Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Examining The Health Consequences Of Daylight Saving Time; Medicaid Should Cover Healthful Foods
Sleep medicine specialists at Northwestern Medicine聽say聽daylight saving time could聽be聽linked to cluster headaches, weight gain, an increased risk of heart attacks and a higher聽risk of stroke. (Dr. Shelby Harris, 3/9)
Almost 400,000 Americans on Medicaid have diabetes and are insulin-dependent. Forty percent of them have trouble affording healthy food. This means that despite the $34 billion Medicaid spends on these enrollees each year, almost half are likely to have trouble managing their conditions effectively. (Rachel Nuzum, 3/9)
Visiting a hospital or clinic today feels like facing a firing squad, with rounds and rounds of bills coming from every direction. Fewer than half of Americans rate the quality of U.S. health care as excellent or good. We all have our stories. (Ricardo Nuila, 3/9)
For the past few weeks, I鈥檝e been thinking a lot about the extraordinary rise of teen mental distress in the United States. I鈥檝e studied the literature on social-media and smartphone use and considered the rise of loneliness among young people. But the Columbia news made me think I鈥檝e overlooked a key factor that helps explain why adolescent distress is rising not only in the U.S. but also in many rich countries. It鈥檚 pressure-cooker schools. (Derek Thompson, 3/8)
Recent reports that Department of Energy and FBI officials think the COVID-19 pandemic originated with a so-called lab leak appear to have provided all the 鈥渆vidence鈥 many require. (Michael Worobey, 3/8)
Connecticut is poised to pass what is euphemistically called An Act Concerning Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients giving doctors the permission to kill patients who want to be killed. This law failed to pass last year because of some clever parliamentary maneuvering by opponents. But polls show 63% approval for this legislation. This bill is just the beginning of a large social trend that decades from now will result in the killing of the disabled, those suffering from severe psychiatric disorders and the indigent elderly. (Dr. Joseph Bentivegna, 3/9)
A decade ago, I had pegged gene and cell therapies as the next frontier. As an investment banker, I was sure they would someday change how patients were treated. But a question from a biotech CEO started me thinking about not only how to pay for them, but how to offer guarantees for these therapies to payers who rightfully wanted reassurances that they were paying for something that works for their beneficiaries. (Emad Samad, 3/9)
