Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Democrats To Propose Bill Capping Out-of-Pocket Medicare Costs for Enrollees
Some Senate Democrats want to cap the amount beneficiaries in traditional Medicare have to pay toward care, but the move is expected to draw GOP opposition for potentially adding billions to Medicare costs.
Opioid Settlement Money Pays for Services To Battle Addiction in Rural Kentucky
A program in rural eastern Kentucky is receiving opioid settlement funding to address substance use disorders, housing, hunger, and other challenges.
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Here's today's health policy haiku:
ECHOES OF DAYS PAST
Measles is spreading.
— Anonymous
Utah doctors are helpless.
A long road ahead.
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Summaries Of The News:
Healthcare Costs
Health Spending Set To Outpace Economic Growth, Reach $9 Trillion By 2034, CMS Estimates
Modern Healthcare: US Health Spending Projected To Hit $9T By 2034: CMS
National health expenditures will rise to nearly $9 trillion and comprise 20.6% of gross domestic product by 2034, according to a federal report released Wednesday. Spending is projected to have increased 7.3% to $5.7 trillion in 2025, which would mark the third consecutive year when the rate surpassed 7%, according to a study the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Centers Office of the Actuary published in the journal Health Affairs. The share of GDP committed to healthcare rose slightly to 18.4% last year, the actuaries project. The agency is slated to issue a final report on 2025 spending later this year. (Early, 6/24)
More news about healthcare costs, Medicaid, and Medicare —
HealthDay: UnitedHealth, Humana And CVS Denied Post-Hospital Care At Some Of The Highest Rates
The three largest Medicare Advantage insurers turned down requests for post-hospital care at some of the highest rates among major plans, a federal watchdog has found. UnitedHealth Group, Humana and CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, each denied many requests to move patients into long-term care hospitals or rehabilitation facilities after a hospital stay, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG). (Vohnoutka, 6/24)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Extends Pause On New Medicaid Enrollments
The Maryland Department of Health is extending a temporary pause on new Medicaid enrollments for certain behavioral health providers as the state continues reviewing the provider network for potential fraud, waste and abuse. (Karpovich, 6/24)
News Service of Florida: Children’s Healthcare Giant Challenges Florida AHCA Over Medicaid Rate Change
A large children's healthcare provider is challenging the Florida agency overseeing Medicaid, claiming it incorrectly cut reimbursement rates, jeopardizing care for the children served by the group. (Rohrer, 6/24)
MPR News: Provider Trade Group Alleges Intentional Dismantling Of Family Residential Services
Seven years ago, Shawn Engman, a Minnesotan with developmental disabilities, moved from a group home into a facility run by a program called Family Residential Services (FRS), also known as Adult Foster Care. In these facilities, up to four residents live and receive care directly in their provider’s home. (Roth, 6/24)
KFF Health News: Democrats To Propose Bill Capping Out-Of-Pocket Medicare Costs For Enrollees
Sen. Ron Wyden and 14 Democratic co-sponsors plan to introduce legislation Thursday to cap consumers’ potential out-of-pocket costs in traditional Medicare, resurfacing a long-running debate over why the program doesn’t limit beneficiary spending. Even the bill’s backers say securing passage this year is a long shot. But the effort is one more opportunity for Democrats to highlight voters’ frustration about healthcare costs leading into the November election. Polls show Americans are very concerned about affordability, with a recent Gallup survey finding fewer than half of Americans say they can consistently afford healthcare. (Appleby, 6/25)
On SNAP benefits —
AP: States May Owe Millions For Food Aid Errors In SNAP Program
Several dozen states could have to fork over millions of dollars to provide food aid to lower-income residents, if they don’t cut down on payment errors in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Nine states, meanwhile, won’t have to pay a penny toward SNAP benefits, because their error rates are so low that they won an exemption from a cost-sharing requirement included in a big tax-and-spending law signed by President Donald Trump. Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a first look at the winners — and potential losers — under the new law. (Lieb, 6/25)
In other healthcare industry news —
Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare To Sell 31 Home Health, Hospice Sites To Deaconess
HCA Healthcare has agreed to sell 31 home health and hospice locations in eight states to Deaconess Associations Incorporated. The deal is expected to close in a few months pending regulatory approval, said Deaconess CEO Trey Crabb in an interview Wednesday. Financial details were not disclosed. (Eastabrook, 6/24)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Council Approves Spending To Keep Nurses At St. Louis County Jail
The St. Louis County Council on Wednesday approved spending $3 million on nurses and medical staff at the county jail and juvenile detention center. The vote came after weeks of back-and-forth between the council, County Executive Sam Page and health Director Dr. Kanika Cunningham over approving funds to keep 23 contract medical workers. (Landis, 6/24)
Modern Healthcare: How Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Ruling Has Impacted Healthcare
The healthcare system remains largely untouched by a historic Supreme Court ruling that undercut the power of federal agencies. The high court’s Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision in 2024 reversed a precedent known as “Chevron deference,” which for more than 40 years dictated that the judicial branch should yield to the executive branch when statutory language is ambiguous. (Early, 6/24)
The Baltimore Sun: TikTok Is Reinventing Healthcare. Should You Trust It?
Monica Carter, a nurse practitioner specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, appears on a TikTok screen, saying she is seeing so much “trich” in her clinic. Trichomonas is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a parasite, not a virus, she tells her 15,000 followers. “It is supercurable, and it’s rampant and common, and honestly, it’s not tested with routine testing. I am seeing it every day,” she exclaims on her post, which elicited more than 36,500 likes. (Goodman, 6/24)
Administration News
Forest Service Will Allow Federal Firefighters To Wear N95 Respirators
NBC News: Federal Firefighters Will Be Encouraged To Wear N95 Respirators In Major Policy Reversal
For the first time, federal firefighters will be encouraged to wear respirators to protect them against smoke-related hazards as they work to put out wildland blazes. The Forest Service announced Wednesday that firefighters were authorized to use N95 respirators on the fire line, a major policy reversal as the agency for decades did not allow such protections, even as studies demonstrated the health harms of wildfire smoke. (Bush and Lozano, 6/24)
More news about the Trump administration —
The Washington Post: Trump Abruptly Cancels Signing Of Bipartisan Bill On Affordable Housing
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled an event to sign a bipartisan affordable-housing bill Wednesday, announcing the ceremony was off as he fumed about the Senate not passing his bill to impose new rules on elections. An hour and a half before he was due to sign the bill at the Capitol at noon, the president caught lawmakers and some staff by surprise, declaring on social media that a news conference and signing ceremony was “hereby cancelled until such a time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency.” (Allison, Alfaro, Dillard and Meyer, 6/24)
The Hill: Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order Against DOJ's Subpoenas For Transgender Medical Records
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Justice Department (DOJ) prosecutors from accessing the medical records of transgender individuals treated at New York City hospitals. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, of the Southern District of New York, granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order against the DOJ, thereby barring the Trump administration from seeking, receiving, using, retaining or disseminating any identifying or sensitive information pertaining to the plaintiffs. A spokesperson for the department declined to comment on Failla’s ruling. (Rego, 6/24)
The Washington Post: Internal Memo Orders Staff Not To Reveal Deaths In National Parks
Guidance issued by the Interior Department instructs National Park Service staff not to confirm deaths, the severity of injuries or other details. (Spring, 6/24)
CIDRAP: Petition Urges FDA To End Routine Antibiotic Use On Farms
A coalition of 65 health, environmental, consumer, and animal welfare groups has filed a petition with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end the routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. The citizen’s petition, sent last week to the FDA, calls on the agency to withdraw approval of medically important antibiotics that are administered in animal feed and water when not associated with a diagnosed illness. The target of the petition is use of antibiotics for disease prevention and “maintenance of growth” in poultry, swine, dairy cattle, and beef cattle—uses the groups argue are unnecessary and contribute to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Dall, 6/24)
In military health news —
San Antonio Express-News: Lackland Flu Outbreak Gets Worse, With 275 Recruits Reported Ill
Air Force officials say they are isolating and treating trainees with flu symptoms to try and prevent further spread of the outbreak. (Christenson, 6/24)
Military.com: Hidden Camera Exposes Alleged Abuse Of Marine Veteran With Alzheimer’s Disease
A hidden camera installed by the wife of a disabled Marine veteran has triggered criminal charges, calls for a broader investigation, and a pledge from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to remove a federal employee accused of abusing the veteran inside a New York state-run veterans home. (Fuller, 6/24)
Military.com: SOCOM Study Of 231,000 Special Operators Finds 18% Higher Cancer Risk
A major study commissioned by U.S. Special Operations Command has found that special operations troops experience higher rates of cancer than the rest of the military, providing the clearest evidence yet that an issue long discussed within the SOF community deserves closer examination. (Lindsay, 6/25)
On the immigration crisis —
The Texas Tribune: Mexican Man Dies In ICE Custody In Laredo
A 63-year-old man died in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Laredo this month, marking at least the fifth death in Texas ICE detention centers this year, a quarter of the nationwide total, as the fatalities have skyrocketed to a record pace not seen in decades. (Kriel, 6/24)
Verite News: Rural Emergency Care Is Struggling To Keep Up With ICE Detention Demand
Emergency responders sped out of a Pennsylvania immigrant detention center on a recent Saturday morning, sirens blaring as they drove past more than 20 protesters demanding the lockup’s closure. It was the Moshannon Valley EMS crew’s second run to the Geo Group-owned site that day. The number of detained immigrants the crew serves has grown by 44% since President Donald Trump returned to office. The Moshannon Valley Processing Center now holds nearly 1,700 people, according to the Deportation Data Project — a population more than half the size of the town. (Llanos, 6/24)
CNN: The Hidden Stakes Of The Birthright Citizenship Case: Healthcare For Babies
The birthright citizenship case in front of the US Supreme Court is about much more than just citizenship. It’s also about an issue that was little discussed in court arguments: babies’ immediate access to safety net programs and medical tests that need to be done within the first couple days of life. (Christensen, 6/24)
Reproductive Health
HHS Cuts Funding For Grants To Prevent Teen Pregnancies
Bloomberg: RFK Jr.'s HHS To Divert Funds From Teen Pregnancy Grant Program
The Department of Health and Human Services is canceling millions of dollars in teen pregnancy prevention grants as it restructures priorities for the reproductive health program. The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, housed under HHS’ Office of Population Affairs, funds local grants to reduce unintended pregnancies among tweens, teens, and young adults. (Raman, 6/24)
The Hill: Senate Democrats Raise Concerns Over Moms.Gov's Anti-Abortion Links
Ten Democratic senators, along with one independent, on Wednesday flagged “profound concerns” with the Trump administration’s website for new and expecting mothers, with the lawmakers saying the site drives families toward crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) for treatment. Moms.gov, launched on Mother’s Day, features resources from 2,750 pregnancy centers, which Planned Parenthood calls “crisis pregnancy centers” that it says are traditionally run by anti-abortion advocates. (Fields, 6/24)
On abortion —
Chicago Tribune: New Illinois Law Shields Abortion Records From Out-Of-State Access
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a measure into law Wednesday shielding patients from having electronic medical records related to abortion and other reproductive health services received in Illinois disclosed without their consent to out-of-state providers. (Petrella, 6/24)
The New York Times: Support Builds On The Right For Prosecuting Women Who Get Abortions
In its quest to outlaw abortion across the country, the antiabortion movement has been largely unified around a core idea: Women who get the procedure should be spared punishment, while doctors and others who make it available should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But a growing number of conservative leaders are starting to argue that the only way to stop women from ending their pregnancies could be to arrest them. (Kitchener, 6/24)
The Hill: Abortion Rights Group Launches Multi-Million Dollar Midterm Campaign
A major reproductive rights group is launching a multimillion-dollar midterm election campaign to mobilize voters and flip key battleground districts by electing Democrats who support abortion rights. Reproductive Freedom For All (RFFA) is investing $23.5 million this year, the most it has ever spent on a midterm election. (Weixel, 6/24)
Other news about reproductive and infant health —
Stateline: Four Years After The Dobbs Decision, Miscarriage Management Is Muddled
Mylissa McNeill never expected to be a mother. But when she learned she was pregnant in the spring of 2022, at age 41, she and her partner were happy and excited at the prospect of parenting a little girl they planned to name Maeve. (Resnick, 6/24)
CIDRAP: ‘Everyone Who Has A Cervix Is At Risk’: Transgender People Often Miss Out On Cervical Cancer Screenings
Carsen Rhys Beckwith has had a complicated relationship with their body. As a teenager, they were horrified when they developed the curves typically associated with a female body. Beckwith didn’t want to be perceived as a woman; they wanted to present themself as masculine. The anxiety caused Beckwith, who identifies as transmasculine and nonbinary, to develop a serious eating disorder that threatened their health. (Szabo, 6/24)
NBC News: Nara Organics Infant Formula Recalled Due To Botulism Months After First Ever Infant Formula Botulism Outbreak
Angel Carter had breastfed her baby, Ashaan, exclusively from the day he was born. But last November, when Ashaan was 9 months old, it was time for Carter to transition her son to a sippy cup. (Edwards, 6/24)
Pharma and Tech
Amid Nationwide Shortage Of Chemo Drugs, Some Cancer Patients Are Being Prioritized For Treatment
The New York Times: Shortage Of Chemotherapy Drugs Brings Rationing Fears For Cancer Patients
Doctors treating cancer patients nationwide are facing a shortage of essential generic chemotherapy drugs, a situation that many fear could lead to widespread rationing. The shortages stem from manufacturing problems, shipping delays and decisions by some companies to stop producing the medications, according to the Food and Drug Administration. (Jewett, 6/24)
In other pharma and tech news —
Stat: Eli Lilly Dives Into Hair Loss Treatments With Investment In AI Startup Absci
The pharmaceutical giants behind the monumentally successful weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro have been teasing an expansion into other aesthetic fields like hair loss or skin care. Now, one of them is making a move, investing in a small startup developing a medication to spur hair growth, and potentially also treat endometriosis. (DeAngelis, 6/24)
MedPage Today: How A Drug With More Negative Than Positive Studies Won FDA Approval
The FDA should require negative studies of a new drug to be included in the product's labeling -- not just those studies with a beneficial finding -- to prevent physicians and consumers from being misled about the drug's safety and efficacy. That's the conclusion of researchers who examined the nearly decades-long journey of rejections that led up to the FDA's final approval of gepirone extended release (Exxua) for major depressive disorder in 2023, despite scant evidence of effectiveness. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. (Clark, 6/24)
KFF Health News: Opioid Settlement Money Pays For Services To Battle Addiction In Rural Kentucky
Drugs and the consequences of addiction are woven into the fabric of Jamie Madden’s life. Her earliest memory is of standing on the passenger seat of her dad’s car as a toddler, wearing a peach-colored blouse, while he drove from their Kentucky home to Florida to pick up drugs. On a stop for a burger, she met Ronald McDonald. “I grew up with the impression that that’s how you paid your bills,” Madden said. “That’s how your kids got things.” (Sisk, 6/25)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Zach Dyer reads the week’s news: The U.S. is getting its first new sunscreen ingredient in decades. Plus, at-home cancer tests have their limits. (Zenda, 6/25)
Also —
Chicago Tribune: Wheaton Woman, 87, Is Oldest Known Kidney Recipient In Illinois
When Sheila Perry learned that she was a record-setter at 87 years old, she was surrounded by family, and all the group could do was laugh. Indeed, they had much to smile about. The Wheaton local is the oldest known female in Illinois — and among the oldest in the United States — to have a successful kidney transplant. (Kiehl, 6/24)
Capitol Watch
Insulin Cap Legislation Gaining Momentum Among Some GOP Senators
Politico: Republicans Debate Insulin Pricing Cap Ahead Of Daunting Midterms
A group of Senate Republicans wants to ensure private insurance patients with diabetes don’t have to pay more than $35 a month for insulin. The move is a major shift for a party that’s long viewed price controls as anathema to free markets. And it’s the latest sign that GOP lawmakers are trying to address affordability issues ahead of the midterms. (King and Lim, 6/24)
Stat: New Bill Aims To Expand Methadone Access For Opioid Treatment
Two senators are renewing their push to greatly expand access to methadone treatment for opioid addiction. On Thursday, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are introducing an updated version of legislation that would allow doctors who hold board certifications in addiction medicine to prescribe methadone directly to patients for pickup at a pharmacy. (Facher, 6/25)
Military.com: Lawmaker Wants To Let Cannabis-Failed Recruits Into Air Force & Marines — Just Like Army & Navy
A conservative congressman has included a provision in the U.S. House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that calls on all services to expand waivers for military enlistees who test positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component found in cannabis. (Mordowanec, 6/24)
Roll Call: RFK Jr.’s Moves On Animal Testing Spur Capitol Hill Action
In his first two years on the job, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has become a polarizing figure on Capitol Hill, largely because of his vaccine skepticism and distrust of the status quo. But one of his quieter pushes — ending animal testing in medical research — has earned him accolades among some Democrats and Republicans alike. (Cohen, 6/24)
The Washington Post: Bill To Raise Minimum Wage To $25 An Hour Will Be Introduced In Senate
The minimum wage would be raised to $25 an hour under a new bill to be introduced by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) on Thursday, in a bid to enthuse the working-class voters who have abandoned the Democratic Party. The legislation, dubbed the Living Wage for All Act, has a companion bill already introduced in the House. (Choi and Beggin, 6/24)
Also —
The New York Times: Representative Tom Kean, Missing For Months, Is Back Home In New Jersey
Aides had said that Mr. Kean, 57, was being treated for a health condition and was expected to fully recover, but had offered no additional details as their boss missed more than 100 floor votes since the middle of March. (Tully, 6/24)
Outbreaks and Health Threats
Trump Admin Requests $1.4B For Ebola Quarantine Unit, Health Security Funds, Diplomatic Efforts
Reuters: Trump Seeks More Than $1.4 Billion In Ebola Funding From Congress
The White House is seeking more than $1.4 billion in new funds from Congress to address the widening Ebola virus outbreak, including $800 million for humanitarian crisis response, according to a Trump administration official. The move is part of a larger supplemental funding request made by the White House on Wednesday in a letter to Congress. It includes $800 million for a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus, supplies, treatment, contact tracing, a regional logistics network and infection-control practices, the official said. (Hunnicutt and Steenhuysen, 6/24)
Stat: WHO Will Test Two American Drugs Against African Ebola Outbreak
A clinical trial testing two drugs against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is driving a fast-moving outbreak in Central Africa, is set to begin next week, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. (Branswell, 6/24)
Bloomberg: Ebola Scientists Lack Virus Samples Needed To Test Vaccine In Congo Outbreak
Scientists racing to develop potential vaccines and treatments against a deadly Ebola outbreak are having to do so without a viable sample of the virus, highlighting growing disputes over pathogen sharing and the difficulty of moving infectious materials across borders for research. (Furlong and Gale, 6/25)
The New York Times: The Ebola Outbreak’s Central Mystery: Where Did This Virus Come From?
Since April, an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has ballooned to 1,114 confirmed cases and 279 deaths, already the third-largest such epidemic since the disease was identified 50 years ago. Despite its worrying size, this outbreak is threaded with mystery — particularly regarding its origins. (Zimmer, 6/24)
On hantavirus and vaccines —
The Hill: CDC Ends US Response To Hantavirus Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially ended its Hantavirus response Wednesday, more than a month after the first Americans were evacuated following an outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the North Atlantic. The wind-down comes after the final 42-day quarantine period for the Americans who were exposed to the virus ended earlier this week. (Weixel, 6/24)
CIDRAP: International Public Health Response Helped Contain Andes Hantavirus Outbreak On Dutch Cruise Ship
When an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a Dutch cruise ship sickened 13 passengers and crew members and caused three deaths this spring, a coordinated, multinational public health response helped contain the outbreak and kept the risk to the general population low. A report compiled by researchers from the Centre for Infectious Disease Control in the Netherlands and other international agencies details the public health response involving medical evacuations, international contact tracing, quarantine, and laboratory monitoring across several continents. (Bergeson, 6/24)
CIDRAP: Vaccine Integrity Project, The Evidence Collective Announce Projects To Improve Vaccine Policy, Restore Trust
To bolster the US government’s vaccine policymaking process and restore trust in immunization, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) and The Evidence Collective today announced new research efforts. (Holohan, 6/24)
Health Policy Research
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
HealthDay: Most Americans Unaware Of Link Between Alcohol And Cancer — And Aren't Interested In Spreading The Word, Either
Fewer than half of Americans understand that booze is a cancer-causing substance along the lines of known carcinogens like tobacco, asbestos and formaldehyde, a new study says. Alcohol has been listed as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer since the late 1980s, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. But only about 2 out of 5 people (41%) are aware that drinking increases a person’s cancer risk, researchers reported Monday at the Research Society on Alcohol’s annual meeting in San Antonio. A ban on alcohol ads or a warning label on bottles and cans might improve awareness, but a second study presented Sunday at the meeting found mixed public support for such measures, researchers said. (Thompson, 6/23)
MedPage Today: Long-Term CAR-T Results In Lymphoma Confirm Early Promise
Ten years after receiving a single dose of CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapy, almost a third of patients with aggressive lymphomas and no treatment options remained lymphoma free, updated results from a landmark trial showed. (Bankhead, 6/24)
MedPage Today: Brain Disorders And TBI May Fuel Each Other
The connection between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurologic disorders may run both ways, a large retrospective study of U.S. military veterans suggested. Older adults with TBI were more likely than those without TBI to have received a previous diagnosis of epilepsy (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 4.4), stroke (IRR 3.2), dementia (IRR 3.1), or Parkinson's disease (IRR 3.0), reported Carrie Peltz, PhD, of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System, and colleagues in Neurology. (George, 6/18)
HealthDay: Estrogen Birth Control May Protect Women’s Brains As They Age
Women on the pill appear to have healthier brains as they grow older, a new study says. Taking hormone-based birth control as a younger woman appears to protect the brain, maintaining the size of regions vital to memory, cognition and information, researchers report in the July 1 issue of the journal NeuroImage. (Thompson, 6/25)
MedPage Today: Study On Weekly Resistance Training Finds Sweet Spot For Heart Protection
Women engaged in regular resistance training had substantially better cardiovascular health in the long run, according to a large cohort study. Those performing at least 2 hours a week of resistance training had a 20% lower risk of incident major cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with no resistance training (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69-0.92) over an average 14.5 years of follow-up in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHS II cohorts. (Lou, 6/17)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Stop Tiptoeing Around It — The US Has Already Lost Its Measles Status; Despite Fearmongering, Sunscreen Is Safe
CIDRAP: Call It What It Is—The US Has Lost Its Hold On Measles Elimination
There is an old rule of thumb: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you stop debating taxonomy and call it a duck. When it comes to measles, we have collectively decided not to do that. The careful phrasing is everywhere you look. The United States "may lose” its measles elimination status. The country's standing is "at risk." A panel "will determine" whether elimination should be held. That conditional tense is doing a lot of work, and I understand the instinct, since no one wants to be the doctor who calls it too early. But there is a difference between waiting for certainty and refusing to see what is already on the monitor. (Jess Steier, 6/24)
The Washington Post: Sunscreen Isn’t A Public Health Threat. Skin Cancer Is.
Every year, a safe-sunscreen guide sparks needless concern. (Misty Eleryan and Adam Friedman, 6/25)
Stat: Prenatal Down Syndrome Diagnoses Should Come With Accurate Facts
The genetic counselor handed me a tissue. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Whitten,” she said. “Eighty to ninety percent of people terminate these pregnancies. You can, too.” Twenty-three years ago, my husband, Tom, and I had just received prenatal screening results indicating our unborn child probably had Down syndrome. Instead of offering us actual counseling, she played a video about Down syndrome — and it was terrifying. (Michelle Sie Whitten, 6/25)
Newsweek: Washington And Pharma Are Helping China Win
"Do we want our prescription refills to be approved or denied by Chinese Communist Party-controlled pharmaceutical companies?" (Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, 6/24)
Stat: Landmark Court Case On Doctor-Patient Confidentiality Turns 50
Just before the bicentennial fireworks started, on July 1, 1976, the precedent-setting Tarasoff v. Regents of University of California case redefined patient confidentiality by introducing the concept of “mandated reporting” and codifying the ethical and legal “duty to warn.” (M. Sara Rosenthal, 6/25)