Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: DOGE's Slash-And-Burn Method Will Only Make Things Worse; Most Americans Want Vaccines
As the Trump administration鈥檚 recently launched Department of Government Efficiency continues its largely unchecked expansion into federal agencies, the health of Americans is increasingly at risk. In the name of 鈥渆fficiency,鈥 President Donald Trump and DOGE鈥檚 leader, Elon Musk, have pursued a federal funding freeze that threatens Medicaid insurance for low-income Americans, cuts to biomedical and public health research, and efforts to push out large swaths of the civil service workforce, including nurses who care for veterans. (Victor Roy, 2/17)
What has been overlooked in discussions about Mr. Kennedy鈥檚 future agenda is one key fact: Vaccines remain enormously popular. Given this broad support, politicians should think twice about targeting something so widely valued. (Caitlin Rivers, 2/16)
In our careers as pulmonary and critical-care doctors, we have witnessed a revolution in treating asthma, a disease that affects one in 12 Americans. Newer medications make it possible to reverse the course of the disease and bring people with severe asthma into remission. (Jehan Alladina, C. Corey Hardin and Alexander Rabin, 2/18)
A decade ago this past June, my sister died at the National Institutes of Health. Despite that, the NIH gave my family hope and continues to do so. Human suffering happens without a care for who we are, without regard for our beliefs or stance. Medical research, like that done at the NIH, offers a chance beyond partisan lines to help alleviate some of that suffering and deliver hope, to learn from complications and be better clinicians. Despite my pain, I have faith in that mission. (Ariel Reinish, 2/18)
Despite (or perhaps because of) this trust, Epic鈥檚 aggressive push for MyChart adoption has caused concern. Hospitals that resist consolidation face increased fees, reduced support, and deprecated features for pursuing independent strategies. Many worry that their reliance on Epic for EHRs could evolve into dependence on Epic for all consumer-facing tools, leaving them with few options to differentiate or maintain control over patient relationships. (Seth Joseph, 2/17)
