Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: We've Been Thinking About Weight All Wrong; We Could See Another Baby Formula Shortage
The New York Times: The New Weight Loss Drugs And The Old Weight Gain Myths
In his 2017 book, “The Hungry Brain,” Stephan Guyenet, a neurobiologist, argues that weight gain is less about willpower than it is the product of an evolutionary mismatch between our brains, our genetics and our environments. Now a new class of weight loss drugs is raising the possibility that we can change our brains to fit this new environment. (Ezra Klein, 2/28)
The Washington Post: How To Stop Another Baby Formula Shortage, According To Congress
Many of the babies who wanted for infant formula during the U.S. shortage in 2022 have moved on to solid foods. But a year on from the events that left shelves empty for months, the possibility of a repeat disaster remains. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 2/27)
Newsweek: States Can Save The Lives Of New Mothers By Taking A Single Step
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, building on the American Rescue Plan, permanently allowed states to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum women to one year. Yet at least a dozen states have not done so. (Matthew Alexander, 2/27)
Los Angeles Times: Guns Are The Biggest Public Health Threat Kids Face. Why Aren't We Warning Them?
I still remember the raspy voice of the wizened cancer patient with the hole in her throat. So addicted to the poison that was killing her — cigarettes — she interspersed her words of warning about the dangers of smoking with taking puffs of a cigarette through her tracheostomy hole. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2/28)
