Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Refusing Childhood Vaccinations Is Not Patient Autonomy; US Drug Prices Are High On Purpose
The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to vaccine policy over the past year justified by invocations of patients’ “personal autonomy.” In January, Department of Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump’s slashed the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11 after an HHS report emphasized “personal autonomy and self-determination” as key principles necessitating reconsideration of the childhood vaccine schedule. (Adam W. Gaffney, 5/18)
The gap between US drug prices and those abroad is not a market outcome — it is the result of deliberate political and regulatory choices. (Ashish K. Jha and Irene Papanicolas, 5/18)
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is responsible for developing recommendations for the use of licensed vaccines in the U.S. and has vast influence on immunization practices and financing. (Jesse L. Goodman, 5/18)
Make America Healthy Again recognizes the dangers of overmedicalization while ignoring the conditions fueling mental illness. (Khameer Kidia, 5/18)
State should enforce law requiring insurers to maintain accurate provider directories. (5/17)
