Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Why Have So Few Gotten The Bivalent Booster?; Overturning Roe Is Having Broad Consequences
The new bivalent boosters are off to a slow start. In Minnesota, vaccine uptake is running way behind that of the first booster doses, with fewer than 4 percent of those 12 and older up to date on their shots. (10/1)
Opponents of abortion who were thrilled to see the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade in June may find their celebration short-lived. At least in some states. (Ingrid Jacques, 9/30)
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which allows states to ban or restrict access to abortion, will have many implications for the health, economic stability, and equal opportunity of people who can become pregnant. (Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler, J.D., 10/1)
In just seven days last June, the U.S. Supreme Court set back public health by 50 years. The court’s conservative majority rolled back efforts to address the pressing threat of climate change, expanded access to deadly firearms, and eliminated the right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade. Earlier, it had eviscerated public health powers to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. We fear this is just the start. (Michelle A. Williams and Lawrence O. Gostin, 10/3)
Like virtually every California governor before him, Newsom has ambitions that go beyond Sacramento. Unlike his predecessors, he is confronting the daunting issue of untreated mental illness. His success or failure could determine his future. (Dan Morain, 10/3)
As we emerge from the most significant public health challenge of the last century, the critical role of health systems and their caregivers has never been more apparent. While COVID-19 has become more of an endemic disease, we continue to process the important lessons learned regarding the needs and challenges of educating our future healthcare workforce. (Dr. Kavitha Bhatia and Dr. Paul Lyons, 9/30)
The insurance system in the U.S. is broken. Rather than continuing to plow money into insurance and expensive care, families should be stowing that cash away for future health care needs. That’s what they do in Singapore. There, people save toward their own health care needs via mandatory individual health savings accounts — with the government serving as the safety net. (Elise Amez-Droz and Phillip Phan, 10/3)
