Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: What Else Can MRNA Vaccine Technology Do?; Examining The Personal Impact Of SB 8
The Atlantic: What If MRNA Vaccines Could Cure Cancer?
Two years ago, approximately nobody on Earth had ever heard of mRNA vaccines. This was for the very good reason that no country had ever authorized one. As a scientific experiment, synthetic mRNA was more than 40 years old. As a product, it had yet to be born. (Derek Thompson, 10/18)
CNN: Texas Doctor: What Abortion Law Is Doing To My Patients
I am an Ob-Gyn who has been providing abortions in Texas for eight years. Since September 1, my staff and I have been forced to comply with an extreme abortion ban -- SB 8 -- that has blocked patients from getting an abortion at approximately six weeks of pregnancy, before many patients know they are pregnant. Every day working under this cruel law has been heartbreaking and unjust. One of my patients -- who I had to turn away because she was more than six weeks pregnant -- curled up and started to cry uncontrollably. All I could do was hold her hand. (Amna Dermish, 10/18)
The New York Times: Why The Pro-Life Movement Hasn’t Gone Away
In yet another challenge to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in December on whether Mississippi can restrict abortion access to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. There are few greater constants in American life than legal challenges to Roe, which is remarkable in a country where so much else has changed. (Jon A. Sheilds, 10/19)
USA Today: Mental Health Care Has Improved, But Our Job Is Not Done: Tipper Gore
The COVID-19 pandemic has had dramatic effects on the health and wellness of all Americans. Just as disruptive – and more often overlooked – is the effect the pandemic has had on Americans’ mental health. We are experiencing a national collective trauma on the scale of hundreds of thousands of deaths, widespread illness, lockdowns, significant disruption in employment, and difficulty raising families and caring for loved ones. During this extremely challenging time, people with mental health conditions have faced reduced access to health care providers, in-person counseling and community support networks. (Tipper Gore, 10/18)
East Bay Times: How You Can Fight Back If Denied A Prescribed Medical Treatment
Has your insurance company ever denied treatment or medication prescribed by your doctor? But does this happen very often? According to a recent poll of Californians conducted in late August by the Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation, insurance companies denied access to a medication or treatment deemed necessary by their doctor to 30% of Californians. That amounts to approximately 11.8 million Californians not receiving the healthcare treatment they were prescribed—a number higher than the total populations of 44 states. (Steve Poizner, 10/16)
The Boston Globe: If The Legislature Wants To Contain Health Care Costs, It Should Empower The Health Policy Commission
Massachusetts is a leader in health care reform. Its pioneering coverage expansion in 2006 achieved near-universal health insurance in the state and served as a basis for the Affordable Care Act of 2010. We still enjoy the nation’s highest level of insurance coverage, at 97 percent. In 2012, the Commonwealth again pioneered with legislation establishing the Health Policy Commission to track health care spending and cajole the payers and providers to restrain cost increases. Both sets of reforms are well resourced and expertly led. Yet, while coverage expansion remains robust, cost containment seems to be stalling. These divergent results suggest the need for yet a third round of reform. (John Kingsdale, 10/18)
Modern Healthcare: Helping Communities Target The Social Determinants Of Health
In the congressional district I serve, Peoria, Illinois, offers a vibrant community, a growing restaurant and bar scene and a beautiful riverfront. It’s also the home of the 61605 ZIP code, dubbed one of the “most distressed” ZIP codes in the nation. Parts of the Peoria area have a poverty rate three times the national average, limited access to pharmacies and an enduring food desert. (Rep. Cheri Bustos, 10/19)
