Opinion writers weigh in on these health topics and others.
The Wall Street Journal: There Is A Mental-Health Crisis On Campus
Technology has in many ways have made life easy—certainly much easier than before. So why did one recent study find that the rate of moderate to severe depression among U.S. college students rose from 23.2% in 2007 to 41.1% in 2018, while rates of moderate to severe anxiety jumped from 17.9% in 2013 to 34.4% in 2018? I think technology itself may be to blame for the rise. (9/10)
Stat: New Public Charge Rule Amounts To Child Abuse
If one of our patients withheld food or medication from her child, we would report her for child abuse. But come Oct. 15, when the Trump administration’s new public charge immigration rule goes into effect, we’ll have to rethink that strategy. The public charge rule refers to a term used in immigration law to identify an individual who is primarily dependent on the government for support. The Trump administration has broadened the definition of what can be taken into account when denying green cards to include immigrants who use one or more of three government programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps), some federal housing subsidizes, and adult Medicaid. (Leah Zallman and Stephanie Woolhandler, 9/11)
The Wall Street Journal: How To Think About Health Coverage
The number of Americans without health insurance rose last year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, and Democrats say this justifies more government control. Yet the reality is more complicated—in particular, note that having a Medicaid card is no guarantee of great medical care. The good Census news is that real median earnings of men and women who work full time and year round “increased by 3.4% and 3.3%, respectively, between 2017 and 2018.” Some 2.3 million more Americans are working full time. The poverty rate fell 0.5 percentage points from 2017, to 11.8%, the fourth annual decline in a row. (9/10)
Stat: Ignoring Millennials Will Worsen The Crisis In Health Care Leadership
Health care delivery in the United States is being led by practitioners who have ascended to leadership roles primarily through years of loyalty to their organizations. But as burnout worsens and affects the youngest clinicians to the detriment of the system, is this the appropriate cadre to shepherd us towards necessary system transformation? (Travis Bias and Ashley Ramirez, 9/11)
The New York Times: ‘It’s Sick That We Have To Do This’: Do We Really Need Shooter Drills?
Two weeks ago, on Long Island, West Babylon Junior High School rang in the new school year by simulating a prelude to slaughter: Sequestered in their classrooms, students huddled silently as an imitation gunman banged on the doors, chased out by police officers flooding the hallways and firing off blanks. “It’s sick that we have to do this,” said the head of the security company conducting this active-shooter drill, an exercise that has become a commonplace in schools across the country. “But this is the future here.” (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 9/15)
Los Angeles Times: Surprise! Trump Wants To Help L.A.’s Homeless By Cracking Down On Them
Everyone in Los Angeles County knows how pervasive and intractable a problem homelessness is. Even as we increase the number of shelter beds and build permanent supportive housing and dispense rental subsidies and provide all manner of other services, it’s not enough to stanch the flow of newly homeless people onto the sidewalks. So the arrival this week of a group of officials from the Trump administration saying they want to learn about homelessness ought to be a hopeful sign. It should be a good thing that the federal government, with all its experts and money and other resources, is interested and wants to help. (9/11)
The CT Mirror: Reason And Responsibility In Child Vaccinations
The World Health Organization reports that measles outbreaks worldwide have almost tripled since last year. This is astonishing, and very troubling. (Jan Taigen and Christine Palm, 9/11)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.