Viewpoints: Just Say ‘No’ To Using Death Penalty To Fight Opioid Crisis; Ways To Bail Out Obamacare Before More Lose Insurance
Editorial pages highlight these health topics and others.
The Washington Post:
The Best Strategy On Opioids Isn’t An Enforcement Sledgehammer
Having talked a good game for months about the nation’s opioid crisis, the Trump administration seems finally on the brink of unveiling a plan that might lend muscle to its repeated promises to tackle an epidemic that killed more than 40,000 Americans in 2016. If, however, the president indulges his instinct to attack the problem mainly with an enforcement sledgehammer — for instance by pressing for the death penalty for drug dealers — he is likely to grab headlines but do little to reverse what has become a national calamity. (3/18)
The New York Times:
Back To The Health Policy Drawing Board
The Affordable Care Act needs help. After scores of failed repeal attempts, Congress enacted legislation late last year that eliminated one of the law’s central features, the mandate requiring people to buy insurance. Obamacare, as the Affordable Care Act is widely known, isn’t in imminent danger of collapse, but the mandate’s repeal poses a serious long-term threat. (Robert H. Frank, 3/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Medical Tourists, Undocumented Immigrants And Ballooning Costs: California's Path To Single Payer Is Rocky
After state Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) pulled the plug last year on a fast-moving but half-baked Senate bill to guarantee premium-free health insurance to all Californians, the nurses union that sponsored the legislation called it a "cowardly act" and threatened to push for a recall election. The wisdom of Rendon's action became even more apparent last week, however, when UC San Francisco released an Assembly-commissioned report on the path to universal health coverage in California. Based on a series of hearings by a select committee appointed by Rendon, the report shows how many obstacles stand in the way — and how many issues the Senate had left unresolved. (3/17)
The New York Times:
Medicare Doesn’t Equal Dental Care. That Can Be A Big Problem.
Many people view Medicare as the gold standard of United States health coverage, and any attempt to cut it incurs the wrath of older Americans, a politically powerful group. But there are substantial coverage gaps in traditional Medicare. One of them is care for your teeth. Almost one in five adults of Medicare eligibility age (65 years old and older) have untreated cavities. The same proportion have lost all their teeth. Half of Medicare beneficiaries have some periodontal disease, or infection of structures around teeth, including the gums. (Austin Frakt, 3/19)
Georgia Health News:
Legislators Should Not Let Hospitals Reach Into Georgians’ Wallets
When President Barack Obama and Congress rammed through the Affordable Care Act eight years ago this month, it was adopted on the premise of bringing down health insurance costs for all Americans. But in reality, this plan, also known as “Obamacare,” transferred much of the skyrocketing cost of health care from providers and insurers to patients. (Geoff Duncan, 3/17)
Columbus Dispatch:
Medicaid Drug Prices Shouldn't Be Secret
CVS, the giant pharmacy company, is accused by independent retail pharmacists of exploiting its role as the largest middleman between Ohio’s Medicaid program and the pharmacies that supply drugs to Medicaid patients. Almost 90 percent of Ohio Medicaid patients are served by one of five private managed-care companies that contract with the state. (3/16)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
I'm One Of 4% Of Physicians Nationwide To Provide Office-Based Opioid Treatment
I’m a family physician, and on Thursdays, my team spends time providing care for individuals struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD) through the provision of buprenorphine, a form of medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This makes me unique. According to recent statistics, just 4 percent of physicians nationwide — and 5.7 percent of primary care physicians — possess the waiver required to deliver office-based opioid treatment (OBOT). (David T. O'Gurek, 3/16)
Boston Globe:
Lawmakers Should Heed Baker On Fentanyl, Designer-Drug Fixes
The battle against the opioid epidemic demands urgency. That, alas, isn’t usually the animating impulse when it comes to the Massachusetts Legislature, where lawmaking debate and discussions can easily devolve into dithering and discord — and 11th-hour brinkmanship. That’s why lawmakers need to interrupt their oh-so-deliberative effort for a comprehensive rewrite of the state’s criminal justice laws and move with all deliberate speed on Governor Baker’s call for enhanced tools to battle both fentanyl and designer drugs. (3/18)
The Hill:
We Should Expand Access To Opioid Use Disorder Treatments In Correctional Facilities
Last Friday, the Public Health Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly held a public hearing regarding Senate Bill 172: An Act Concerning Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Correctional Facilities. There was strong testimony supporting the bill. The public health committee has yet to vote on it. (Bachaar Arnaout, 3/18)
USA Today:
Female Doctors Have Problems Men Can't Fathom. Are We Welcome At Work?
As a female physician, I lose sleep over situations that male colleagues cannot imagine. One of my patients refuses to see me unless I wear a skirt. He offered to buy me new shoes on a day I wore flats. When I cropped my hair, he insisted I grow it back. My staff advised me to fire him, but I haven’t. It’s not that I’m soft. I took an oath to help others. My patient has limited means, but a serious disease. Better to tolerate his behavior. (Ashvini K. Reddy, 3/16)
San Jose Mercury News:
How Two School Districts Address Student Hunger
Universal breakfast programs allow every student on that campus, no matter their income, to have the opportunity to start their day with a healthy meal. In particular, serving breakfast after the bell — after the school day begins — means students don’t need to arrive early or worry they won’t get breakfast because they’re running late that day. (Kyla Johnson-Trammel and Vincent Matthews, 3/17)