York Times:
Treating H.I.V. Patients Before They Get Sick
A major international clinical trial has provided the strongest evidence yet that people infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, should get treated as soon as possible, even if they are feeling well, to ward off serious illness and fatal complications in future years. The finding raises the powerful moral question of whether global and national organizations can find the will — and the resources — to protect millions of people from deaths and diseases that could be prevented. (5/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Pass The Vaccination Bill
The vaccination debate has reached fever pitch. Legislation has passed in the state Senate that would do away with the "personal belief exemption" that allows parents in California to refuse to vaccinate their children. As it moves to the Assembly, opponents are ratcheting up their rhetoric, calling the bill a huge intrusion on their rights, and one that is written so broadly that even children with conditions that make vaccinations dangerous for them wouldn't be entitled to exemptions. The noise surrounding SB 277 is drowning out the truth, which is this: In general, parents have a right to make medical decisions for their children. But when it comes to communicable diseases, which can have devastating consequences on large groups of people, there also is a general societal right to protect public health. (5/29)
Tampa Bay Times:
Real Stories: Floridians Without Health Care Thanks To The Legislature
The Florida Legislature can help more than 800,000 low-income Floridians obtain affordable, accessible health coverage. It can accept billions in federal Medicaid expansion money to help pay for private coverage during a special session that starts Monday. Yet Gov. Rick Scott and House Republicans remain opposed to the Senate’s bipartisan plan that has broad support from businesses, civic groups and the medical community. They are the immoral minority. How can they turn their backs on these fellow Floridians? (6/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Judge's Comments Signal Another Legal Nightmare For Obamacare
It looks like the Obama administration may have another big legal headache in defending the Affordable Care Act. A Republican-appointed judge's comments Thursday suggest that it's very possible the administration will have to fight a new high-stakes court battle to save another key affordable coverage feature of the law. During a preliminary court hearing in Washington, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer fired a series of sharply skeptical questions at the administration's lawyer who was urging her to dismiss an anti-Obamacare lawsuit filed by House Republicans. She was far less aggressive in questioning the plaintiffs' lawyer. And she made what was apparently a joke about impeaching the president. (Harris Meyer, 5/28)
Los Angeles Times:
A Bogus Study Of Chocolate And Diets -- And The Media That Swallowed It Whole
John Bohannon is a journalist who made something of a name for himself with a 2013 exposé of the credulousness of science journals. This week he unveiled a new sting, in which he duped a host of media outlets in Europe and the U.S. with a patently bogus study purporting to find that eating chocolate made diets more effective. Bohannon promptly attracted kudos for exposing the laziness of the mass media when it comes to checking out superficial scientific claims. But he has also drawn brickbats for his own investigative technique and questions about his own ethics. All these reactions are justified. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/29)
The New York Times:
The Insecure Americans
[T]he reality is that living longer in our ever-more-unequal society is very much a class thing: life expectancy at age 65 has risen a lot among the affluent, but hardly at all in the bottom half of the wage distribution, that is, among those who need Social Security most. And while the retirement system F.D.R. introduced may look old-fashioned to affluent professionals, it is quite literally a lifeline for many of our fellow citizens. A majority of Americans over 65 get more than half their income from Social Security, and more than a quarter are almost completely reliant on those monthly checks. (Paul Krugman, 5/29)
NPR:
Does Your Neighborhood Doom You To An Early Death?
As health care providers, we can work hard to provide good care and even advocate for expanded access to health care, but that there are a myriad of other greater factors that contribute to people dying early. Those factors aren't within any individual's control; they that can only be addressed by the larger society. But as a culture it seems like we've decided that we're okay with not addressing environmental factors, which means we're okay with T.S's baby having a life expectancy that is almost a decade less than a baby born the next neighborhood over. (Kelli Dunham, 5/31)
The Charlotte Observer:
Let's Make An Industry Of Doctors
Charlotte is always reaching for something it has no business having. Charlotte is just too big for its britches. Always has been. Last week’s big idea was about a medical school. A privately-financed study said we should get one. That’s no reason we should get one. (Mark Washburn, 5/30)
The Seattle Times:
Can You Be Addicted To Food?
No one doubts the reality — or seriousness — of addiction to alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but bring up food addiction and you might get a few eye rolls. However, research suggests that food addiction is far more than just an excuse for overeating. One conundrum with food addiction is that unlike alcohol or drugs, we need food. We depend on food to live. There’s a saying in Overeaters Anonymous: “When you are addicted to alcohol, you put the tiger in the cage and leave it there in order to recover. When you are addicted to food, you put the tiger in the cage but take it out three times a day for a walk.” (Carrie Dennett, 5/31)
