Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Stigma With Life And Death Consequences: Doctors Not Looking Past Patients' Weight
The persistent cough started when Rebecca Hiles was 16. She was an active high school senior, though, at 180 pounds, overweight for her height. She was diagnosed with airway irritation, given medicine, and advised to lose weight. But she was unprepared for how much those extra pounds would dog her over the course of the next seven years — overshadowing her doctors’ visits while a tumor grew undetected in her lung. (Adaeze Okewerekwu, 6/3)
Meanwhile, a new study shows that class is playing a role in how therapists chose their patients —
Access to mental health care in the U.S. may vary by race and class because of biases on the part of psychotherapists, a new study suggests. Based on calls to hundreds of therapists, the study found that middle class patients had an easier time than their working class counterparts getting an appointment, but among middle class callers, blacks were less likely to be offered an appointment than whites. (6/2)
