Opinion writers weigh in on these health care topics and others.
Bloomberg: Joe Biden’s Health Plan Has The Potential To Go Bold
Health care has emerged as a key issue in the 2020 presidential race, and an area where Democrats believe they can gain an advantage with voters. When it comes to policy, though, most of the Democratic field is big on vision, and a bit lighter on particulars. Only a few, like Senator Bernie Sanders and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, have endorsed specific legislation; most others have endorsed the general idea of universal health care. So it’s a big deal that front runner Joe Biden posted a plan Monday that at least begins to flesh out the details of his preferred approach. Biden, the former vice president, argues that Democrats should start by building on Obamacare, and that “Medicare for All” supporters would erase the law’s achievements. It makes sense that he’s attached to the legislation; it was one of his most significant career accomplishments. But even Biden, the leading moderate in the race, has ideas that move beyond the most ambitious early versions of the law. (Max Nisen, 7/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Public Option Kills Private Insurance
At the center of Joe Biden’s health-care proposal is the “public option”—a government insurance policy that would compete with private plans. Mr. Biden has obviously seen the polling. By 57% to 37%, Americans reject the idea, put forth by some of Mr. Biden’s Democratic rivals, of abolishing private insurance in favor of “Medicare for All.” The public option seems like an attractive alternative—enough so that Mr. Biden, in announcing his plan Monday, revived a discredited Obama slogan: “If you like your health-care plan, your employer-based plan, you can keep it.” (Scott W. Atlas, 7/16)
USA Today: Obamacare Is Constitutional: Ohio’s Republican Attorney General
When someone has a tumor, you don’t kill the patient to get rid of it — you cut out the tumor.But in December, when a federal court found the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate was unconstitutional, it killed the whole law instead of cutting out the one part that was malignant. The trial court’s overreach in Texas vs. United States, threatens health care for millions of Ohioans with pre-existing conditions — and millions more across America. That decision has been appealed, and the appeals court heard oral arguments last week. I filed a friend of the court brief on behalf of Ohio, arguing that the trial court went further than the law and binding Supreme Court precedent require, or even allow. Although I’m a Republican and not fond of the ACA, I hate judicial activism — in its liberal and conservative flavors. (Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, 7/17)
The Hill: Pushing The Tobacco Age To 21 Is Good, But It’s Not Enough
It is universally acknowledged that smoking leads to premature disease and death. Yet, 1 billion people worldwide, including 38 million adults in the U.S. continue to smoke. It’s not because they are oblivious to the dangers of smoking, but because their addiction smothers all prudent consideration of the adverse health effects of tobacco use. Most people become addicted to nicotine when they are teenagers. That’s why it’s imperative that we do all that we can to deter early nicotine addiction in youth. Initiatives to raise the national sales age for tobacco products to 21 deserve serious consideration by the Congress. “Tobacco 21” proposals are a significant step in the right direction. Nicotine addiction fundamentally threatens the development in young people’s brains that is necessary for executive function, memory and emotional regulation. (Nancy Brown and Aruni Bhatnagar, 7/16)
Tampa Bay Times: Ensuring Safety And Quality In Nursing Homes
In any case, patients and their families and caregivers should have all the support they need to navigate this complex and delicate decision. Most importantly, they should have the security and peace of mind that they will be kept safe from abuse and neglect. Through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — or CMS — the Trump administration is empowering residents and their caregivers with information about nursing home safety and quality, and we’re doubling down on our efforts to keep residents safe. (Seema Verma, 7/16)
Washington Examiner: Planned Parenthood Ousts Leana Wen And Proves That Abortion, Not Healthcare, Is Its Priority
One of the symptoms of uneasiness is the inability to stay still. Leana Wen knows this. She’s a doctor. And she was the president of Planned Parenthood until today, when the abortion organization’s board met in secret and pushed her out, after less than nine months on the job, because of “philosophical” differences. They’re uneasy. They can’t stay still.And no wonder: Planned Parenthood is facing more opposition than ever. The Republican in the White House has filled the lower federal courts and two Supreme Court vacancies with conservative justices, potentially (underline that word) endangering Roe v. Wade, the foundational decision upon which Planned Parenthood depends. (Kaylee McGhee, 7/16)
Nashville Tennessean: Lower Health Care Costs Act Aims To End Surprise Billing
One out of five times Americans visit a hospital emergency room, they are surprised several months later to receive a bill that could run into thousands of dollars. Last month, the U.S. Senate health committee by a vote of 20-3 approved legislation to end such surprise billing and to take other steps to reduce the amount of money Americans pay for their health care out of their own pockets. The bipartisan Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019, which I introduced along with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, includes 55 proposals from 65 senators — 29 Republicans and 36 Democrats — that would increase transparency in medical costs for patients and employers and increase prescription drug competition to lower the cost of generic drugs, which make up 90% of all prescriptions written. (U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, 7/15)
Stat: It’s Time To Change The Definition Of ‘Health’
Meet Betty, a typical aging American. At 82, she spends almost as much time with her doctors as she does with her grandchildren. She has to. She takes seven prescription medications to treat her high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and arthritis. Ten years ago, she was treated for breast cancer.Is Betty healthy? According to her, “Absolutely!” She enjoys her spacious apartment, two cats, close friends, and 50-gallon fish tank. But according to the World Health Organization, Betty is mistaken. The WHO defines health as a state of “complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with a range of WHO partners, endorses this definition. (Cara Kiernan Fallon and Jason Karlawish, 7/17)
Stat: I Get Asked A Lot About Longevity. It Helps That I’m 104
When anyone meets me for the first time, they always ask me, what do you attribute your longevity to? And I always say, just don’t tell me to be good, because I want to dance and have fun. Maybe there’s something in my genes: I’m 104 now. My mother lived to be 93, and my dad was 98. And his brothers were all up in way late in their 90s. My sister lived to be 96. (Virginia Leitner, 7/17)
Austin American-Statesman: Texas Lawmakers Should Protect Home Health For Older Americans
Home health care is an essential element to our state’s senior care infrastructure, providing necessary care to those who are not able to leave their homes. However, recent changes to Medicare’s payment system will have a decidedly negative impact on Texas seniors who want to receive skilled care services in the comfort of their own homes. (Rachel Hammon, 7/15)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.