Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
Bloomberg: More Gun Research Will Lead To Better Firearm Policies
A congressional subcommittee held a hearing last week on the state of gun violence research in the U.S. The conclusion? It’s shamefully incomplete.As Andrew Morral of the Rand Corporation testified, “We know little about gun violence and its prevention compared to other safety and health threats, because the federal government has not had a comprehensive program of research in these areas for decades.” (3/11)
Stat: Let All Doctors Prescribe Buprenorphine For Opioid Use Disorder
The day each of us received our licenses from the Drug Enforcement Administration, we were able to write prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl, two drugs that have fueled the opioid overdose epidemic. But we couldn’t prescribe buprenorphine, a far safer partial opioid that is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, without getting additional training, a special license with a number that begins with “X,” and agreeing to allow DEA agents to inspect our patient records. That doesn’t make sense to us, especially as our country is in the midst of an overdose epidemic. (Kevin Fiscella and Sarah E. Wakeman, 3/12)
The New York Times: How The Supreme Court Could Bring More Guns To New York City
A case before the Supreme Court this term could significantly affect whether densely populated cities like New York have the right to set their own gun policies. At a glance, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. City of New York is a limited dispute. It pits residents who have “premises licenses,” which allow them to possess guns only at their homes, against a New York City ordinance that restricts their travel with their weapons to shooting ranges and clubs within city borders. If the petitioners — a gun advocacy group along with three of these individuals — prevail, those with premises licenses will be allowed to take their handguns with them to out-of-town ranges. Not a big deal, right? (Jonathan M. Metzl, 3/11)
Stat: Biomarkup: Creating Or Promoting Medical Tests To Drive Revenue
Tests aimed at our complex and ever-changing anatomy and physiology will catch states that may signal disease or may be incidental or fleeting. Because of this, some people are “overdiagnosed” and treated for conditions they do not have. Convincing estimates suggest that between 22 percent and 31 percent of women who are treated for breast cancer that was diagnosed by a mammogram (a radiographic biomarker) don’t have cancer. Instead, the mammogram detected something that would have not caused a problem or would have faded away. Treatment of overdiagnoses and false positives in breast cancer costs the U.S. health system $ 4 billion a year. The push for more screening and diagnostic testing can be traced in part to economics or, put more bluntly, revenue. (Kenneth D. Mandl and Arjun K. Manra, 3/12)
Los Angeles Times: Measles Outbreaks Show That Parents Who Skip Child Vaccinations Should Pay A Stiff Price
The outbreak of anti-vaccine ignorance that has produced an alarming nationwide series of measles also has rekindled a simmering debate over the non-vaccinating parents’ legal exposure: Should they be held liable for the threat their inaction has posed to innocent victims, and subjected to financial damages? (Michael Hiltzik, 3/11)
Arizona Republic: Curing An Onset Of Measles, Mumps And Ignorance
Arizona now has a confirmed case of measles with more expected. There also have been cases of the mumps. Each illness apparently spread by an epidemic of ignorance. Good news, however.There is a vaccine available for all three ailments. (EJ Montini, 3/10)
The New York Times: How To Make Sex More Dangerous
I cried the first time I saw a naked man. As a young woman growing up in a conservative Catholic household, I couldn’t even look at my own genitals, and thought I would go to hell for masturbating. The abstinence-only education I received — at school, at home, in the church — left me with years of shame, isolation and fear. I’ve watched the recent battles over allowing comprehensive sex ed in Colorado, Utah and Idaho, and I know how much is at stake for children. As a sex educator and entrepreneur, I’ve spoken with thousands of similarly miseducated young people, and I know the mental and physiological damage it can inflict. (Barrica, 3/11)
Sacramento Bee: Support SB 464 Help Keep Child Birth While Black Safe In CA
The California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, Senate Bill 464, authored with Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) — co-sponsored by Western Center on Law & Poverty, ACT for Women and Girls, Black Women for Wellness, and NARAL Pro-Choice California — was introduced in the State Legislature to address this issue. The bill would require all perinatal healthcare providers to undergo implicit bias training to curb the impact of bias on maternal health. (Holley Mitchell and Courtney McKinney, 3/10)
Sacramento Bee: STIs: Time To Address California’s Worst Public Health Crisis
In recent years, California has seen a record rise in cases of STIs and a spike in the number of stillbirths caused by syphilis. California now ranks first among all states for the total number of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. (Scott Wiener and Todd Gloria, 3/8)
Tampa Bay Times: More Eyes On Pediatric Heart Programs
It should not take the deaths of young heart patients to spur action and better oversight of Florida’s cardiac programs. But the rising mortality rate at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Pediatric Heart Institute revealed major gaps in how the state monitors quality of care and responds to problems. State lawmakers are right to consider legislation that would tighten oversight and better protect these fragile young patients. (3/8)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.