Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: What's Driving The New Covid Vaccine Hesitancy?; Project 2025 Would Outlaw Mifepristone
The New York Times: Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Took Off This Winter. Can We Fix It?
The response has been almost like clockwork, at nearly every medical visit in the past few weeks. “It’s time for the flu shot,” I’ll say to my patients, “plus the updated Covid vaccine.” And that’s when the groans start. (Danielle Ofri, 1/27)
The New York Times: How Trump Could Institute A Backdoor Federal Abortion Ban
The destruction of Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was never going to be the end of the battle over abortion rights in America. Since Dobbs, progressive as well as swing states have passed ballot initiatives protecting or enshrining reproductive rights. Polls demonstrate near record support for legal abortion. (Mary Ziegler, 1/29)
The New York Times: Dobbs Overturned Much More Than Roe V. Wade
I have written about how abortion bans implicate a broad set of rights tied to our personal and bodily autonomy, including the right to travel between states. And I have analogized this dynamic to the legal and political conflicts over slavery, which were about not just labor but also the right of free citizens to enjoy the privileges and immunities of U.S. citizenship, wherever in the country they happen to live. (Jamelle Bouie, 1/27)
The Nation: From “Don’t Say Gay” To Abortion Bans, There’s A New Pronatalism Afoot
To understand the conservative fervor around abortion, contraception, and LGBTQ rights, we have to understand the impact these relatively new rights have on the labor market. (Elizabeth Gregory, 1/29)
The Tennessean: How Virtual Health Care Visits Have Become A New Standard In Accessible Health Care
I’m often called upon to travel to meet with employers who provide BlueCross coverage to their staff. Not too long ago, I’d traveled to Memphis for just such a meeting. But after arriving at my hotel the night before, I started experiencing upper respiratory symptoms, cough and body aches. (Ian Hamlilton, 1/28)
Stat: Why You Shouldn’t Ask, “What Country Has The Best Health Care?”
I’ve spent my career studying how different health care systems work. People love to ask me which country has the best care — and are often disappointed when I don’t have an easy answer for them. Every health care model involves people doing their best to balance competing priorities in the face of limited resources. In other words, every system involves tradeoffs. (Irene Papanicolas, 1/29)
The New York Times: My Sister Chose The Day She Wanted To Die
Should terminally ill people be able to choose how they die? Six years after being diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, Julie Petrow-Cohen decided to use medical aid in dying — or MAID, as it is often called — to end her life. But for many Americans in similar circumstances, this is not an option. (Steven Petrow, 1/27)
