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Like every other state, Kansas requires a variety of vaccinations for young children, all designed to prevent deadly diseases — polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and others. “Routine childhood immunizations against infectious diseases are an integral part of our public health infrastructure,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics. “STAND UP for your kids to keep them healthy,” says Nurture KC. “If you don’t, who will? Vaccines save lives.” So it’s beyond disturbing that some Kansas lawmakers may still try, this year, to loosen or eliminate all vaccine requirements in the state. Yes, all, not just those involving the COVID-19 vaccine. (2/2)

Last month, the federal government revealed that the U.S. spent $4.1 trillion on healthcare in 2020, over 20% of GDP and twice as much as the developed-world average. While hundreds of billions of dollars were spent fighting Covid-19, the overwhelming majority went to propping up the country’s broken healthcare system. National healthcare spending has doubled, adjusted for inflation, since 2000. (Cynthia A. Fisher, 2/1)

Digital mental health start-ups may be looking like big tech companies — consider the $5.1 billion in venture capital investment in 2021 — but is their economic value matched by their impact and clinical value? It’s an inconvenient question with a short answer: It’s too early to tell. There’s no question that the most successful companies are disrupting the delivery of mental health care by offering access and convenience. And why not? Unlike medical or surgical specialties built around procedures, most mental health care involves assessment by an interview and treatment with medication and psychotherapy. Every part of this can be done remotely, with quicker response times and greater convenience than available in traditional office-based practices. (Thomas R. Insel, 2/2)

As the Senate mulls action of Build Back Better, 14.5 million people across America have already voiced their support for more affordable health coverage through record-breaking enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans during this year’s open enrollment. Announced last week, this figure shatters the previous enrollment record of 12.6 million in 2016. And though the economic fallout from COVID-19 pandemic created a greater need for accessible marketplace insurance, unemployment numbers are back near pre-pandemic totals. This points to a different driver of this record enrollment that should guide the president and Congress in Build Back Better negotiations: more affordable coverage and assistance make a huge difference in people’s lives. (Emily Stewart, 2/1)

Would you put the California Department of Motor Vehicles in charge of your health care? How about the state’s Employment Development Department, which during the worst months of the pandemic lost at least $20 billion to fraud, while denying benefits to millions suffering from losing their jobs? (Laurie Davies, 2/1)

The best argument against California’s taking over management of health care for every Californian may be the Employment Development Department’s abysmal record of mismanaging the delivery of unemployment insurance and disability insurance benefits to those unable to work. When you think about it, there’s a remarkable similarity between what EDD does — or more correctly, what it’s supposed to do — and the single-payer, centrally directed health care system that those on the political left so fervently desire. (Dan Walters, 2/1)