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Mary Agnes Carey
KFF Well being Information
Partnerships Editor and Senior Correspondent, oversees placement of KFF Well being Information content material in publications nationwide and covers well being reform and federal well being coverage. Earlier than becoming a member of KFF Well being Information, Mary Agnes was affiliate editor of CQ HealthBeat, Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Congressional Quarterly, and a reporter with Dow Jones Newswires. A frequent radio and tv commentator, she has appeared on CNN, C-SPAN, the PBS NewsHour, and on NPR associates nationwide. Her tales have appeared in The Washington Submit, USA Right this moment, TheAtlantic.com, Time.com, Cash.com, and The Every day Beast, amongst different publications. She labored for newspapers in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and has a grasp’s diploma in journalism from Columbia College.
In most states, open enrollment for plans on the Inexpensive Care Act change — also called Obamacare — started Nov. 1 and lasts till Dec. 15, although some states go longer. With premiums anticipated to extend by a median of 6%, shoppers who get their well being protection by the federal or state ACA marketplaces are inspired to buy round. Due to enhanced subsidies and cost-sharing help, they may get monetary savings by switching plans.
In the meantime, Ohio is but once more an election-year battleground state. A poll concern that would offer constitutional safety to reproductive well being choices has change into a flashpoint for misinformation and message testing.
This week’s panelists are Mary Agnes Carey of KFF Well being Information, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Name, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Well being and Politico, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Well being Information.
Panelists
Jessie Hellmann
CQ Roll Name
Joanne Kenen
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Well being and Politico
Rachana Pradhan
KFF Well being Information
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- Open enrollment for many plans on the Inexpensive Care Act change — also called Obamacare — started Nov. 1 and lasts till Dec. 15, although enrollment lasts longer in some states. With premiums anticipated to extend by a median of 6%, shoppers are suggested to buy round. Enhanced subsidies are nonetheless in place post-pandemic, and enhanced cost-sharing help is obtainable to those that qualify. Many individuals who’ve misplaced well being protection could also be eligible for subsidies.
- In Ohio, voters will contemplate a poll concern that might shield abortion rights below the state structure. This intently watched contest is considered by anti-abortion advocates as a testing floor for messaging on the difficulty. Abortion can be key in different races, resembling for Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court docket and Virginia’s state meeting, the place all the legislature is up for election.
- Earlier this week, President Joe Biden issued an govt order that calls on federal businesses, together with the Division of Well being and Human Companies, to step into the unreal intelligence area. AI is a buzzword at each well being care convention or panel lately, and the applied sciences are already in use in well being care, with insurers utilizing AI to assist make protection choices. There may be additionally the recurring query, after many hearings and far dialogue: Why hasn’t Congress acted to control AI but?
- Our well being care system — specifically the medical doctors, nurses, and different medical personnel — hasn’t recovered from the pandemic. Employees are nonetheless burned out, and a few have participated in work stoppages to make the purpose that they’ll’t take way more. Will this be the subsequent space for organized labor, recent from profitable strikes towards automakers, to develop union membership? Take pharmacy staff, as an illustration, who’re starting to stage walkouts to push for enhancements.
- And, in fact, for the subsequent installment of the brand new podcast function, “This Week in Medical Misinformation:” The official authorities web site of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate is attacking the proposed abortion modification in what some specialists have stated is a extremely uncommon and deceptive method. Headlines on its “On The Document” weblog embody “Abortion Is Killing the Black Neighborhood” and say the poll measure would trigger “unimaginable atrocities.” The Related Press termed the weblog’s language “inflammatory.”
Plus, for “further credit score,” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week they suppose it is best to learn, too:
Mary Agnes Carey: Stat Information’ “The Well being Care Situation Democrats Can’t Remedy: Hospital Reform,” by Rachel Cohrs.
Jessie Hellmann: The Washington Submit’s “Drugstore Closures Are Leaving Tens of millions With out Simple Entry to a Pharmacy,” by Aaron Gregg and Jaclyn Peiser.
Joanne Kenen: The Washington Submit’s “Older Individuals Are Dominating Like By no means Earlier than, however What Comes Subsequent?” by Marc Fisher.
Rachana Pradhan: The New York Instances’ “How a Profitable Surgical procedure Took Off On-line and Disfigured Sufferers,” by Sarah Kliff and Katie Thomas.
Click on to open the Transcript
Transcript: For ACA Plans, It’s Time to Store Round
[Editor’s note: This transcript was generated using both transcription software and a human’s light touch. It has been edited for style and clarity.]
Mary Agnes Carey: Whats up, and welcome again to “What the Well being?” I’m Mary Agnes Carey, partnerships editor for KFF Well being Information, filling on this week for Julie Rovner. I’m joined by among the greatest and smartest well being reporters in Washington. We’re taping this week on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. ET. As at all times, information occurs quick, and issues may’ve modified by the point you hear this.
We’re joined immediately through video convention by Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Well being and Politico.
Joanne Kenen: Hello, all people.
Carey: Jessie Hellmann, of CQ Roll Name.
Jessie Hellmann: Hey there.
Carey: And my KFF Well being Information colleague Rachana Pradhan.
Rachana Pradhan: Thanks for having me.
Carey: It’s nice to have you ever right here. It’s nice to have all of you right here. Let’s begin immediately with the Inexpensive Care Act. For those who’re desirous about enrolling in an ACA plan for protection that begins Jan. 1, it’s time so that you can join. The ACA’s open enrollment interval started Nov. 1 and lasts by Dec. 15 for plans supplied on the federal change, however some state-based ACA exchanges have longer enrollment intervals. Shoppers can go surfing, name an 800 quantity, get assist from an insurance coverage dealer or from different ACA navigators and others who’re skilled that can assist you analysis your protection choices, enable you discover out when you qualify for a subsidy, or when you ought to contemplate altering your ACA plan.
What can shoppers count on this yr throughout open enrollment? Are there extra or fewer decisions? Are premiums growing?
Hellmann: So, I noticed the common premium will enhance about 6%. So individuals are positively going to need to store round and won’t essentially simply need to stick to the identical plan that they’d final yr. And we’re additionally going to proceed seeing the improved premiums, subsidies, that Congress handed final yr that they form of caught with after the pandemic. So subsidies is likely to be extra reasonably priced for individuals — I’m sorry, premiums is likely to be extra reasonably priced for individuals. There’s additionally some enhanced cost-sharing help.
Carey: So it form of underscores the concept when you’re on the ACA change, you actually ought to return and have a look, proper? As a result of there is likely to be a unique deal on the market ready.
Kenen: I believe the wrinkle — this can be what you had been nearly to ask — however the wrinkle this yr is the Medicaid disenroll, the unwinding. There are roughly 10 million, 10 million individuals, who’ve been disenrolled from Medicaid. A lot of them are eligible for Medicaid, and sooner or later hopefully they’ll work out tips on how to get them again on. However a few of those that are now not eligible for Medicaid will most likely be eligible for closely backed ACA plans in the event that they perceive that and go search for it.
This inhabitants has been arduous to succeed in and arduous to speak with for numerous causes, some attributable to the well being system, not the individuals, or the Medicaid system, the states. They do have a fallback; they’ve some further choices. However lots of these individuals ought to click on and see what they’re eligible for.
Pradhan: One factor, form of piggybacking on what Joanne stated, that I’m actually desirous about: After all, proper now could be a time when individuals can actively join ACA plans. However the individuals who misplaced Medicaid, or are dropping Medicaid — technically, the state Medicaid company, in the event that they suppose that an individual may qualify for an ACA plan, they’re imagined to routinely switch these individuals’s purposes to their market, whether or not it’s healthcare.gov or a state-based change. However the information we now have to date reveals actually low enrollment charges into ACA plans from these batches of individuals which can be being routinely transferred. So I’m actually interested in whether or not that’s going to enhance and what does enrollment appear like in a number of months to see if these charges truly enhance.
Carey: I’m additionally questioning what you’re all choosing up on the difficulty of the supplier networks. What number of medical doctors and hospitals and different suppliers are included in these plans? Are they more likely to be smaller for 2024? Are they getting larger? Is there a selected pattern you possibly can level to?
I do know that typically insurers may cut back the variety of suppliers, slender that community, for instance to decrease prices. So I suppose that continues to be to be seen right here.
Kenen: I haven’t seen information on the ACA plans, and possibly one of many different podcasters has. I haven’t seen that. However we do know that in sure cities, together with the one all of us stay in [Washington, D.C.], many medical doctors are stopping, are now not taking insurance coverage. I imply, it’s not most, however the variety of people who find themselves dropping being in-network in among the main networks that we’re used to, I believe we now have all encountered that in our personal lives and our buddies’ and households’ lives. There are medical doctors opting out, or they’re in however their practices are closed; they’re not taking extra sufferers, they’re full.
I don’t need to faux I understand how a lot worse it’s or isn’t in ACA plans, however we do know that it is a pattern for a number of years. In some components of the nation, it’s getting worse.
Hellmann: Yeah, the Biden administration has been performing some stuff to attempt to tackle a few of these issues. Final yr there have been some guidelines requiring well being plans have sufficient in-network suppliers that meet particular driving time and distance necessities. So, they’re attempting to handle this, however I wouldn’t be stunned if a few of these plans’ networks are nonetheless fairly slender.
Pradhan: Yeah. I imply, I believe the priority for some time now with ACA plans is as a result of insurance coverage firms can’t do the issues that they did a decade in the past to restrict premium will increase, and many others., one of many methods they’ll preserve their prices down is to curtail the variety of obtainable suppliers for somebody who indicators up for considered one of these plans. So, like Jessie, I’m interested in how these new guidelines from final yr will have an effect on whether or not individuals see significant variations within the availability of in-network suppliers below particular plans.
Carey: That and lots of different developments are price watching as we head into the open enrollment season. However proper now, I’d like to show to a different subject within the information, and that’s abortion. “What the Well being?” listeners know that final week your host, Julie Rovner, created a brand new section that she’s calling “This Week in Well being Care Misinformation.” Right here’s this week’s entry.
A measure earlier than Ohio voters subsequent Tuesday, that’s Nov. 7, would amend Ohio’s structure to ensure the suitable to reproductive well being care choices, together with abortion. Abortion rights opponents say the measure is crafted too broadly and shouldn’t be accredited. The official authorities web site of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate is attacking the proposed abortion modification in what some specialists have stated is a extremely uncommon and deceptive method. Headlines on the “On The Document” weblog — and that’s what it’s referred to as, “On The Document”; that is on the Ohio state web site — it makes a number of claims in regards to the measure that authorized and medical specialists have informed The Related Press had been false or deceptive. Headlines on this web site embody, and I’m quoting right here, “Abortion Is Killing the Black Neighborhood” and that the proposal would trigger, once more, one other quote, “unimaginable atrocities.” Isn’t it uncommon for an official authorities web site to function on this method?
Pradhan: I believe sure, so far as we all know, and that’s actually scary. It’s arduous sufficient lately to type out what’s authentic and what isn’t. We’ve seen AI [artificial intelligence] utilized in different political marketing campaign supplies within the types of altered movies, images, and many others. However now it is a actually terrifying prospect, I believe, that you could possibly present misinformation to voters — significantly in shut races, I’d say, that you could possibly actually swing an final result primarily based on what individuals are being informed.
Kenen: The opposite factor that’s being stated in Ohio by the Republicans is that the measure would permit, quote, “partial-birth abortions,” which is a selected — it’s a phrase used to explain a selected sort of late-term abortion that’s unlawful. Congress handed laws, I believe it’s 15 to twenty years in the past now, and it went by the courts and it’s been upheld by the courts. This measure in Ohio doesn’t undo federal legislation within the state of Ohio or anyplace else. In order that’s not true. And that’s one other factor circulating.
Carey: This dialogue is essential. And to Rachana’s level, how voters understand this is essential as a result of Ohio is serving as a testing floor for political messaging headed into the presidential race subsequent yr. And abortion teams try to qualify initiatives in additional states in 2024, doubtlessly together with Arizona. So even when you haven’t adopted this story intently, I imply, how do you suppose this tactic could affect voters? Once more, you’re speaking about one thing — while you hit a information tab on an official state web site, you come to this weblog. Do you suppose voters will reject it? May it probably affect them — as you had been speaking about earlier, tip the outcomes?
Kenen: Properly, I don’t suppose we all know the way it’s going to tip, as a result of I don’t understand how many individuals truly learn the state legislature weblog.
Carey: Yeah, that may very well be a problem.
Kenen: Though, and the protection of it, one would hope, within the state media would level out that a few of these claims are unfaithful. However I imply, it’s taking — , the Republicans have misplaced each single state poll initiative on abortion, and it’s been a profitable concern for the Democrats they usually’re attempting to reframe it a bit of bit, as a result of whereas polls have proven — not simply polls, however voting conduct has proven — many Individuals need abortion to stay authorized, they aren’t as comfy with late-term abortions, with abortions within the ultimate weeks or months of being pregnant. So that is attempting to shift it from a common debate over banning abortion, which isn’t common within the U.S., to an space the place there’s softer help for abortions later throughout being pregnant.
And polls have proven actually robust help for abortion rights. However that is an space that’s not as robust, or a bit of bit extra open to possibly transferring individuals. And if the Republicans reach portraying this as falsely permitting a process that the nation has determined to ban, I believe that’s a part of what’s happening, is to shift the definition, shift the phrases of debate.
Carey: As we all know, Ohio will not be the one state the place abortion is taking middle stage. For instance, in Pennsylvania, abortion is a key concern within the state Supreme Court docket justice election, and it’s a take a look at case of political fallout from the Supreme Court docket, the US Supreme Court docket’s resolution final summer time to overrule Roe v. Wade. In Texas, the state is accusing Deliberate Parenthood of defrauding the Republican-led state’s Medicaid medical health insurance program. And in Kansas, in a victory for abortion rights advocates, a decide put a brand new state legislation on treatment abortions on maintain and blocked different restrictions governing the use and distribution of those medicines and imposed ready intervals.
And naturally, abortion stays an enormous concern on Capitol Hill, with Home Republicans inserting language into many spending payments to limit abortion entry, to dam funding for HIV prevention, contraception, international well being packages, and so forth. So, which of those circumstances, or others possibly that you’re watching, do you suppose would be the strongest indicators of how the abortion battle will shake out for the remainder of this yr and into 2024?
Pradhan: I’m truly going to make a plug for an additional one which we didn’t point out, which is for our native, D.C.-area listeners, Virginia subsequent week has a state legislative election. So, Gov. [Glenn] Youngkin in fact continues to be — he’s not up for reelection; he’ll sit one single four-year time period, however all the Virginia Common Meeting is up for election. So presently Gov. Youngkin says that he desires to institute a 15-week abortion ban, however Republicans would want to manage each department of presidency, which they don’t presently, however it’s potential that they may after subsequent week. So that might be a giant change as you see abortion restrictions which have proliferated, particularly all through the South and the Midwest. However now Virginia to date has not, within the wake of final yr’s Dobbs [v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization] resolution, has not imposed better restrictions on entry to abortion.
However I believe the 15-week restrict additionally offers form of a take a look at case, I believe, for whether or not Republicans may be capable of coalesce round that customary versus one thing extra aggressive like, say, a complete ban or a six-week ban that’s clearly been instituted in sure states however I believe at a nationwide stage proper now could be a nonstarter. I’m fairly desirous about seeing what occurs even in lots of our personal yard.
Kenen: As a result of Virginia’s actually tightly divided. I imply, the previous few elections. This was a conventional Republican state that has change into a purple state. And the previous few state legislature elections, didn’t they as soon as determine by drawing tons? It was so shut. I imply it’s flipped again. It’s actually, actually, actually tiny margins in each homes. I believe Rachana lives there and is aware of the small print higher than I do. Nevertheless it’s razor-thin, and it was Republican-controlled for a very long time and Democrats, what, have one-seat-in-the-Senate management? One thing like that, a really slender margin. And so they could or could not preserve it.
Pradhan: Joanne, your reminiscence’s so good, as a result of they’d —
Kenen: As a result of I edited your tales.
Pradhan: You probably did. I do know. And so they had to attract names out of a bowl that was— it was in a museum. It was one thing {that a} Virginia potter had made they usually needed to take it out of a museum exhibit. I imply, it was essentially the most — it’s actually fascinating what democracy can appear like on this nation when it comes all the way down to it. It was such a weird state of affairs to determine management of the state Home. So that you’re very proper, so it’s very shut.
Kenen: It’s additionally price stating, as we now have in prior weeks, that 15 weeks is now being supplied as this type of average place, when 15 weeks — a yr in the past, that’s what the Supreme Court docket case was actually about, the case we all know as Dobbs. It was a few legislation in Mississippi that was a 15-week ban. And what occurred is as soon as the courts gave the states the go-ahead, they went manner additional than 15 weeks. I don’t know what number of states have a 15-week ban, not many. The anti-abortion states now have type of six weeks-ish or much less. North Carolina has 12, with some situations. So 15 weeks is now Youngkin saying, “Right here’s the center floor.” I imply, even when Congress was attempting to do a ban, it was 20, so — after they had these symbolic votes, I believe it was at all times 20. He’s modified the parameters of what we’re speaking about politically.
Carey: Jessie, how do you see the abortion riders on these appropriations payments, significantly within the Home. Home Republicans have put lots of this abortion language into the approps payments. How do you see that shaking out, resolving itself, as we glance ahead?
Hellmann: It’s arduous to see how a few of these riders might change into legislation, just like the one within the FDA-Ag approps invoice that might mainly ban mailing of mifepristone, which can be utilized for abortions. Even some average Republicans who’re actually towards that rider — I imply only a handful, however it’s sufficient the place it ought to simply be a nonstarter. So I’m simply undecided how I can see a compromise on that proper now. And I positively don’t see how that might move the Senate. So it’s simply all the pieces has change into a lot extra contentious because the Roe resolution. And issues that weren’t contentious earlier than, just like the PEPFAR [The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] reauthorization, at the moment are being slowed down in abortion politics. It’s arduous to see how the 2 sides can come to an settlement at this level.
Carey: Sure, contentious points are in all places. So, let’s swap from abortion to AI. Earlier this week, President Biden issued an govt order that calls on a number of federal businesses, together with the Division of Well being and Human Companies, to create laws governing the usage of AI, together with in well being care. What makes use of of AI now in well being care, and even future makes use of, are inflicting the best concern and is likely to be the best focus of this govt order? And I’m pondering of issues that work effectively in AI or are accepted, and issues that possibly aren’t accepted at this level or individuals are involved about.
Kenen: I believe that none of us on the panel are tremendous AI specialists.
Carey: Nor am I, nor am I.
Kenen: However we’re all following it and studying about it the way in which all people else is. I believe that is one thing that Vice President Harris identified in a summit in London on AI yesterday. There’s lots of concentrate on the existential, cosmic scary stuff, like: Is it going to kill us all? However there’s additionally sensible issues proper now, significantly in well being care, like utilizing algorithms to disclaim individuals care. And there’s been some exposés of insurance coverage doing batch denials primarily based on an AI components. There’s considerations about — since AI relies on the info we now have and the info, that’s the muse, that’s the edifice. So the info we now have is flawed, there’s racial bias within the information we now have. So how do you ensure the algorithms sooner or later don’t bake within the inequities we have already got? And there’s questions too about AI is already getting used clinically, and the way effectively does it actually work? How dependable are the research and the info? What do we all know or not know earlier than we begin?
I imply, it has enormous potential. There are dangers, however it additionally has enormous potential. So how will we guarantee that we don’t have exaggerated happy-go-lucky distrust in know-how earlier than we truly perceive what it might and can’t do and how much safeguards the federal government —and the European governments as effectively; it’s not simply us, they usually could do a greater job — are going to be in place in order that we now have the nice with out … The aim is type of, to be actually simplistic about it, is let’s have the nice with out the dangerous, however doing it’s difficult.
Carey: Oh, Rachana, please.
Pradhan: Properly, all I used to be going to say was these days you can’t go to a well being care convention or a panel dialogue with out there being some session about AI. I suppose it demonstrates the extent of curiosity. It form of jogs my memory of each few years there’s a brand new well being care unicorn. So there was ACOs [accountable care organizations] for a very long time; that’s all individuals would speak about. Or value-based care, like each convention you went to. After which with covid, and for different causes, everybody is admittedly huge on fairness, fairness, fairness for a very long time. And now it’s like AI is in all places.
So like Joanne stated, I imply, we now have all the pieces from a chatbot that pops up in your display screen to reply even benign questions on insurance coverage. That’s AI. It’s a type of AI. It’s not generative AI, however it’s. And yeah, I imply, insurance coverage firms use all types of algorithms and information to make choices about what claims they’re going to pay and never pay. So yeah, I believe all of us simply need to train some skepticism once we’re attempting to look at how this is likely to be used for good or dangerous.
Kenen: I simply desire a robotic to scrub my kitchen. Why doesn’t anybody simply deal with the … Silicon Valley does the actually essential stuff.
Carey: That will be a use for good in your own home, in my home, in all our homes.
Kenen: Yeah.
Carey: So, whereas we’re understandably and admittedly not AI specialists, we’re specialists on Congress right here. And the president did say in his announcement earlier this week that Congress nonetheless must act on this concern. Why haven’t they carried out it but? They’ve had all these hearings and all this dialog about crafting guidelines round privateness, on-line security, and rising applied sciences. Why no motion to date? And any bets on whether or not it might or could not occur within the close to future?
Hellmann: I believe they don’t know what to do. We’ve solely, as a rustic, began actually speaking about AI at kitchen tables, to make use of a cliche, this yr. And so Congress is at all times behind the eight ball on these points. And even when they’re having these member conferences and speaking about it, I believe it might take a very long time for them to truly move any significant laws that isn’t simply directing an company to do a examine or directing an company to concern laws or one thing that might have a very huge influence.
Carey: Glorious. Thanks. So let’s contact briefly — earlier than we wrap, I actually do need to get up to now and among the stuff we proceed to see within the information about well being care staff below hearth. It’s actually not simple to be a well being care employee lately. New findings printed by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention present that, in 2022, 13.4% of well being staff stated they’d been harassed at work. That’s up from 6.4% in 2018. That’s greater than double the speed of office harassment in comparison with pre-pandemic instances, the CDC discovered.
We’ve talked about this earlier than. It’s price revisiting once more. What’s going on with our well being care workforce? And what do these form of findings imply for retaining proficient individuals within the workforce, attracting new individuals to affix?
Hellmann: Has anybody truly caught a break after the pandemic?
Carey: That’s level.
Hellmann: I imply, covid continues to be on the market, however I don’t suppose that our well being care system has actually recovered from that. Folks have left the workforce as a result of they’re burned out. Folks nonetheless really feel burned out who caught round, and I don’t know in the event that they actually obtained any breaks or the help that they wanted. There’s simply form of this recognition of individuals being burned out. However I don’t understand how a lot motion there may be to handle the difficulty.
I really feel like typically that results in extra burnout, while you see executives and leaders acknowledging the issue however then not likely doing a lot to handle it.
Carey: Properly, that’s actually been the grievance by pharmacy employees and others and pharmacists at among the giant drugstore chains, retail chains, which have gone out on strike. They’ve had these two- and three-day strikes not too long ago. So, I’m assuming that may proceed, sadly, for all the explanations that Jessie simply laid out.
Pradhan: Truly, form of going again to the strikes from pharmacists, I used to be desirous about this earlier as a result of we’ve seen not too long ago, I believe individually within the information in the case of labor unions, and possibly it will have some bearing, possibly not, however the United Auto Employees strike — I imply, they extracted among the largest concessions from automakers so far as pay will increase. And individuals are seeing, they actually obtained a victory after putting for weeks. And I believe individuals, at the very least the protection that I’ve seen has talked about how that union win won’t simply catalyze better labor union involvement, not simply within the auto trade however in different components of the nation and different sectors.
And so, I’m undecided what proportion of pharmacists are a part of labor unions, however I believe individuals have type of stated extra not too long ago that organized labor is having a second, or has been, that it has not shortly. And so, I’ll be fascinated to see whether or not there’s a better urge for food amongst pharmacists to truly be a part of a labor union and type of whether or not that ends in better calls for of a few of these company chains. As we all know — we are able to speak about this I believe in a bit of bit — however the company chains have actually taken over pharmacies in America, and rural pharmacies are actually dying off. And in order that has lots of essential implications for the nation.
Kenen: I believe the issues with the well being care workforce will not be all issues that labor unions can tackle, as a result of a few of it’s what number of hours you’re employed and how much shifts you’ve got and the way usually they modify and issues that — yeah, I imply, labor is having a second, Rachana’s proper. However they’re additionally tied to bigger demographic developments, with an getting older society. It’s tied to, our entire system is geared towards the, like dean of nursing at [Johns] Hopkins Sarah Szanton is at all times speaking about, it’s not a lot not having sufficient nurses; we’ve obtained them within the improper locations. If we did extra preventive care and neighborhood care and power illness administration locally, you wouldn’t have so many individuals within the hospital within the first place the place the workforce disaster is.
So a few of these bigger problems with how do we now have a greater well being care system; labor negotiations can tackle elements of it. Nursing ratios are controversial, however that’s a labor concern. It’s a regulatory concern as effectively. However our entire system’s so screwed up now that Jessie’s proper, no one recovered from the strains of the pandemic in lots of sectors, most likely all sectors of society, however clearly significantly brutal on the well being care workforce. We didn’t get to hit pause and say, OK, no one get sick for six months whereas all of us get better. The unmet psychiatric wants. I imply, it’s simply tons of stuff is improper, and it’s manifesting itself in a workforce disaster. So possibly when you don’t have anybody to handle you, possibly individuals will take note of the bigger underlying causes for that.
Carey: That’s a problem I’m certain we’ll discuss extra about sooner or later as a result of it’s simply not going anyplace. However for now, we’re going to show to our further credit score section. That’s once we every advocate a narrative we learn this week and suppose it is best to learn, too. As at all times, don’t fear when you miss it. We are going to put up the hyperlinks on the podcast web page at kffhealthnews.org and in our present notes in your telephone or different cell machine.
Joanne, why don’t you go first this week?
Kenen: Properly, talking of which, after we simply talked about, there’s a chunk in The Washington Submit by Marc Fisher. It has a protracted headline: “Older Individuals Are Dominating Like By no means Earlier than, however What Comes Subsequent?” And mainly it’s speaking about not a lot the nursing and doctor workforce, though that’s a part of it, simply the workforce on the whole. We’ve extra individuals working longer, and in areas the place there’s shortages, there’s nothing improper with having previous individuals. Numerous communities have shortages of college bus drivers. So when you’ve got lots of older faculty bus drivers they usually’re protected and like children and like driving the bus, extra energy to them. For those who’re 55 and you may drive a faculty bus filled with nine-year-olds, center schoolers, a lot extra.
Carey: Good luck with that one.
Kenen: However among the doctor specialties — one of many individuals within the story is a palliative care doctor who retired and isn’t blissful retired and needs to return to work. And that’s one other space the place we want extra individuals. Nevertheless it’s a cultural shift, like, who’s doing what when, and the way does it have an effect on the youthful technology? Though there was a reference to Angelina Jolie being on the previous aspect at 48. I suppose for an actress that is likely to be previous. However that wasn’t the gist of it. However we now have this shift towards older individuals in lots of locations, not simply Trump and Biden. It’s type of the entire workforce.
Carey: Obtained it. Jessie.
Hellmann: My further credit score can be a narrative from The Washington Submit. It’s referred to as “Drugstore Closures Are Leaving Tens of millions With out Simple Entry to a Pharmacy.” Targeted particularly on among the huge nationwide chains like CVS and Walgreens and Ceremony Support, which have actually form of dominated the pharmacy house over the previous few a long time. However now they’re coping with the repercussions from all these lawsuits which can be being filed alleging they’d a task within the opioid epidemic. And the story simply form of seems to be on the penalties of that.
These aren’t simply locations individuals get prescriptions. They depend on them for meals, for medical recommendation, particularly in rural and underserved areas. So yeah, I simply thought it was a very fascinating take a look at that concern.
Carey: Rachana?
Pradhan: So my further credit score is a narrative in The New York Instances referred to as “How a Profitable Surgical procedure Took Off On-line and Disfigured Sufferers.” It’s horrifying. It’s a narrative about surgeons who’re performing a fancy sort of hernia surgical procedure and evidently are studying their methods, or at the very least a big share of them are studying their methods, by watching movies on social media. And the methods which can be demonstrated there will not be precisely prime quality. So the story digs into ensuing hurt to sufferers.
Kenen: And it’s pointless surgical procedure within the first place — for a lot of, not all. Nevertheless it’s a extra difficult process than they even want in a big portion of those sufferers.
Carey: My further credit score is written by Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and he or she’s a frequent visitor on this program. Her story is named “The Well being Care Situation Democrats Can’t Remedy: Hospital Reform.” Whereas Democrats have seized on decreasing well being care prices as a politically profitable concern — they’ve taken on insurers and the drug trade, for instance — Rachel writes that hospitals could also be a well being care big they’re unable to confront alone, they usually being the Democrats. As we all know, hospitals are main employers in lots of congressional districts. There’s been lots of consolidation within the trade in recent times. And hospital trade lobbyists have labored arduous to protect the picture that they’re the nice guys within the well being care trade, Rachel writes, whereas others, like pharma, will not be.
Properly, that’s our present. As at all times, when you benefit from the podcast, you possibly can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We’d admire it when you left us a overview; that helps others discover us too. Particular thanks, as at all times, to our engineer, Francis Ying. Additionally, as at all times, you possibly can e mail us your feedback or questions. We’re at whatthehealth@kff.org, or you could possibly nonetheless discover me on X. I’m @maryagnescarey. Rachana?
Pradhan: I’m @rachanadpradhan on X.
Carey: Jessie.
Hellmann: @jessiehellmann.
Carey: And Joanne.
Kenen: I’m sometimes on X, @JoanneKenen, and I’m attempting to get extra on Threads, @joannekenen1.
Carey: We’ll be again in your feed subsequent week, and till then, be wholesome.
Credit
Francis Ying
Audio producer
Stephanie Stapleton
Editor
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