Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Why Are Doctors So Hesitant To Change?; Testosterone Replacement Is Being Wildly Overused
The New York Times: When The Medical Establishment Gets Things Wrong, Doctors Dig In
You probably know about the surge in childhood peanut allergies. Peanut allergies in American children more than tripled between 1997 and 2008, after doctors told pregnant and lactating women to avoid eating peanuts and parents to avoid feeding them to children under 3. This was based on guidance issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. (Pamela Paul, 9/19)
Bloomberg: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Has Become A Worrisome Wild West
Nowadays, men in their 40s like me are constantly being urged to get their testosterone levels checked, as private clinics and online providers tout “testosterone replacement therapy” as the way to improve sexual, physical and mental well-being. It’s a concerning development in TRT’s two-decade journey from being a niche therapy to a lifestyle panacea. (Chris Bryant, 9/19)
Stat: Medicaid Should Prepare Now To Cover Twice-Yearly PrEP
In June, a clinical trial showed that a twice-yearly injection was just as effective at preventing HIV as the daily oral medication. The trial was so successful that the Data Monitoring Committee instructed researchers to halt the study and immediately offer the injection to all study participants. (Doug Wirth and Jeffrey S. Crowley, 9/19)
The New York Times: Are We Thinking About Obesity All Wrong?
“Obesity is a disease,” Oprah Winfrey declared after disclosing her weight loss with an Ozempic-like drug. “It’s a brain disease,” a prominent obesity doctor explained on a “60 Minutes” episode about the drugs. “Obesity is disease” even has its own discover page on TikTok. (Julia Belluz, 9/19)
Stat: How A Missed Diagnosis Killed My Husband
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality took an important step: They launched the Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence, a new project to help reduce the number of Americans who die or are permanently disabled each year by diagnostic error. In 2023, that happened to nearly 800,000 Americans. My family is one of the many to experience this. I’m sharing our story with the encouragement of CDC. (Vonda Vaden Bates, 9/19)
Bloomberg: 'Sick Society' Is No Longer Just A Metaphor For The UK
The idea that Britain is a sick society is no longer an idle metaphor. The British are not only sicker, on average, than the inhabitants of most rich countries; they are also in danger of becoming sicker than their parents: The improvement in life expectancy that began with the industrial revolution 200 years ago is now grinding to a halt. (Adrian Wooldridge, 9/19)
