Viewpoints: Time To Rethink Nonprofit Hospitals That Take More Than They Give Back; Union Members Might Actually Benefit From ‘Medicare For All’

Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.

The New York Times: Why Are Nonprofit Hospitals So Highly Profitable?

“So, how much money do you guys make if I do that test you’re ordering for me?” This is a question I hear frequently from my patients, and it’s often followed by some variant of, “I thought hospitals were supposed to be nonprofit.” Patients are understandably confused. They see hospitals consolidating and creating vast medical empires with sophisticated marketing campaigns and sleek digs that resemble luxury hotels. And then there was the headline-grabbing nugget from a Health Affairs study that seven of the 10 most profitable hospitals in America are nonprofit hospitals. (Danielle Ofri, 2/20)

Bloomberg: Medicare For All Will Always Be A Tough Sell For Unions

The Democratic primary debate on Wednesday night had an element of health care deja vu. For the ninth time, the candidates mostly rehashed the same talking points about the relative benefits of a public option and Medicare for All, as proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders. One of the few exchanges that stood out and might have an impact on Saturday’s caucuses in Nevada focused on the effect of various plans on unions. On Feb. 13, the state’s powerful Culinary Workers Union declined to endorse a candidate. The union has nevertheless been vocal in its opposition to Sanders’s proposal. Several candidates assailed Sanders on that issue at the debate, accusing him of threatening hard-won coverage. The Vermont senator and current front-runner responded by contending that he would never sign a bill that would cut into current benefits. (Max Nisen, 2/20)

Boston Globe: Drop In Cancer Deaths Reflect Failures Of Our Society. Really

Last month we learned that cancer death rates were down another 2 percent in 2018. And yet, in 2017, life expectancy of Americans fell by a month, while in 2018 it rose by about a month. This paradox conveys a critical lesson: Diseases like cancer account for less of the suffering and loss of life than we think. Societal failings account for more lost years than we care to consider. (Peter Back, 2/21)

The Washington Post: The Trump Administration’s Green Card Catch-22

Starting next week, green card applicants can be denied green cards partly on the basis that they are applying for green cards. Yes, you read that correctly. On Monday, the Trump administration begins enforcing a new rule supposedly designed to make sure any immigrants let in are self-sufficient and not a drain on government resources. That might sound reasonable enough. The rule is based on a series of flawed premises, though, and even more flawed processes. (Catherine Rampell, 2/20)

Roll Call: Congress Quietly Sets A New Bipartisan Record On Health Care

Just this month, Congress took [a] notable — and largely overlooked — bipartisan step forward on the issue that remains most important to voters: health care. A record-setting 403 lawmakers — 75 percent of Capitol Hill — sent companion letters from the Senate and House to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expressing strong support for Medicare Advantage, the public-private partnership through which more than a third of Medicare beneficiaries receive coverage today. (Allyson Y. Schwartz, 2/21)

The CT Mirror: The Insurance Companies Don't Care If My Patients Go Blind

One of the proudest accomplishments of my profession, ophthalmology, is the reduction in blindness from glaucoma. Decades ago, it was common to hear “Uncle John went blind from glaucoma.” Now such tragedies are rare. But now the insurance companies are refusing to pay for the most effective glaucoma medicines while increasing the patients’ deductibles. The result will be that more patients go blind. (Joseph Bentivegna MD, 2/21)

Stat: Cloning Humans Is Technically Possible. It's Curious No One Has Tried

Sometimes what doesn’t happen is as interesting as what does. Cloning human embryos has been possible for nearly seven years. Yet as far as I know, during that time no one has made a cloned baby or, apparently, has tried to make one. And what I find most surprising is that no one has announced they intend to make one. (Henry T. Greely, 2/21)

The CT Mirror: Wake Up America. Insurance Companies Prescribe Your Medications

Prior authorization (PA) is a term most of us have heard before ―medical professionals and patients alike. We associate it with going to the pharmacy, finding that not only is our medication not ready for pick-up, it cannot be filled yet due to PA. PA generates feelings of confusion and anxiety, but it is also responsible for creating an enormous patient care burden. (Christine Alexandra Bottone, 2/20)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Stemming The Tide Of Veteran Suicides

Trying to curb the number of suicides is not just a Department of Veterans Affairs problem. Many veterans do not receive VA medical care and are outside of the VA health care system. Suicide is a complex problem and must be approached from many directions. There is a wide range of strategies recommended by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (Wes Holden, 2/20)

Stat: Should 'Broken' Genes Be Fixed? My Daughter Changed My Thinking

I’m a doctor. I strive to fix things that are broken. Hearts, mostly. But my daughter Ruthie has forever changed my thinking about what needs to be fixed. (Ethan J. Weiss, 2/21)

The CT Mirror: Why The Controversy Over Chronic Lyme Disease Is Important To Everyone

The first investigation into the effectiveness of antibiotics for the treatment of Lyme disease was published by Steere in 1983. The study was conducted at a time when prevailing thought held that antibiotics would cure all infectious disease caused by bacteria. (Jennifer Shea, 2/20)

The New York Times: Even When I’m Psychotic, I’m Still Me

Last September, I believed my brain was on fire. Not in some metaphorical way. It was, as far as I was concerned, on fire. I am bipolar and I was hallucinating. My hallucinations can be sensory, like the brain burn, but many are auditory — I know hallucinations are coming when I hear birds speak. I can tell you what the birds say, but what matters is how intensely personal it is, being shouted at by a fierce small crowd: persist persist persist from one, six degrees yes yes yes from another. (Susanne Antonetta, 2/21)

The Oklahoman: Compromise Bill Will Benefit Oklahomans

The Oklahoma Senate approved a bill that expands the authority of nurse anesthetists. This issue has been stuck on high center for years as doctors’ groups objected to nurse anesthetists’ requests that they be allowed to administer anesthesia without physician supervision. The measure approved unanimously Monday, Senate Bill 801, would grant nurse anesthetists’ request — but it also allows patients who want one to request an on-site consultation with a doctor, osteopath or podiatrist. (2/21)

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