Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Is Canada's Medical Assistance In Dying Too Permissive?; Ways To Bolster Support For Caregivers
Rebranded as 鈥渕edical assistance in dying,鈥 or MAID, the formerly taboo practice is now hailed in Canada as both humane medical care and essential to patient autonomy. It enjoys strong support in opinion polls and the full backing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 federal government. (Charles Lane, 8/17)
On Tuesday President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains parts of his Build Back Better agenda, including major climate investments and authorization for Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. The law will reduce the cost of health care, slash carbon emissions to roughly 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, invest in clean energy vehicles and raise taxes on corporations, among other things. (Ai-jen Poo, 8/17)
Nursing is a calling unlike any other. Like most Americans, I have been incredibly moved by the images of nurses bravely serving COVID-19 patients, rightly earning the title of healthcare heroes. (Pamela R. Jeffries, 8/17)
A recent study published in Science Advances reports proof-of-concept results for a gene therapy cancer treatment. This study and the therapy it describes are novel and important for a few reasons. (Abbie Roth, 8/18)
In early August, the Senate Finance Committee held a bipartisan hearing co-chaired by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) revealing that the organ procurement and transplant system in America is badly broken. (Blair L. Sadler and Alfred M. Sadler, Jr., 8/18)
